Everton will be eager to have a boring season this season after the highs and lows of the last few years.
By Sam McGuire
Sean Dyche is settled, they’ve been active in the market and they’ve kept hold of key players, for now at least. It could well be a much-needed straightforward campaign for the Toffees.
What happened last season?
Relegation appeared to be a genuine threat for Everton at multiple stages of the season last time out. They suffered points deductions on two occasions and struggled for form at various stages. Their cause wasn’t helped by injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin while summer signings struggled to find their feet.
In the end, though, the Toffees achieved a 15th placed finish.
This was quite astonishing when you consider they didn’t win any of their opening five matches and their first points deduction undone all of their hard work. It was initially a 10-point deduction, though it was eventually cut to six. But when points are at a premium, every single one counts.
A strong December, in which they recorded four wins on the bounce, and a decent end of the season, with five wins from their final eight, was enough to guarantee a comfortable finish. Fortunately for them, a number of teams just weren’t to Premier League level. It meant you only needed 27 points to stay in the top flight last season.
Everton’s Premier League survival was tied to their defensive efforts. The Blues kept 13 clean sheets, the second joint-most along with Manchester City. In attack, things weren’t great, but they didn’t have to be because of how solid the rearguard was.
Abdoulaye Doucouré and Calvert-Lewin finished as joint-top scorers with seven goals each while Dwight McNeil was the chief creator for the Toffees, raking up six assists.
What has happened during the summer?
At the time of writing this, Everton have managed to keep hold of Jarrad Branthwaite. The centre-back was of interest to Manchester United but the Red Devils had their bid rejected and moved on to Leny Yoro.
The Toffees did lose a key play in Amadou Onana, who moved to Aston Villa, but the £50million they banked for the Belgian is good business. They also sold Ben Godfrey to Atalanta while Lewis Dobbin joined Aston Villa.
And Everton have strengthened. Jake O’Brien has been signed from Lyon to provide the centre-back department with real depth. Iliman Ndiaye has returned to the Premier League after a disappointing stint with boyhood club Marseille and the Merseyside club signed Villa youngster Tim Iroegbunam. Jesper Lindstrøm has arrived on loan to bolster the attacking ranks at Goodison Park.
What they should be aiming for next season?
The safety of mid-table. The Blues need a drama-free season. Instead of looking to not lose certain games, purely because they need points on the board, they can look to play football and win matches.
Dyche can develop players and fans can enjoy the Everton experience for one final year at Goodison.
Prediction: 14th
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.