Amadou Onana’s header six minutes from time helped Everton rescue a point against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The result took the Blues up to 17th, above Luton Town on goal difference. Next up for Sean Dyche‘s side is a trip to the Amex to take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.
Off the pitch, the club is still waiting to hear the outcome of their appeal against its 10-point deduction. And with both matters in mind, our Everton jury have had their say.
The smattering of boos that greeted the Everton players at full-time were understandable. Against Crystal Palace, the team delivered an uninspiring, lacklustre performance in a game that they were expected to win. Even the betting companies had us down as strong favourites for this one!
That optimism soon turned to realism as the fan’s frustration grew with every misplaced pass and aimless high ball. The lack of a creative spark was blatantly obvious. It was a turgid and tedious affair, but Everton showed commendable resilience to fight back for a draw.
However, perhaps on reflection, the problem on Monday night was not so much the performance of the side but rather the continuing insidious effects of the punitive sanction that was imposed on the club by the Premier League? Without that, Everton would have 30 points and be in 12th place, reasonably safe from relegation. In those circumstances, a draw might well have received a more positive response from supporters who could see that the team was heading in the right direction.
Even worse, the club is now effectively in limbo, waiting for the three wise men of the appeals panel to reach a decision. The effect this must have on the players is immense; they must assume that nothing will be given back, and this must have a devastating effect on their mentality and resolve.
No team in Premier League history has been forced to play week in and week out with such a burden on their shoulders. Is it any surprise that occasionally they struggle to produce a display of free-flowing football?
Sean Dyche deserves praise for the vast improvement in Everton’s defence under his charge. The Blues have conceded just 33 goals this season. Only three teams have a better defence.
It is no surprise that they are in the top three: Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. Dyche has made Everton a tough side to beat. They are no longer soft touches, capitulating to 4 and 5-goal defeats.
The turnaround has been dramatic. And if you are battling to stay up, a strong defence gives you such a better chance. Clearly, we are lacking a cutting edge at the moment, but is that on the manager?
We are making chances, as the xG stats show, but we are not taking them! Next up is the visit to Brighton & Hove Albion, the scene of Everton’s majestic 5-1 win last season. No-one is realistically expecting a repeat performance. Nevertheless, a draw here would be another step forward and would be greeted by the away support far more positively than the result on Monday night.
James Garner was absolutely correct in his post-match comments. Events off the pitch have placed an incredible toll on the players. They need our support more than ever!
Alex McMonnies – Coming under criticism
Everton are still waiting to hear whether or not their appeal against the 10-point deduction has been successful, and Monday night’s performance will have made fans even more desperate for a positive outcome.
Against Crystal Palace, even the return of Abdoulaye Doucoure couldn’t inspire an Everton side that was unimaginative despite enjoying a lot more of the ball than that of their managerless opponents. The only real positive to take from the game was that the Blues still did enough to avoid what would have been a catastrophic defeat.
Despite assisting Everton’s goal with a superb corner, Dwight McNeil‘s performance came under particular scrutiny, and I am surprised that Sean Dyche persisted in selecting him. With Ashley Young back as an option on the wing, along with Jack Harrison and even Lewis Dobbin.
Elsewhere, the wait for a goal continues for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He is also increasingly coming under criticism, despite his all-round level of performance still being very high. The forward won a staggering 17 aerial duels against Crystal Palace, the most of any Premier League player in one match in almost three years, despite feeding off scraps for the entirety of the game. The goal will come eventually, and when it does, I’m sure we will see the forward get back to his goalscoring best.
The goal may very well come in Everton’s next match away at Brighton, a fixture in which the Toffees ran riot at the end of last season. The Blues have produced two top-notch performances in their previous two visits to the Amex Stadium, and a third on Saturday would be most welcome to end the club’s winless run in the league, which has now lasted more than two months.
Luke Davies – A familiar story at Goodison Park
Everton’s 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace came as no surprise to those who have watched at Goodison Park this season. Just three home wins in the Premier League is alarming, and the lack of goal threat will continue to send shivers down supporters’ spines. However, it wasn’t for the want of trying, with 14 shots registered but just four on target, one of them when Amadou Onana nodded in at the back post. To caveat this, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s wait for a goal continues despite two golden chances against a depleted Crystal Palace side.
The lack of options was apparent and alarming throughout the play; it’s great that the Toffees are so strong from set-pieces, but this comes with little else in terms of attacking threat. We, too often, look at a team bereft of ideas, constantly looking for an outball to an isolated Beto or Calvert-Lewin. Everton needs another way of scoring goals. On a positive note, the point salvaged against Palace boosted the Blues out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Off the field, the saga of a 10-point deduction is beginning to drain supporters’ enthusiasm, as the uncertainty in the stands must be seeping into the dressing room. It would be understandable if the players were losing patience, because we certainly are.
Onto Brighton: this fixture was, no doubt, Sean Dyche’s finest hour since joining Everton, destroying the Seagulls by five goals to one during last season’s relegation run-in. That day, Dwight McNeil and James Garner linked up, causing nightmares for Brighton.
In terms of selection, the defence remains strong, so no changes are needed there. The manager has a dilemma in the midfield. I would opt for a central partnership of Onana and Idrissa Gueye, as Garner looks like a player running on fumes of late.
Jack Harrison should be reintroduced in place of Ashley Young, and the thought of Abdoulaye Doucoure as the attacking midfielder is a welcome one. Calvert-Lewin offers more than any of his fellow strikers, so he should retain his spot.
Tarkowski and wife give raunchy answer to ‘favourite activity’ question
The couple did not hold back when quizzed during an episode of Amazon Prime Video’s latest football documentary, Married to the Game, which follows the day-to-day lives of five footballers’ wives.
The Tarkowskis take to the screen in the third episode of the series where the Premier League star and his wife host a wedding party for family and friends.
However, during a moment together on the sofa, the pair are asked: “What’s your favourite thing to do together?”
Samantha responded saying, “What time is this show going out?” before the Everton star asks, “Past the watershed?”
She then cheekily shouts, “Shagging!” – prompting the couple to burst into hysterics.
“Do you remember when we were younger and we used to get in bed and I was like, ‘This is my favourite part of the day?,” Samantha added.
“Just getting in bed at the end of the day, just us two… and then shagging.
“No, I’m joking… but I do quite like it.”
In a less-racy scene Samantha describes her pride at husband James being handed the Goodison Park captaincy.
“Today is massive, my captain is now the club captain,” she added. “I’m so buzzing for him to get out there as captain
“Rightfully so, that’s the position he should be in, I’ve always known he was made to be a captain.’
Samantha then reads out a card she wrote to James when he was made Everton skipper.
“There is nobody who deserves this more than you boo,” it read. “You have exactly what it takes, the skill, the spirit, the patience, the work ethic.
“I am so, so glad that the ‘you’ I have always known and believed in is being recognised by everyone else.
“You were born to lead and I know for a fact that with you leading, the team will do exactly what they need to.
“Your patience and work ethic teaches and inspires me to be better. ‘Proud’ does not even skim the surface. You are incredible.”
She then finished off by saying: “I got some that night!”
