Everton season preview as the Toffees prepare to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend.
The 2026/2027 Premier League season is close to getting underway, with Everton kickstarting their campaign at home to Crystal Palace.
It’s an opportunity for Everton to get off to a strong start, against a side who have produced minimal luck during their trips to the blue half of Merseyside in the past.
Our season won’t be defined by the result on Saturday, however. It’s a long old campaign, and Everton will have plenty of goals they’ll be hoping to achieve.
The pressure is on for Everton to achieve something this season, and there’s nobody under more pressure than David Moyes.
There were plenty of disappointed Evertonians last season due to failing to finish in Europe, but it was Moyes himself who added that pressure. There weren’t many Evertonians who were expecting to be in the race for Europe in the final weeks of the campaign, but they were.
Everton fell at the final hurdle, and perhaps the pressure and expectation were a little too high.
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Expectation
In my eyes, the expectation shouldn’t be to finish in Europe. That doesn’t mean that if we’re pushing towards the end of the season, we shouldn’t go all out to try to get it, but it shouldn’t be an expectation that will likely lead to failure.
Europe would be fantastic, there are no two ways about it. But it shouldn’t be expected. We shouldn’t be building a short-term squad just to try to achieve Europe and then likely fail the following season again.
Let’s try to build a squad capable of qualifying for Europe every season in a few years time.
The expectation this season should be progression. And I don’t mean finishing one place above. I expect progression on the pitch in terms of the style of play, playing a more attractive brand of football that is effective at both ends of the pitch.
I expect a real effort to try to develop young players, showing them, and potential future additions, that Everton is the place to come as a young talent.
I expect progression in terms of consistency with results. We don’t have to win every week, but none of this where we completely fold like a deck chair at the end of the campaign.
If all of the aforementioned factors are all trending in an upward direction come the end of the season, then it’s progress. Does that mean success? Perhaps not, but it’s building the foundations to create long-term and consistent success in the future.
Crucial season for some
It’s a huge season for everyone, but a number of players in particular. The three I’m thinking of are Tyler Dibling, Thierno Barry, and Merlin Rohl.
In reality, for most of the rest of the squad, we either know where they’re at, or it’s difficult to judge them yet.
When it comes to Dibling, Barry, and Rohl, they are now all coming into their second season at Everton, adapting to the rigours of Premier League football. It takes time for players to settle, and all three have now had that adaptation period.
With Dibling, he’s struggled to show what he’s truly capable of just yet. Partly down to himself, but also down to the lack of trust in him from Moyes. After a strong end to pre-season, it’s time for Dibling to show why we invested a lot of money in him.
It’s a huge season for him to show that he’s more than just a number on the bench, he can impact games from the start or as a sub, and he shouldn’t be sent out on loan.
It's a very similar story for Barry. The French striker is slightly older, but still in that situation where he’s adapting. Barry has also had a strong pre-season, and it’s time for him to show that he should be Everton’s number nine.
This is where someone like Barry differs from Beto. We know what we’re getting with Beto. We know he’s probably not going to improve, and he’s not the answer. With Barry, we don’t know for certain, so it’s a big campaign for him.
Rohl is an interesting one. He hasn’t nailed down a position yet, even when coming off the bench. Full-back, on the wing, in the middle. He’s done it all.
It’s safe to say he’s probably not going to be a regular starter for Everton this season, and it’s a big season for him as he proves his worth in this squad. Can he be that utility man who still plays 30+ games as he rotates in different positions?
I feel like this season could define Rohl’s future massively, and in fact, that’s the same case for Barry and Dibling.
Prediction
This all depends on how the transfer window ends, but I can genuinely see us having a decent season. We have some strong depth in midfield, a solid selection of winger options, some experience at the back, and I’m all in on Barry succeeding this year as the number nine.
Full-backs are an issue. If we sign two first-team-ready full-backs, I wouldn’t be surprised if we finish in the European places. Fail to sign a left-back? Top-10 finish. Fail to sign any full-backs? We’ll be lucky to finish above 13th.