After a middling 2020/21 campaign, Everton will be looking for a more consistent and successful campaign under new manager Rafael Benitez this time around.
The Toffees will host Southampton in their first game of the season on August 14 at 3pm. According to Premier League betting odds with major sportsbook like 888 Sport, Everton are strong favourites to launch their new season with a win.
We already know the Merseyside club are capable of hitting the ground running; last season, they won their first seven league and cup games, scoring a total of 24 goals and conceding just eight times.
(Some of Everton’s best moments of the previous season)
That run included a win over Tottenham Hotspur, and they then held reigning champions and local rivals Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in their fifth league game of the season. From there though, things went downhill.
Everton lost four of their next six games and continued to show fluctuating form for the next few months. Their hopes for European football were dashed after they managed just three wins from their last 12 league games. In their final match of the season, they were smashed 5-0 by Manchester City, and managed to scrape a top half finish in the Premier League.
Fresh Blood
Since then, Everton have made some considerable changes, the biggest being the appointment of new manager Benitez. The Spaniard was brought in after Carlo Ancelotti made a surprise return to Real Madrid, though he arrived at Goodison Park with a lot of baggage.
Benitez has managed several top-flight clubs, including Madrid, Inter Milan and Newcastle, but he is best known to English fans (particularly those in Merseyside) for his 2004-2010 stint as Liverpool’s manager.
So, the 61-year-old has some work to do in order to win over some Everton fans, but his experience and track record at other clubs shows he is more than capable of this. Despite losing Ancelotti, Everton still have another world-class manager at the helm.
The Toffees are yet to make any major new signings in this transfer window, but Benitez already has his eye on a few players, including Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham. Benitez unsuccessfully tried to sign Abraham while he was managing Newcastle, though seems more confident of bringing the 23-year-old to Goodison.
That would certainly bolster Everton’s attacking line which, as things stand, is already impressive. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are the headline attackers, but both have been linked with moves away from the Club.
Likewise, Colombian star James Rodriguez is also more likely to leave Everton than stay. While Rodriguez seems almost certain to go elsewhere, Benitez has hinted that he will work hard to keep Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin in blue shirts, stating that he will speak to both of them personally in an attempt to convince them to stay.
If Rodriguez and one or both of Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin leave, Benitez will at least have a lot of transfer funds to work with and could make some bold bids to reinvigorate the squad.
Everton have already seen a few players exit, including Theo Walcott and Yannick Bolasie, but reports claim they are aggressively pursuing the signatures of some world-class defenders.
Right-back Denzel Dumfries, who impressed at Euro 2020 for the Netherlands, is strongly linked with a move to Everton and would add not only stability to their backline, but also some attacking prowess.
Kalidou Koulibaly, widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Europe, is also a target for Benitez, who actually signed him for Napoli back in 2013. The 30-year-old is incredibly experienced, not just in Serie A, but also the Champions League and would boss Everton’s back four.
The Stats Do Not Lie
While we don’t know exactly how Everton will line up in their first game of the season, we can look at their past record against Southampton. Overall, Everton have beaten the Saints 50 times, drawn with them 23 times and lost to them on 32 occasions.
In the league last season, they each beat the other once. Southampton triumphed 2-0 at home in October of last year, while Everton gained revenge in March 2021 thanks to an early Richarlison goal for a 1-0 win.
Everton have a favourable run of games to kick off their 2021/22 campaign, with Leeds, Burnley and newly promoted Norwich included in their first six fixtures. So, they have an opportunity to build a head of steam before their tougher schedule in November and December.
With that in mind, it’s likely they’ll beat Southampton in the season’s opener. Everton have a decent home record against them, and their squad features more talent. Benitez will be determined to qualify Everton for European action next season and the Southampton game will allow us some insight into his tactics for the squad.
If Everton can hold onto most of their attacking line like Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin, while strengthening their defence with new European signings, then there’s every chance they’ll improve on their 10th-place finish from last season, and a win against Southampton on August 14 will be a step in the right direction.
