Credit Where Credit's Due: Mykolenko Quietly Performing For Everton

Fans have a right to criticise players. Even if you disagree, in a world of social media, supporters have a platform to express their opinions. 

Everton players have had their fair share of criticism in recent years, sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly. That will continue until the end of time, but it's only fair if fans are willing to change their opinions or at least suggest that a player is starting to change their mind. 

If you've already made your mind up on a player and aren't willing to accept when they've improved, admit you're wrong, or praise when necessary, that's when it feels unfair. 

Unfortunately, failing to give credit when credit is due is something you see happen with many football fans. I've seen it countless times with Thierno Barry, the same with Tyler Dibling, even though we should be looking to support these young players.

This leads us on to Vitalii Mykolenko, who has recently been discussing his form this season with Ukrainian media. 

Mykolenko hasn't reached the heights many would have expected of him since he joined the club over four years ago. Replacing Lucas Digne wasn't an easy task, especially for such a young player at the time moving to a new country. 

Mykolenko could be afforded a bit of slack for the reasons listed above, but it's not been over four years since he made his move to the club. 

Despite that, so far this season, Mykolenko has shown the ability that many were hoping to see when he arrived through the door. Hard to beat in one vs one situations, strong positioning, ball retention. 

Of course, Mykolenko still lacks when it comes to going forward, but a leapoard never changes its spots. The introduction of a natural right-back in Ainsley Maitland-Niles has undoubtedly helped take some of the spotlight off of Mykolenko.

The Ukrainian is under less pressure to make things happen in the final third due to Maitland-Niles providing more attacking width on the opposite side. What this does mean is we can make a variation of a back three at times, with Myklolenko tucking alongside James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. 

Is Mykolenko perfect? Far from it, but he's producing performances that suggest he's an important option rather than a squad player. In a side with just one natural left-back, he's managed to step up to the plate this season and deserves credit for it. 

In an ideal world, I think we should have signed a new left-back to compete with Mykolenko in the summer transfer window, while allowing Adam Aznou to head out on loan. 

The left-back position fell down the pecking order, with even priority positions falling by the wayside. After the opening few weeks of the season, the left-back position now doesn't seem too bad after all, and it's Mykolenko who deserves all the credit for that.