Our series of mid-season reviews continues with a look at Everton’s season so far.
The story so far
It has just been oh so Everton.
Describing the Toffees’ season so far as a roller-coaster would be appropriate, though in truth it has been a roller-coaster with a frustrating case of whiplash mixed in.
Everton possess one of the most lethal strike forces in the Premier League, led by joint-Golden Boot leader Romelu Lukaku who boasts 15 goals in 20 matches, propped up by Gerard Deulofeu and Ross Barkley, each with seven assists. Only two teams have bested Everton’s goal tally of 36: Manchester City (39) and Leicester City (37).
Ultimately, dropped points in morale-crushing defeats as well as nine draws have crippled the Merseysiders’ season and they fill 11th spot on the table. Plenty of those dropped points have come as a result of frustrating errors at the back, both individually and as a defensive unit; that is despite having a back line that is, on paper, enviable.
Everton’s 4-3 defeat at the hands of Stoke City was a perfect summation of the campaign so far in just 90 minutes. Some slick attacking football was cancelled out – and ultimately physically overshadowed – by some defending that was the dictionary definition of chaotic.
It was just another occasion where the Blues squandered a terrific position to come away with less than what was deserved, and in this case, nothing.
Away from the Premier League, Everton are in a terrific position in the League Cup. They have reached the semi-finals and were victorious in the first leg of that tie, defeating Manchester City 2-1.
POPULAR ARTICLES
Everton fans BLAST Roberto Martinez and Tim Howard after Stoke loss
How Twitter reacted to Everton’s 2-1 win against Manchester City
The manager
The current campaign has reflected the gaffer’s two and a half seasons in charge of the Merseyside club.
The first season was full of highs, but like last season, Roberto Martinez is being faced by criticism and his managerial abilities are firmly under the microscope. He has put together one of the best squads Everton Football Club has ever seen, with its face a club-record £28 million signing who is taking English football by storm.
He succeeded in addressing Everton’s overly zealous tiki-taka style of play that saw Lukaku suffer last season, with more direct football on display this. Yet the defensive issues have persisted and there is little sign that they will be banished any time soon, making the second half of this season the most crucial in his tenure at the club.
Martinez’s big test over the international recess is to come up with a solution to an issue that continues to hold back a club that should be fighting for the European places, yet continues to languish in the bottom half of the table.
Standout player
No prizes for guessing who this is.
With 15 league goals as well as four in the League Cup, it is near impossible to argue against Lukaku as Everton’s standout individual.
He experienced something of a lull in the 2014-15 season, but the Belgian has now established himself as one of the Premier League’s elite forwards at just 22 years of age and has started to deliver on his enormous potential.
Any fight-back the Toffees wish to mount on the home stretch of the season will rest on the continued form of Lukaku, but his work will prove pointless if they cannot sort themselves out down the other end.
Romelu Lukaku has scored 12 goals in his last 12 games for Everton in all competitions. What a season he’s having! pic.twitter.com/fYYfaL69X4
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 6, 2016
Second-half prediction
The next 18 Premier League matches as well as the second leg of the League Cup semi-final (and maybe the final) are some of the most important games in the recent history of Everton Football Club.
The club finds itself in a wonderful position to make an assault on the upper echelons of the table and claim silverware but that is in danger of going to waste. A driving force for Martinez and co. should be the potential discontent of stars should milestones not be reached, making a lofty league finish as well as the League Cup title all the more important.
If anything, this period is as crucial for the long-term as it is the short-term. Everton could emerge as a big club; it could disappear into obscurity. Somehow, Lukaku and his partners in crime delivering the goods up forward has not been enough. Climbing the ladder hinges on a proper plumbing job to fix the leakage at the back.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
