With the transfer window now closed, what you see is what you get with Everton’s squad until January. It’s been a solid if not spectacular start to the season, with a frustrating draw at home to Watford followed by an impressive away showing at Southampton. A home defeat to Man City and a scoreless draw at Spurs sandwiched a rollercoaster ride at Barnsley. There’s been a bit of everything.
Questions still remain though, and they’ve become even more pertinent after two scoreless (and you have to say, almost chanceless) league outings. After Romelu Lukaku, just where are the goals going to come from?
It’s certainly a concern; an injury to the Belgian and you’re scratching your head as to who else can find the net on a regular basis?
Arouna Kone has made an impressive contribution at the start of this campaign, underlined by a smart finish against Watford, but has he really got what it takes to even reach double figures? After a torrid injury it looks like he still may have a part to play, but more so for his link up play and his presence ‘freeing up’ Lukaku, rather than as the team’s go-to man for goals.
Leandro Rodriguez has arrived from the Uruguayan first division, but surely it’s asking far too much for him to hit ground running. He’ll probably take a season just to adjust to English football.
Ross Barkley could provide a more viable option. 2 goals in the first 2 games equalled his tally for last season, and it seems Martinez will continue to deploy him further forward, so double figures is what he should be aiming for. His ability to strike a ball well with either foot isn’t under question, but his biggest problem seems to become his composure in front of goal. All too often, shots are closer to row ‘Z’ than the back of the net, and he frequently seems to take shots on when off-balance. If he can somehow master this, and learn when discretion is the better part of valour, he has all the tools to become a regular goalscoring midfielder.
Kevin Mirallas is another one who isn’t afraid of a shot, and has the potential to find the back of the net regularly. His total of 11 goals last season represented his best return in an Everton shirt, but it’s difficult not feel there is still more to come for a player of his ability. I’d question whether he has what it takes to lead to line, but coming in from the flanks, and in particular the left, he has tools to create chances for both himself and others.
Steven Naismith perhaps provides the only other viable goalscoring threat in the squad. He doesn’t have blistering pace or mind-blowing technical ability, but he’s shown in flashes that clinical instinct in front of goal, and is excellent in the air. Like Mirallas, I’d question his ability to lead to line on his own, but he seems to have a knack of finding the net, in particular against the better sides. Somehow shoehorning him into the side seems to be the biggest problem. Does he offer enough beyond a goal threat?
There’s no straightforward answer to Everton’s goal-scoring problems. The two previous league outings suggest creating chances is just as much of an issue as converting them. Defensively there are also concerns, with 3 conceded at Barnsley and the blues lucky to emerge from White Hart Lane with a clean sheet.
But Martinez has set his stall out, and wins are more important than clean sheets to the Spaniard, so he must find a way of sharing the goal scoring burden around a side that is, at the moment, far too reliant on one man.
