The club from Goodison Park has been through a roller coaster for most of its former times. Once a great Merseyside rivalry is now nothing more than just a one-way match for Liverpool as Everton has been on a decline in their recent years.
The Downfall
From being the founding members of the Premier League and winning 1 FA Cup, 2 League Championships and their sole European Cup to keeping the fight alive for being in the top 10 this season has seen a drastic change in the team’s history.
Their constant struggle to find the right manager has never quite hit gold as even now the problem continues. David Moyes was the right fit for a certain period of time when Wayne Rooney made a breakthrough and then departed the club as their record deal of 28 million pounds. Moyes left for Manchester United in 2012 after which he was replaced by Roberto Martinez. The team is currently managed by Marco Silva who was appointed in 2018.
Once a top 6 challenging team, now looks forward to a mid-table fight. Everton has decreased their standards and even in the current 2019/20 season, they are not looking like the brightest of the bunch.
The Current Struggles and lack of tactical change
Everton started their campaign against Crystal Palace which ended in a stalemate but not before Morgan Schneiderlin was handed in a red card. Even though they dominated possession, they still couldn’t convert the 10 shots they took. Away from home, Everton still needs to register a win after losing to both Aston Villa and Bournemouth while they won both of their home games against Wolves and Watford.
Marco Silva’s tactics need a fresh change according to the squad he has at hand. The Toffees spent around 200 million pounds and have not achieved the desired result yet. Since December 2, 2018 — the fateful loss at Anfield that threatened to derail Everton’s season — the Toffees have played 21 matches against non-top six opponents. Their record in those matches? An abysmal 8-4-9 (W-D-L).
Of those eight wins, six came with goals in the opening 20 minutes. One draw — December 2018’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle United — also included a goal in the opening 20 minutes. That means that in matches against non-top-six sides where Everton did not score in the opening 20 minutes, the Toffees are 2-3-9 (W-D-L). In their game away at Bournemouth, Marco Silva was heavily criticized for his lack of creative introduction in the game plan. He played a pressure creating striker and a high line at the back which fell right into the plate of Eddie Howe. This kind of non-resourceful thinking by their manager has left them with a record displaying their inconsistent performances. Not qualifying for any European Competitions and getting knocked out of the domestic titles have left the team’s fans frustrated and rightly so.
The Positives
With great signings, comes great responsibilities. Andre Gomes, Lucas Digne and Alex Iwobi are few of the signings that were banked upon to succeed when they arrived. Lucas Digne arrived in 18/19 season and has proved to be a great asset for the team providing 4 goals and 4 assists in his first season as Left Back. Richarlison is one of the players who can help change things around for the Toffees. With 15 assists and 3 goals in his tenure for Everton, he is the one to bank upon to get a pass through. Lack of a finishing striker lets Everton down and now Moise Kean is supposed to fill that hole for his team. Jordan Pickford is also an important positive for the team. Playing for England, this guy has shown why you need him protecting the net and he has done a fairly well job internationally and is also trying the same for Everton. These few players are the only light at the end of the tunnel that Everton‘s fans can see in the upcoming future
Marco Silva needs to freshen things up and utilize his resources to build the team-up. With the help of a few better options in attack and a solid defense, Everton can be a challenging opponent in the Premier League again.
