#14 Everton: No Quick Fix
In their penultimate game of last season, Everton fans flooded onto the Goodison Park pitch to celebrate. But it was not because their team had won a trophy or qualified for Europe. In fact, the Toffees’ achievement was merely to have secured their Premier League status. Relief, rather than jubilation, was the primary emotion among those who entered the field after a come-from-behind victory over Crystal Palace.
Everton will not want a repeat of 2021/22. The decision to employ Rafael Benitez, a Liverpool legend who will always be associated in England with Everton’s arch-rivals, was just as baffling at the time as it was in hindsight. Benitez actually started well but he was never going to be a success in the medium term.
See our predictions for all the teams in the 22/23 Premier League season here.
Frank Lampard deserves credit for keeping Everton’s heads above water, but the jury is still out on the former England international as a manager. This term will be a stern test pf his credentials, as Everton attempt to steer clear of the basement battle and, at the very least, secure a mid-table finish.
That would still be a backwards step for a club that, until just over a year ago, was managed by Carlo Ancelotti, who recently celebrated his fourth Champions League triumph as a coach. Everton hired the Italian because they felt he was the man to lead them into Europe’s premier competition. The club’s ambitions are altogether more modest going into the 2022/23 campaign.
Everton have perhaps been the worst-run Premier League outfit over the last five years. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been wasted in the transfer market. There has been no overarching strategy either on or off the pitch. Due to past mistakes, Everton no longer have much money to spend. The road back to Europe could be long and arduous.
Predicted XI (3-4-2-1)
Jordan Pickford; Ben Godfrey, Michael Keane, James Tarkowski; Alex Iwobi, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, Vitaliy Mykolenko; Anthony Gordon, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Demarai Gray.
The coach
Lampard was a popular choice to succeed Benitez last season, and he fulfilled his remit of keeping Everton’s heads above water. There were positives to take from his first few months in charge: he restored belief to the camp and ensured his team held their nerve when it mattered most.
At the same time, Lampard will need a more sustained spell of success to win over his doubters. Everton were 16th in the Premier League when he was handed the reins and they finished the campaign in the exact same position. He did not inherit a favourable situation, but Everton’s squad, for all its faults, was superior to that of the teams around them in the table.
Lampard led Derby County to the Championship play-off final in his first job, but the Rams did not finish any higher in the table than in the season before his arrival. He did well in his maiden campaign as Chelsea boss but things unravelled in 2020/21. Opinion is still split on Lampard as a coach. If Everton begin the season poorly, he will come under pressure.
For now, though, Lampard has earned the right to be entrusted with the task of steering Everton back into the top 10 of the Premier League. That will not be easy, but the Chelsea legend does not lack for self-belief.
Player to watch
Anthony Gordon was a rare bright spot for Everton last season. The academy graduate impressed supporters not only with his work ethic and dedication to the cause, but also with his invention and quality. Gordon played without fear – which was no mean feat given how disastrous relegation would have been for Everton.
Gordon was frequently the player who drove the team forward and made things happen. One of his most memorable performances came at the cauldron that is Anfield: Gordon was unfortunate not to win at least one penalty for the visitors that afternoon. He ended the campaign with four goals and two assists, but he is capable of improving both tallies this season.
Everton will need the 21-year-old to continue his development. Richarlison has departed and Andros Townsend remains sidelined with a serious knee injury, so Gordon will be an even more prominent figure this term.
Transfers
In
Dwight McNeil (Burnley), James Tarkowski (Burnley)
Out
Jonjoe Kenny (Released), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Released), Fabian Delph (Released), Cenk Tosun (Released), Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)
Our Premier League score card
Goalkeeper: 8/10
Were it not for Jordan Pickford, the unthinkable could have become reality for Everton last term. The goalkeeper proved why he is Gareth Southgate’s No.1 for England with a string of fine displays. Pickford’s temperament has been called into question in the past – he has a tendency to be overly excitable at times – but the former Sunderland shot-stopper showed a calmer, more mature side last time out.
Everton will need him to continue in that vein. He did not make many mistakes last season, having been guilty of several costly errors the previous campaign, when he was dropped for a period by Carlo Ancelotti. His distribution remains a major asset. Pickford has a fantastic passing range and is capable of turning defence into attack in an instant with his accurate long diagonals.
Everton will hope Pickford does not have to be as busy in 2022/23 as he was in 2021/22. But if the Toffees’ defence proves to be unreliable again, Pickford should be able to bail his team out.
Defence: 6/10
Lampard switched to a three-man backline towards the end of last season and could stick with the same system in 2022/23. Only four teams conceded more goals than Everton last season, and they will need to tighten up if they are to avoid another relegation battle. Lampard would no doubt point out that several of his defenders missed matches due to injury, so keeping key individuals fit will be important.
Ben Godfrey struggled last term, but he was excellent in his maiden campaign at Goodison Park and his talent is there to see. James Tarkowski, a no-nonsense stopper brought in from Burnley, looks set to be a regular in the starting XI.
Michael Keane was ever-present last term and is a good fit to anchor a three-man defence. Yerry Mina is the other option in that role, but his injury record suggests he will struggle to stay fit for the whole season. That is a shame, because the Colombian is a solid centre-half on his day.
Midfield: 6/10
Abdoulaye Doucoure is one of Everton’s most important players. He started last season brilliantly, showing off his qualities as a true midfield all-rounder. The former Watford man would often win the ball back himself, then drive his team forward with a lung-busting run. Doucoure is not afraid to do the dirty work, but he is at his best in a box-to-box role.
Allan is more limited in an attacking sense, but the ex-Napoli midfielder is an expert ball-winner. He hassles and harries opponents in the centre of the park, before moving the ball on to better-positioned team-mates.
The Doucoure-Allan partnership is solid but lacks creativity, which could be an issue this season. Andre Gomes is more technically gifted than either member of Lampard’s go-to duo, yet the Portuguese has underwhelmed for much of his Everton career and will probably remain in reserve.
Attack: 7/10
Richarlison was Everton’s top scorer last season, finding the back of the net 10 times. Whether he was deployed out wide or as a central striker, the Brazil international was a thorn in the side of his opponents. He also connected with the Everton fans, who will have been sad to see him leave for Tottenham this summer.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin endured an injury-hit campaign in 2021/22, but he showed the year before that he knows how to score goals at this level. One of the best headers of a ball in the Premier League, the England international is a fantastic leader of the line. Lampard will be excited to work with him more closely now that he is free of injury.
Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon are bright, lively wingers who shone at times last term. Both players are quick and direct, and will be integral if Lampard opts for a counter-attacking style.
Bench: 6/10
As things stand, Everton do not have enough strength in depth to weather a serious injury crisis. It could be argued that, by definition, bottom-half Premier League sides do not have as many solutions as those teams competing for the biggest prizes, but Everton could be in trouble if two or three key players are ruled out for more than a handful of matches.
For instance, the drop-off in quality from Dominic Calvert-Lewin to Salomon Rondon at centre-forward is stark. Andros Townsend might not play again until 2023, but Everton have at least brought in Dwight McNeil for cover in the front three.
Dele Alli will be an important player if he is able to recapture his best form, but the story of the last few years is one of disappointment as far as the ex-Tottenham man is concerned. Elsewhere in midfield, Tom Davies offers industry but not a great deal of quality, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin has had his Everton career ruined by injury.
Final score: 33/50
Mid-table is probably the best Everton can hope for. This is his third job as a manager, but it is still hard to work out how good a coach Lampard is. He has lost a key attacker in Richarlison, and Everton’s defence was unreliable for large chunks of last season. Another bottom-half finish beckons for the Merseysiders.
