A minor blip or are Everton losing their way?
Maybe barring fans of their Merseyside rivals, you will struggle to find a football fan that dislikes Everton. In all fairness to the club, what’s there to dislike? They have made leaps and bounds of progress in the last decade, and have done it in the ‘right’ way. Manager David Moyes has built a team that has pulled itself out of mid-table obscurity and now season after season aim for a top six finish, at worst. However has it all started to go a little wrong for the toffees?
Everton have started the season slowly by anybody’s standards, by their own, they have started it at walking pace. They lie in 12th place after eleven games, just five points above the drop zone, a poor start for a club who have aspirations of breaking the top four. They have stuttered in the early stages of the campaign, struggling to string performances together. Louis Saha however has been immaculate, dragging Everton up the table kicking and screaming, scoring just under half the clubs goals this season.
Everton do not have the largest of squads, despite the odd summer addition, and they are appearing to feel the effects of European participation this season, another competition that they have been underperforming in. The question must be asked then, is Everton’s time in the top 6 of England coming to an end?
You would like to think not, but the Everton appear to be fighting a bit of a losing battle. Although they have spent their fair share of money for their standards in the last few seasons, their competition is a different level. Chelsea, Liverpool, United, Arsenal (maybe less so but their quality speaks for itself) and Aston Villa all have the ability to lavish millions in the transfer market, need I add Manchester City to this list, their financial firepower is unfathomable. Even with arguably one of the best managers in the country in David Moyes at the helm, it is hard for the toffees to consider a top 4 finish this campaign when this is what they have to compete with.
There are some positives that can be taken from this season for the Toffees. There is the aforementioned Louis Saha who is firing on all cylinders as well as £10 million summer signing Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, who appears to be finding his feet in England, getting his name on the score sheet a few times already. The Russian has been showcasing his deadly left foot and centre backs Joseph Yobo and Slyvain Distin are likely to be licking their lips every time Bilyaletdinov trots over to the corner flag.
Only time will tell what will happen to Everton’s season, although in terms of the top 4, you have to believe they have an uphill task on their hands. As a football fan and a keen admirer of Everton myself, I hope that they do not disappear from the top 6, however the reality is, there is a chance of this.
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Oh dear oh dear… Very uneducated artical. Not a single mention of injuries in this. Come on, please this is very lazy.
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Everton have had injuries and that has had an effect on them, but they have also not been playing well at all. The point im trying to make is not just about these first eleven games, its about the way that the teams like city and villa have been moving away from them
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Injuries have played a big part in Evertons poor start, no doubt about it, but they don’t have the finances available for transfers that Man City, and even Aston Villa do. Top 6 this season would be a good finish for them
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Everton maybe just have as good a squad as Villa, Man City are much more likely to threaten the top four though
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Money buys players but not a team. Reguardless of how much theteam cost or how much they can spend, it comes down to 11 men Vs 11 men. This is why football never loses its magic, no matter how hard money trys, you can still get beaten. The money if anything becomes a burden, look no further than leeds or newcastle… I wonder how long the Arab oil barrens will stick around if Man City got relegated? I think Moyes gets the best from his players and as long as he continues to do this, Everton will always be capable of finishing top end. They have roughly the same points tally as this time last year and have had somewhere in the region of 10 first team players out through serious injury. So yes, this season might not be the best for them and they may miss out on Europe but I feel only a blip for many seasons after. COYB
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I’d like to think that Everton are suffering a minor blip whilst being without their best player (Arteta) and best defender (Jagielka.) However, it is true what the author says about there being more competition this year with Spurs, City, Villa and even Sunderland making a play for the top eight positions. Personally, I think Everton will come about 7th as they always have a strong end to the season, when should have their important players coming back too. This would still represent a good achievement for Moyes, given the Toffees spending power relative to their rivals.
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