Before the 2013/14 season, Roberto Martinez’s first in charge of Everton, we participated in the Champions Cup pre-season tournament in the USA where we played both Juventus and Real Madrid. We gave a good account of ourselves and the competitive atmosphere gave a bit more edge to the games as they actually meant something. This led on to a great season where Everton finished fifth with their highest ever points total in the Premier league, and the highest points total to not finish in the top four. Everton that. However, it showed that semi-competitive football in the off season was beneficial and gave a good foundation for our season.
In contrast, prior to the 2014/15 season just gone, Everton participated in just five friendlies without winning a single one. The friendlies were boring to watch and must have been a chore to play in. In effect they meant nothing as there was nothing to play for and this was reflected in the abject performances. This pre-season was also on the back of a World Cup so players were missing and coming back at different times which will have also had an effect on proceedings. We all know how poorly the season went and many believed that a horrendous pre-season was a factor in that. This is evidenced in the first two games of the season as Everton threw away two comfortable looking wins which seemed to set the tone for the rest of the season.
Pre-season tournaments are also a good way to increase a teams’ following overseas. Many of the Premier League clubs will travel across the globe in order to promote their brand in new or growing markets and this is something that Everton has to keep up with. We are already behind in terms of commercial revenue in relation to the size of our club and unless we explore new markets, attract new fans, and essentially show that we can be a commercial success then we will always be playing second fiddle to the bigger clubs.
Overall I believe that pre-season tournaments can only help a club. As our captain Phil Jagielka said recently, “there is a trophy to play for and that does add an extra bit of spice.” Even if the trophy is meaningless it is still nice to have a reason to play other than to regain fitness and match sharpness.
