Everton: Ruzomberok game reveals one potential flaw
By Paul Taylor
After grinding out a harder than expected win on Thursday night, it’s possible Everton still need to bring in more striking help.
A few weeks back, we confidently declared Everton are better off without Romelu Lukaku. Now, we’ve had our bravado ever so slightly dented.
This is as a result of Thursday night’s game versus Ruzomberok. It’s fair to say things did not exactly go as planned, as the Blues laboured their way to a 1-0 victory, and that was only thanks to a deflected effort from Leighton Baines.
Now, it should be acknowledged the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round tie was Everton’s first competitive game of the season. The team is still gelling together, with the process being further compromised by all the new signings.
Further, the likes of Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez, certainly have the capability to pick up the scoring slack. And yet, the Toffees’ lack of a killer instinct in front of goal, hinted at the possibility they could miss the natural predatory instincts of Lukaku, who had an impressive strike rate of 87 goals in 154 appearance for the club.
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Interestingly, it was the appearance of Ramirez in place of Rooney, which seemed to wake the Blues up, after Ruzomberok more than held their own at Goodison Park. Again though, they could still stand to bring in at least one more forward option.
In fact, manager Ronald Koeman admitted this himself after the game. Speaking to the Independent‘s Tim Rich and other members of the media, Koeman said:
"“We know that we would like another striker – you normally need two number nines in the squad. I am really confident we can bring in a good one.”"
In that respect, Everton have been linked to a whole host of striking options in recent weeks. Potential targets have included the likes of Oliver Giroud, Gabriel Barbosa, Islam Slimani and Edin Dzeko.
Overall, it’s too early to know for sure how Everton’s current striking options will pan out. However, in the interest of playing it safe — combined with Everton having the financial resources to further boost their squad — bringing in another forward makes a lot of sense.
Next: 3 takeaways from 1-0 win over Ruzomberok
While the Blues have only played one competitive game, what’s your take on their forward options? Is it just a case of everyone needing to warm up and get going, or do you believe they should sign another striker? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.