Saturday’s abject defeat to Aston Villa brought a shuddering halt to Everton’s late season revival. It was a performance that lacked any real energy and intensity, as Villa ran rings around the Blues, especially in the first half. To coin a popular sporting phrase, the players looked like they were already on the beach with nothing really left to play for. It was surprising, considering the situation was no different the previous week against United, where they put in arguably their best performance of the season. So with only 3 games left, at home to Sunderland, away to West Ham and at home to Spurs, would it be wise for the manager to give some of the fringe players and youngsters a go in the team in preparation for next season?
The likes of Joel, Besic, Garbutt and Browning have all featured fleetingly this season, and impressed at times, but none have really had a sustained run in the side. These last 3 games could provide an opportunity for them to gain valuable match experience going into next season, and could influence the manager’s summer plans. Could the manager even be tempted to give a couple of the u21 lads some game time? We keep hearing great things about youngsters like Ledson and Galloway, and we caught a glimpse of a few of the younger lads against Krasnodar, but it would be interesting to see them in a Premier League environment. It would inevitably come to down to whether the manager thinks they are ready. Even for the likes of McGeady and Kone, who have failed to convince Evertonians, it could perhaps be an opportunity for them to try and earn themselves a move elsewhere.
Of course, there are other considerations. It’s important not to make wholesale changes, even a few can lead to disjointed performances. It is still important that we don’t write these last 3 games off. People pay their money expecting us to go all out and try to win, and rightly so. What’s more, the unfortunate truth is that, with around £1.2m extra per place in the league, where we finish in the table will directly impact on what we can do in the summer. Roberto has already admitted this, “Finishing the season strong is very important and finishing one position above really matters to us. It could be crucial to what we do in the summer, so we have to finish the season really strong to get as high as we can.”
So it would have to be a balancing act, one which shuffles the pack to freshen it up, but doesn’t lead to disjointed performances. That’s obviously easier said than done. The reality is the manager will probably change it slightly for the last 3 games, but it’s unlikely we’ll see huge alterations. Besic is probably the most likely to get a start out of the fringe players mentioned. We may also see a Ryan Ledson or a Brendan Galloway on the bench, but that will probably as far as it will go.
Personally, I still think it’s important we finish as strongly as possible. After what has been a disappointing season, it’s crucial to get as many wins on the board as possible going into the summer, just to lift some of the gloom if nothing else. So as for rotation goes, I think it’s something the manager should definitely look at; there will definitely be a few tired legs in the squad. But I think it would have to be looked at on a game-by-game, player-by-player basis, rather than sweeping changes, so the manager can ultimately do what’s right for the team.
