With nine titles of English champions and seven times runners-up finishes, Everton are officially the fourth most successful English team in history, meaning they are more successful than Chelsea, Tottenham and even Manchester City. However, that is all that Everton can brag with, considering it’s been over 40 years since they won the league. Furthermore, it’s been six long years since the Toffees last finished in the top six, giving us an impression Marco Silva’s men have fallen out of the big six for good, but have they?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: Richarlison of Everton FC runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Watford FC at Goodison Park on August 17, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
The 2019/20 season of Premier League kicked off on Friday, August 9, meaning the first two rounds of English top-flight are already behind us. During the two rounds, we got a chance to taste how all of the 20 teams perform, giving us a glimpse in what to expect to see from them. In the case of Toffees, they started the season well, with a draw and a win, and if that is anything to go by, Everton just might compete for a solid finish comes May. Nonetheless, the season is still very young, and with 36 more matches left to be played, Silva’s men still have a lot to prove if they wish to improve upon their eighth-place finish from the last two seasons.
Nonetheless, Marco Silva’s men seem to be ready to embark into a new season with high ambitions and a couple of new faces in the club, which replaced those who decided to leave the club during summer. Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean, Andre Gomes, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Fabian Delph replaced Idrissa Gueye, Ademola Lookman, Nikola Vlasic, Henry Onyekuru and James McCarthy, leaving Everton just as solid as they were last season. In fact, there are arguments to be made that Everton are entering the 2019/20 season with much more stability compared to the last couple of years.
While there is no denying Everton team still lacks the needed quality and depth needed to win the 10th title of English champions, they do have a balanced and well-rounded roster of player, who will not shy away from competing with the best teams in the league. As far as Everton ambitions go, it’s not only the improved team that gives them a solid chance to find a way into top six, it’s also the fact both Arsenal and Man United showed signs of weakness last season, meaning the doors leading into Europa League qualifications look to be wide open for Toffees.
If we draw a line, Everton boast with a team that could impress us, yet there is one thing that kept Silva’s men back last season and if not addressed could have the same consequences this year as well. The biggest issue that plagued Everton’s 2018/19 season was consistency, or better yet, the lack of it. In the last season, we saw a reoccurring theme in the Toffee’s side, which was their tendency to lose focus and confidence as soon as they conceded a goal. Solid on-pitch leadership is without a doubt something that could help fix the issue, which is why it should not come off as a surprise Silva decided to sign the experienced 29-year-old Fabian Delph from Man City as well as 26-year-old André Gomes from Barcelona, hoping they can bring some much-needed leadership into the squad.
Will all that be enough for Everton to finally find their way into top six is yet to be seen, nonetheless, Silva seems to be confident Toffees are ready to do just that. With solid signings which reinforced the team as well as improvement of some of Everton’s key players, we could imagine seeing Toffees put up a strong fight for a top-six finish or at very least repeat their eight-place finish from last two seasons.
