Before the season started my hopes for this season were clear: top 10 with a cup final, or top 7 without. Through pure class, Everton appear to have secured 7th place despite West Brom having a fantastic campaign. As their form has slowly waned we have remained strong, and Koeman has met my expectations.
Looking ahead then, we will have Europa League football to contend with, in addition to the two domestic cups and the league. That’s a lot of football to play, so looking at our future aspirations, transfers would be a good place to start.
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Our defense has been great this season despite numerous injuries, but our backline is quite clearly ageing and there is a transparent lack of pace. In the summer I’d like to see a new left back and at least 2 centrebacks, one of which needs to be fast. Should Lukaku stay or leave we still need another goal scorer, which we may already have in the form of Calvert-Lewin or Lookman, though I remain unconvinced. With Koeman’s emphasis on a strong midfield, I think the missing key is an alternative option to rotate with Barkley, a creative playmaker who can press and tackle.
Now for the cup runs, I see no shame in not putting everything into the domestic cups. In my opinion we should place our focus elsewhere during the early stages, allowing rotation players and youth team members to get game time. But in the Europa League, then we simply have to make it past the group stages. Not getting past qualifying is what buried West Ham this season, we cannot afford to make the same mistake with Barkley and Lukaku on the fence about leaving.
For the Premier League, I would say the exact same as last year. Top 10 in a cup final, or top 7 again without. The other 6 above us are just so strong and well-rounded, we are seeing a resurgence of English Football, players are starting to come here in their primes again instead of Spain, and top 7 is a testament in our league. It will be incredibly difficult, but consistency is what players want. To finish top 7 again will be a statement to top class players that Everton were not lucky in the 2016/17 season, and that we are about to break into the elite.
Up the Ev.