1. New season, same old flaws
Today’s turgid 2-2 draw against Watford continued a familiar pattern seen repeatedly under Martinez’s reign as Everton manager. Last weekend, after the Blues’ poor showing against Spanish side Villarreal, I wrote a piece outlining my concern at how just few lessons had been learned from last season’s listless displays:
“For Evertonians hoping for an indication as to how Martinez’s men will play this campaign, yesterday’s game will invariably have followed the same worrying pattern displayed time and time again during the former Wigan manager’s tenure. Last time around the Blues failed to move the ball quickly enough, or play with adequate width, and this was once again evident against Villarreal, especially after Kevin Mirallas was forced off through injury,” I argued.
As predicted, this afternoon’s fixture was an utterly predictable, carbon-copy: once again, a veritable absence of creativity hindered Martinez’s men, while at the back goals were gifted to the opposition through sloppy individual play and a clear lack of positional awareness (defensive midfielders, I’m looking at you).
These familiar flaws will continue to hurt Everton as the season progresses, unless they finally seek to rectify the worrying tendencies that have been exhibited all too often over the last year or so.
More width, more creativity and a plan B please, Roberto.
2. Barkley has potential to be decisive influence: now is the time to show it
Where to start with the rough diamond that is Ross Barkley other than to highlight the immense potential hinted at by his second half screamer?
Barkley’s 76th minute effort arrowed into the top corner of the Gwladys Street net in a startling reminder of his, devastating power, however, fans could be forgiven for leaving Goodison Park perplexed, nonetheless.
The 21-year-old strikes the ball as cleanly as anyone off both feet and should be notching double figures as a result, but today’s Jekyll and Hyde performance thrilled and frustrated in equal measure.
Initially deployed in the Number 10 role, Barkley regularly made the wrong decision on the ball and routinely lost possession with his back to goal. In the second half this changed as soon as he was switched to a deeper role that allowed the prodigiously talented midfielder to run with the ball from deep.
Clearly a “confidence player,” the Bellfield graduate will no doubt have been as disappointed by his below-par first half as he was by the chorus of boos that followed, yet it is worth remembering that someone with such innate natural ability is unlikely to flourish in such an environment, and must be supported if he is to reach his true potential.
Last season was widely expected to be the youngster’s breakthrough campaign. This time around, with a year more experience under his belt and lessons learned, Barkley may well belatedly start to shine. Fingers crossed, for if he does the Blues will have some player on their hands: a game-changer of the highest order, and one of our own, for good measure.
3. Blues can be successful with two up top
Let’s be honest, the current incarnation of Martinez’s trusted 4-2-3-1 is getting a bit stale, isn’t it? Last season it appeared as though teams had got the measure of an Everton side overly reliant on the attacking output of messrs Coleman and Baines, lacking creativity in both central and wide areas, and little, it seems, has changed in that regard.
Starting off with Ross Barkley supporting the isolated Romelu Lukaku only served to exasperate the problem, as the two failed to link cohesively during a frustrating first half in which the big Belgian was often starved of service.
Tellingly, the Blues looked far more dangerous after the much-maligned Arouna Koné’s introduction, with the Ivorian key in freeing up space for the home side’s misfiring stars, who had been, up until then, shackled by a Watford side intent on sitting deep and depriving space in behind.
Koné may not be the long-term answer- in all truth, he probably isn’t- but his game-changing impact hinted at a way forward against the more dogged, defensive-minded teams that come to Goodison.
4. Cleverley a shrewd addition
This was another impressive showing from the Blues’ first summer signing, who displayed an energy and ability on the ball sorely lacking in some of his other midfield colleagues. 25-year-old Cleverley has often been criticised for his inability to impose himself upon games, despite his obvious talent, yet here led the way in an otherwise disappointing midfield unit.
With Gareth Barry once again off the pace, Cleverley’s long-term future may not be in the left-sided role in which he played today but rather at the heart of the engine room, alongside James McCarthy- this is where, in all honesty, I see him being most effective due to his meagre goals and assists output in recent seasons.
One thing that is for certain, however, is that if the former Manchester United man performs like this on a regular basis, he’ll begin to silence even his most ardent critics. After all, what’s not to like about a midfielder who presses high, wins possession and always looks for a forward pass?
5. Strengthening essential to Everton hopes this season
Today’s draw against newly promoted Watford once again highlighted the urgent need for further strengthening before the close of the window. The overwhelming lack of creativity from midfield, together with the threadbare nature of the Blues’ defensive reserves meant that, once again, the boys in blue were under-cooked going into the new campaign. This, of course, absolutely has to be rectified if the Goodison club are to improve upon last season’s catastrophic showing.
After the game Roberto Martinez confirmed his desire to add three players before the 1st September deadline. Let’s just hope the Catalan makes good on his promise, for, all things considered, this injury-ravaged side would struggle to get into the top 10 as it stands.
