Evertonians will have woken up with only one thing on their mind, and that was the blues. Shirts were pulled out of the wardrobes and put on with pride. The hours at work ticked over slower than ever as line ups and scores were predicted, and websites refreshed for the latest news. The pre-season had brought little joy or real anticipation of anything good happening on the pitch for the first game against Leeds, and yet we all hoped and expected that, with the return of competitive football, we would see a more competent and exciting Everton.
When the line ups were announced, a few may have been surprised by the absence of Adam Aznou, apparently due to injury. James Garner was to do a job at left back, which straight away made the set-up appear strikingly disjointed. With a makeshift right back in Jake O’Brien already, Everton were to start the season with no natural full backs and two centre halves who can neither run nor pick a pass. The warning signs were there, but how many of us took note and predicted what was about to get served up? If you were one of the few who didn’t get carried away with the idea of a better Everton, I commend you and seek your guidance for next time.
‘Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.’
– Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Match
Twenty minutes in and you would have been forgiven for thinking you’d seen the worst of it. Leeds were always going to come out of the blocks fast but they kept up the pressure for the majority of the first half. We hardly had a kick. Trying to play out from the back was hopeless as we struggled to deal with the press of Leeds, but even more so with the ability to kick the ball in a straight line to its intended target. Everton’s problems in attack over the past few seasons have largely been attributed to the lack of quality up the field. Yet what has been understated for a long time is how much we are exposed from not being able to escape a press using the full backs or pick a quality pass from defence. It was a bitterly disappointing first half performance from Everton. Seeing how far we are from being a polished article will have been a tough pill to swallow for toffees tuning in all over the globe.
The second half brought more misery from the offset as Jack Grealish was forced to endure more torturous Everton from the bench. Leeds couldn’t maintain their press and we saw more of the ball without really troubling them. It didn’t get any better but for a few half chances created by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has the makings of a good player if we can get him on the ball. In truth, no player stood out and Leeds did well to nullify the effectivity of Iliman Ndiaye, who usually retains possession and carries the ball well, but struggled to find a footing in the game. As the game entered the final 15 minutes, we were in desperate need of getting out of there with a point and moving on. Chris Kavanagh and his officials had other ideas.
The Penalty
The referee thinks about it for an eternity before pointing to the spot. One thing I would be interested to know is why Chris Kavanagh hates Everton as much as he does, but as a supporter myself, I can certainly understand such deep-rooted hatred. It’s one of those decisions that is so baffling because once upon a time no one would have ever thought that was a penalty. The handball rules have changed a lot over the years, and the most recent of which allows for discrepancy between decisions. Howard Webb mentioned that this season, “you will see fewer harsh handball penalties.” Based on what we’ve all seen, giving referees the freedom to make their own mind up on what is ‘harsh’ may not be the best idea. The Referees Association has spent the last 5 seasons trying to take away subjectivity through VAR, so it is no surprise that decisions like this one will be given based off the rule book. So it seems that it may take more time yet for common sense to come back in relation to the handball ruling; we may not ever see it present in the VAR room.
Going Forward
Thankfully for Everton and David Moyes, the main talking point will be the penalty, but in reality the team were very poor and are in desperate need of reinforcements. The manager has been increasingly vocal about the need for incoming players, and if the need for which wasn’t worrying you before last night, it will have definitely grabbed your attention by now.
The Toffees are going into Bramley-Moore Dock on Sunday with a potentially greater expectancy than before the Leeds game; we absolutely have to put in a performance. The supporters will be expecting this dire showing to be a one off, particularly with the recent arrivals of exciting players like Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, and Barry.
If we are to push on and make the most of good attacking players we have to become more rounded. We have to bring in full backs who can retain possession, god forbid even carry the ball forwards and get involved with the attacking side. We have to find a holding midfielder who has the ability to dictate and lead the team through difficult spells within games. All of which is easier said than done. Obviously we’ll be working hard behind the scenes to bring in the right personnel but it is disappointing to see us once again starting a new season on the back foot.
The pain we may suffer through this season has been indirectly encouraged by David Moyes, whose instant impact last season upon his return instilled a belief again in Everton fans. Moyes has currently got his hands tied with the players at his disposal, but he will demand better from those he has now. We knew this season would be difficult but it doesn’t make the losses any easier to take, especially after the excitement of seeing them on the pitch again. It’s amazing how quickly anticipation can turn into despair.
It’s not a bad thing to feel this deeply hurt by the result of an opening game, because it will have taught the manager, the club, and the players a lot of lessons. A sneaky point would not have solved much at all, but for the short-term sanity of the fans. This defeat tells us we’re off the pace, both on the field as well as behind the scenes. We must not overreact, though, as these sorts of performances can happen at the start of the season and we still nearly came out with something. There’s more to come from the players the fans watched yesterday, that’s for sure. By the time Sunday comes around, we will all be ready to go again. It’s the first competitive game at our brand new stadium, and it will be a momentous occasion for all of the fans; I really expect Everton to show up for it.
Isn’t it amazing how quickly despair can turn into anticipation? Up the toffees.
