Well, that’s that then. Everton’s run in Europe is over as they crashed and burned in Kiev. An embarrassing way to bow out of a competition which, up until last night, the Blues had negotiated with relative ease and looked capable of possibly going the distance. That, as it has turned out, was nothing more than a pipe dream, as the team, and its manger, looked woefully out of their depth on Thursday night. Any chance of salvation for this season has now gone, and as a result it must go down as complete disaster. Another season without a trophy goes by.
In the longer term, it is clear the playing squad needs a massive overhaul. 7 of the XI who finished the game in Kiev were over 30, and many need moving on. That’s for the summer though. In the shorter term, to prevent the season imploding entirely we need to pick ourselves up immediately. The overriding concern is that the humiliating fashion of Thursdays defeat has the potential to derail the team for a while, and in our current position, that simply cannot happen. Even if we had won, the length of the trip was always going to be a cause for concern, so the manager has a job on to pick his players up for the game on Sunday.
This is a pivotal game in many ways. A win against QPR would put us 12 points clear of them and a long way to securing safety. A defeat would keep us right in the mire. I think it’s what they call “six-pointer”.
Putting Kiev to one side, the performance against Newcastle last weekend was encouraging, even if it felt like we were never totally in control despite the final score line. The 4-4-2 system took Newcastle by surprise, and we may well see it employed again. Aaron Lennon put in probably his best display in a blue shirt so far, whilst Leon Osman put in a solid performance on his full return. Lukaku also did well. He’s now reached 18 goals in all competitions, and will more than likely become Everton’s first 20 goal striker since Yakubu in 2007/08. It has to be said, he has looked the part in recent weeks. It’s taken time, but what we thought we were getting after spending £28m has been on show consistently in the last few games. Power, pace and goals. Overall, we shouldn’t expect too many changes. Gibson will come in for the suspended Barry, whilst Stones must surely replace Alcaraz. In fact, I’d expect Stones to be the only change from the team which started against Newcastle.
QPR will no doubt have picked up on our vulnerability in the air from Thursday, so, despite the short turnaround, that needs to be addressed. Charlie Austin obviously stands out as their biggest threat. Chris Ramsey has been thrown in at the deep end after Harry Redknapp resigned, and has struggled since taking over. Overall, they are a poor side, but they’ll be scrapping for every ball because of the situation they’re in. It’s unlikely to be easy on the eye.
We need to be on our metal then, but some of Roberto’s comments post-Kiev don’t inspire confidence. “I don’t think Alcaraz defended poorly” stands out. As has been a common theme this season, he has preferred to bemoan our luck rather than criticise aspects of our performances. It can be infuriating. But as Greg O’Keeffe wrote a few weeks ago, that’s just how he is. He will never openly criticise his players individually, so let’s save ourselves any extra frustration by not expecting anything else, regardless of performance or result. I’d like to believe what he says and thinks in private is different. Judge him by his actions, not words.
It’s come to the stage now were we all just want to this season to be done and dusted. Sunday won’t be pretty, and neither will what’s left of this campaign probably. But the players cannot afford to pack up and call it a day early. Many will be playing for their Everton futures before this summer’s inquest. So let’s hope the players can ease the pain of Thursday by putting any lingering relegation fears all but to bed by doing the business on Sunday. They owe it to the fans and themselves.
