Everton recorded a spectacular 6-2 victory over Premier League strugglers Sunderland on Sunday. Here’s what we took from the lively encounter.
1. Attacking quartet deliver on promise
Whisper it quietly, but Roberto Martinez might just have found his best attacking lineup. The Barkley-Deulofeu-Koné- Lukaku attacking quartet brimmed with intent from the outset, creating enough chances for the Blues to win several matches.
Sure, they had the freedom of Goodison Park in which to showcase their clear talents, with Sam Allardyce’s tactical naivety catering to the counter-attacking mastery of the fully firing Everton forward line.
The fact remains, though, that the way in which Koné linked with Lukaku hinted at bigger and better things for the Merseysiders, while Gerard Deulofeu superb delivery from wide means that, at present, Martinez’s failure to buy a conventional playmaker during the summer window should not prove too costly between now and January.
Six goals was the least they deserved for their efforts. The most fitting of on field tributes for recently deceased club legend Howard Kendall, if ever there was one.
2. Defensive blues
This was a spectacular result for an Everton side in urgent need of three Premier League points, yet for all the potency going forward, it may well be the defensive woes of the leaky, makeshift defence that will most concern manager Roberto Martinez ahead of this weekend’s away game at high-flying West Ham.
Visitors Sunderland are not known for their attacking prowess, however Sam Allardyce’s side regularly carved out chances against a porous Everton backline.
The Wearsiders profited from a series of avoidable defensive errors from the likes of Stones, Funes Mori and Coleman, and missed numerous opportunities to add to the score. The former looked sluggish and was all to easily beaten to what was his ball to lose for Defoe’s smartly taken goal, while Coleman’s unimpressive return from injury continued as the away side regularly expolited the space the Irishman vacated when Everton moves broke down.
Although many will point to the Black Cats’ bizarre, gung-ho gameplan that played right into the hands of Martinez’s men- you’d back Deulofeu, Barkley and Lukaku to outscore Fletcher, Defoe and Johnson any day of the week- the ‘you score one, we’ll get two’ mantra is clearly unsustainable over a whole Premier League season.
17 attempts on goal- two of which struck the woodwork- despite a meagre 32% possession tells its own story. Quite simply, such defensive lapses must be remedied if the Toffees are to seriously think about mounting a challenge for the Champions League places.
3. McCarthy not just a stopper
James McCarthy; committed albeit limited midfield plodder or a player capable of routinely influencing the game further forward? You’d be forgiven for pausing for thought after witnessing the former Wigan man outplayed by both Manchester United and Arsenal in recent weeks.
At his best, however, McCarthy drives at the opposition at will. In a more withdrawn holding role, a tendency towards passivity has cropped in from time to time. Sometimes the feeling would linger that there was more to come in an attacking sense.
So how to get the best out of the £13 million man? Cast your mind back to last term, when a mid-season revival was largely based on a change in system that also harnessed the Irishman’s energetic, box-to-box style. Gone was the static 4-2-3-1 as Martinez’s new, dynamic 4-1-4-1 brought the best out of both individual and team during a period of relative success in the Premier League.
In 2014/15, goals against Manchester United and Newcastle highlighted further facets to the midfielder’s game. Similarly, the wonderfully weighted pass for Koné’s second. Let’s hope for more of the same from manager and player alike in the coming months. One thing is for sure, the Blues would be all the better for it.
4. Time up for unfortunate Oviedo?
Ahh, it was good while it lasted. The perennially absent Bryan Oviedo’s reward for an exceptional midweek performance was a start in place of the impressive Brendan Galloway.
Initially, Oviedo justified his manager’s faith, getting forward at will and linking intelligently with the players in front of him. But with barely 25 minutes on the clock disaster struck, as the Blues defender innocuously fell to the turf holding his hamstring and was promptly subbed. Yet another soft tissue injury for a side that seems to collect pulls of this nature like stamps.
Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, with Roberto Martinez lucky enough to have players of the calibre of Leighton Baines, Brendan Galloway and Luke Garbutt also vying for the coveted left-back berth, Oviedo’s injury misfortune may see the Costa Rican fall down the Goodison pecking order and thus struggle to earn a new deal when his contract runs out this summer. A real shame, given the former Copenhagen defender’s undoubted ability.
5. Squad depth improving
A further positive for the Goodison Park outfit came in the form of what was a stronger looking substitutes bench. Having players of the calibre of Kevin Mirallas, Steven Naismith and Brendan Galloway on the sidelines ready to affect the game, along a whole raft of first team stars- including Leighton Baines, Steven Pienaar and Mo Besic- ready to return to action in the coming weeks bodes well for Everton’s hopes of achieving something substantial this time around.
That is if they can keep the returning players and other key players fit, of course….
