Agree with all of that.

I think you can see from a few posts back I was in favour of Luka playing that sitting role however whilst he is not entirely to blame for Everton I think a different option should be tried if anyone fails to make their case when given a chance.

I don't think Riedewald would be a ridiculous option, I would expect him not to venture to far forward too occasionally and has sound technical ability. I am a fan of his and still hold hope for him to 'come good' however see and fear the potential for that to backfire too.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

McArthur would be the obvious choice to partner Doucoure, but sadly is too often unfit.
In his absence, my choice would be Hughes.
He looks more comfortable in a deeper role and is a decent passer to commence moves along with Doucoure.
He’s also prepared to tackle, reads the game well and his lack of mobility /pace is less likely to be exposed in a deeper role.
For me Luka is a liability these days and looks like he’s running through treacle with a propensity for giving away free kicks in dangerous areas.
The Luka of a couple of seasons ago, maybe, but not the current version.
Jairo could be an interesting choice for some games where we dominate possession and are under less pressure.
However, he does lack intensity and wouldn’t appear to be a long term solution.

All of this discussion is academic of course while Vieira persists with one number 6 and two number 8s in midfield.

I know it's a big ask of a kid, but I've been impressed by Ozoh when I've seen him. Looks like he could mix it up physically, is tall, has a cool head, can pass and looks very composed on the ball for his age. Personally I don't think Jairo or Luka are quite up to it any more and I'll hold judgement on Hughes. Ayew is not a central midfielder, despite the experiment, and neither really is Schlupp. Philips could be worth a shout due to his size and aggression, but still looks tactically naïve whenever I've seen him play and can be a bit of a headless chicken.

Hughes the obvious answer from what we currently have available.

Cheikh was given a very low rating v Chelsea, and at times he has, until recently, looked a bit behind the game, he makes tackles but surges forward too far and loses possession. It seemed clear v Leeds and Wolves that the oppo had spotted that he hadn't yet fit in and he would get crowded out by three or four opposition players when he had charged into another blind alley. Might not have been all Cheikh's fault - the players around him were not reacting the way he was expecting them to so he was getting isolated. Ashley Williams pointed out v Leicester how disconnected and dysfunctional our midfield is - Schlupp lacks positional awareness and Eze is not suited to playing too deep, PV has done well to jig things around to get a tune out of the midfield, but on several occasions the tweaking hasn't worked. It was noticable how much better Doucoure's performance was in the second half v Wolves, releasing the ball a lot earlier, so the penny seems to be dropping - but we are now in a situation where his loss is irreplaceable. We desperately need some sort of Milner type in Jan - doesn't have to be a youngster, but someone to play alongside Doucoure, he seems more used to playing in a pair than as a sole anchor, but someone who can be available for him and get the ball moving forward, either by carrying it or passing it. Gallagher covered over the cracks but the frailties of our midfield are now exposed and need to be mended asap.

If we can get 18 or 21 games out of Macca this season i'll be delighted.
Yes, i know he is currently injured but is due back soon so come Boxing Day should be fully fit.
When he is fit PV plays him.
A fit Macca maybe avoids us making a panic buy in January. Clearly, with him and Luka surely leaving next summer another DCM will be required in the summer, possibly 2.