Home of football statistics and historyEverton have never won the Premier League. Nevertheless, they’ve appeared in England’s top flight every year of the league’s existence. The men in blue are a recognisable part of the furniture. And their tussles with bitter rivals Liverpool have produced some legendary matches.
Last season it seemed unthinkable that The Toffees could be relegated to the English Championship. But it nearly happened. And they’re one of the favourites to be fighting for the drop again. Can they avoid a calamitous season and maintain their place in the Premier League?
Everton are among a group of teams, including the newly promoted Luton Town and Sheffield United, expected to be fighting for survival. Unsurprisingly, manager Sean Dyche’s team have started the season looking short of confidence. Scoring goals has been the biggest problem.
This included two home defeats to Fulham and Wolves, and an away 4-0 hammering at Aston Villa. The top bookmakers such as BetVictor and Betway, all of which feature on the BonusFinder UK list of providers offering the Best Online Gambling Bonuses in the UK, have Everton amongst the favourites for the drop.
Can Everton change their fortunes? There have been positives since their sluggish start. Midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure adding goals from midfield, and new signing Arnaut Danjuma opening his scoring account, are two of them. Everton are also showing they can create chances. They just need to put them away. In early-season defeats at home to Wolves and Fulham their “expected goals” from the chances created was just below five. But they scored none.
There are reasons to have hope
The club, which has enjoyed 70 consecutive seasons in England’s top flight, also have other reasons to be positive. They have a good mix of experience and youth in their squad. The standout is England’s first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. In midfield, Abdoulaye Doucore has been a consistent performer at the top level, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, if he can stay fit, has the potential to provide Everton with a focal point upfront.
New signings such as Beto and Arnaut Danjuma offer something new to the team, while Dyche can also call upon the talents of Amadou Onana who has drawn the attention of some of Europe’s biggest teams including Manchester United. The manager has pedigree in the Premier League. He guided an unfancied Burnley to a 7th place finish in 2018 and a spot in Europe. Dyche has a knack for getting the best out of his players. Everton know they only need to finish in 17th place to maintain their place in England’s top flight. In other words, they only need to earn enough points to remain ahead of three rivals. Luton Town look short on quality and squad depth. Sheffield United sold their top scorer of last season, Iliman Ndiaye, to Marseille. Burnley are sticking to a style of football that exposes their weaknesses at the top level. Everton look, on paper at least, the more likely to earn the required number of points to avoid the drop.
0 Comments