It became evident watching Man Utd vs. Liverpool on Saturday that both sides are far from sure-fire favourites to secure a top four finish this season. Both sides parallel each other in the facts that they lack pace, runners in behind, solidity and genuine quality and difference makers at the top end of the field. To put it bluntly, both sides look average and far from their former selves. I’ve never watched a Man Utd v Liverpool game that was so bereft of quality before.
Elswhere, Tottenham look even less convincing and ill-equipped to mount a serious bid for a Champions League place. A poor start coupled with a disappointing transfer window suggests Spurs haven’t improved enough from last season.
So fourth spot seems up for grabs this season. Man Utd got it last season but wouldn’t have been anywhere near it the season before when more of the top teams had better seasons. Add to that Everton finishing on 72 points in 5th (more than Utd’s 70 last season). So can Everton mount a challenge for the top four this season?
It’s all well and good pointing out other teams’ inadequacies but that isn’t enough- Everton need to really improve on last season and find the consistency, quality of results and performances that they found in the 13/14 season. The Blues have a similar squad to the one that managed 72 points that season but now have an improved John Stones, more depth in central midfield and in wide areas. The squad looks stronger than last year and the team has started off well despite some really tough fixtures.
It’s hard to define Everton under Martinez because there has been one very good year followed by one that very bad. Was European distraction a big factor last year? I personally think it was more down to injuries and key players under-performing, along with the style of football becoming a lot more pedestrian and defensive tactics often being absent. So both manager and players seemed very complacent last season but there are signs of that potentially being a thing of the past. Apart from the first half against Watford and the second half against Man City, Everton have looked much improved so far.
Everton’s early season fixture schedule was greeted with the expected pessimism of having such daunting fixtures, however it has presented Everton with an opportunity to buoy themselves and fill themselves with confidence for the rest of the season. They already have a decent points tally from the games so far and the upcoming games against Liverpool and Man Utd present great chances to boost confidence and make a statement.
There seems to have been a different approach away from home so far, a more organised and counter attacking style being used at Southampton and Spurs. Those are both fixtures Everton were way too open in last season and were subsequently beaten in. So there are early signs lessons have been learnt after a torrid season the road for the Toffees last year.
Last season’s underperforming players already look like they’re putting that behind them; Ross Barkley in particular has looked a lot better so far. Romelu Lukaku has also shown improvement along with Seamus Coleman and even Arouna Kone. Tom Cleverley, while injured at the moment, has still shown himself to be a useful addition and Deulofeu and Lennon have been added too. One would expect the former and Kevin Mirallas to also have impacts at some point during the campaign.
Apart from Man City, all the top sides look poor this season. Chelsea are in a mess, Arsenal still have the same problems and Man Utd and Liverpool look average. The opportunity is there for Everton to sneak into contention. A very similar squad nearly managed it two years ago- when sides like Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea looked stronger so why can’t they strike while they’re weaker?
