Everton return to Premier League action this weekend when they take on Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues head into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad.
A brace from Erling Haaland was enough to secure the home side all three points, with the Blues paying the price for failing to take their first-half chances. The defeat leaves David Moyes’ side 12th in the table.
And with the defeat to City and this Sunday’s game against Spurs in mind, our Everton jury have returned to have their say.
Mark McParlan - I question the wisdom of signing Tyler Dibling
I’m not going to dwell too severely on the Manchester City defeat – I’m aware we’ve had some spirited draws there in recent times, but it’s a fixture which stifles and bores with our chronic lack of possession.
However, I did note in last week’s jury my fear that Charly Alcaraz would be included in the side as a winger, something which was clearly never going to work, as he patently isn’t a winger, and indeed did not work.
This lack of an out-and-out winger alternative is especially glaring in a system where (as constantly repeated) we aren’t getting attacking impetus from the full-backs.
I question the wisdom of £35 million on Tyler Dibling when he probably isn’t going to have a massive impact this season – but there are years to prove me (hopefully) laughably wrong.
Really, we could have used that money on a winger with a different profile to Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish, or, more bluntly, spent the cash on a proven starting striker instead of Thierno Barry. For better or worse, that shirt remains Beto’s to keep for now.
It feels quite surprising and somewhat disappointing at this stage that after what has felt like a good season, we find ourselves 12th in the table – no actual improvement on last year’s outing.
It’s hard to say what our target for the season is – is this where we properly try to crack that top 8 and secure a vital European space, or in reality are we looking at consolidation in 10th-12th?
That might be hard for a lot of us to accept, but it’s clear that the team has limitations. Nonetheless, I’ll be heading to Bramley-Moore Dock for Sunday’s clash against Tottenham without any fear, just as I did before Palace.
We remain unbeaten in five outings at our new fortress home. The bookies' odds indicate an Everton win as the most likely outcome.
Our opponents have won only one of their last five in all competitions. We triumphed in the corresponding fixture 3-2 last term, which heralded our great renaissance under David Moyes.
Jarrad Branthwaite's tragic setback aside, we seemingly present a clean bill of health. The manager possesses a wealth of options at his disposal: there are no excuses not to be putting Spurs to the sword.
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Paul McParlan - Away day Blues
Only the most optimistic of Evertonians believed that we would pull off a shock win last Saturday against Manchester City.
We have not won at the Etihad since 2010, and although we have drawn there since then, without the services of Jack Grealish, who was not allowed to feature against his parent club, the prospects of Everton leaving with a victory seemed extremely unlikely.
After Erling Haaland bagged the opening goal, the game was over as a contest. There is not much else to say, really.
Including the League Cup, we have played five away games this season and lost four and won only one, the 3-2 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently bottom of the table.
We have only scored twice on our travels this season, and if we are to climb up the league, we need to find a way to improve our away form and score more goals.
It seems that neither of our two striking options are delivering what we expect so far. Beto scored eight times in 30 games last season, so he has the ability, provided he is given the right service.
He cannot play as a target man or with his back to goal. However, he has shown that he is at his most effective when running onto passes played behind defenders and scoring most of his goals this way.
His partnership with Charly Alcaraz seemed to work well, but the Argentinian is no longer a regular starter for the manager, and maybe that is the problem?
Thierno Barry looks completely lost and bereft of confidence and is clearly struggling to adapt to life in the Premier League and a new country. Evertonians have seen this movie before when a young, highly rated striker arrives from Europe and fails to deliver. Moise Kean was signed for £27million in summer 2019 but never really settled here.
He scored two goals in 32 appearances before being sent out on loan to Paris Saint-Germain and eventually returning to Juventus. There are worrying parallels between him and Thierno Barry.
The data analysts can produce a myriad of stats to indicate that someone is a hot prospect, but do they factor in the mental pressure of a big money move to a league in a new country?
This Sunday, Everton have another chance to continue their unbeaten run at the Hill Dickinson Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur.
It was against these opponents that David Moyes achieved his first win when he returned to the club in January.
Spurs are a tougher prospect with Thomas Frank at the helm, but Everton, with Jack Grealish back, should still fancy their chances.
I suspect that Moyes may start with Beto on Sunday, but whether he goes with him or Thierno Barry, it would be brilliant if one of them can find the net!
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