Everton’s 5-4 penalty win over Stoke City in the Barclays Asia Trophy gave us an indication of where Roberto Martinez’s men are at in terms of facing top quality opposition. After drawing 0-0 with the Potters in Singapore, the Toffees converted all their spot kicks to make it through to the final on Saturday.
Two players that stood out in my eye were the two young full backs Brendan Galloway and Tyias Browning, who seemed unfazed by playing fellow Premier League opponents.
They were quick to clear up any danger, meaning that the youngsters were not tested as much as neutrals would have expected. They were also confident on the ball, not giving too much away and exposing the space left open in front of them when they could.
Where the team looked OK defensively- work on the training ground needs to be focused on the offensive side of the team.
For a majority of the match, Romelu Lukaku seemed isolated up top, limiting him to few chances. The wing-men and certainly the attacking midfielder that are on the pitch need to provide the Belgian with support. It may be pre-season, but the side needs to have many more players forward if they are to win games.
Gerard Deulofeu looked sharp when he was introduced by Martinez. He ran at the Stoke defence with pace and played lovely one-twos with the other Everton players to cause problems.
The young winger does sometimes make the wrong decision when he finds himself in the final third, but that is just due to a lack of experience and I’m sure that his final ball will improve as the season goes on.
