Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands has again underlined the club’s commitment to a long-term strategy and said manager Marco Silva needs to be given time to build his team.
These latest comments from the Dutchman come as Everton are on a decent run of performances with two consecutive 2-0 Premier League wins over Chelsea and West Ham.
His intervention seems to indicate an increasing confidence in the Goodison hierarchy that Silva will prove the right man to finally turn the Toffees fortunes around.
There has been much debate amongst Everton supporters this season about whether the Portuguese is the right man at last. I have certainly been critical of him especially for the seemingly endless defensive problems the team had that cost them so many cheap goals.
However recent games have seen Silva settle on a side the has begun to show increasing stability and self-confidence. Last Saturday’s win at the London Stadium could, and probably should, have been by four or five goals.
The Blues produced a superbly fluent and dynamic performance, especially in the first half as they utterly dominated West Ham, producing the side’s best spell of football all season.
It’s almost as if Silva has stumbled upon a side that is functioning properly after trying so many different combinations. But however he’s arrived at it the current formula seems to work.
The developing partnership between Lucas Digne and Bernard on the left and a rejuvenated Seamus Coleman and Richarlison on the right, have become very promising.
More from Prince Rupert's Tower
- Everton 0 Arsenal 1: Blues fall to third home defeat
- Further chaos in Everton takeover as other lenders not keen on 777 Partners
- Everton need repeat of Arsenal win to kick-start their season on Sunday
- More madness at Everton as Moshiri now agrees to sell club to 777 Partners
- Everton takeover talk cools after UK govt doubts and further questions
While in midfield Idrissa Gueye and Andre Gomes have re-discovered the best of their play from earlier in the season as they utterly controlled the middle of the park against the Hammers.
And Everton seem to be finally learning how to defend properly as a team. The growing confidence and assertiveness of Michael Keane was underlined by his superb interception and perfectly weighted pass in the second half that nearly brought a goal.
Of course the Toffees are far from the finished article. And although two consecutive wins without conceding a goal are not to be sniffed at, Everton could have been two or three down at halftime against Chelsea while West Ham were awful.
So there is much still to work on but certainly you can say a few green shoots are in evidence. Obviously the challenge is to maintain this intensity and quality until the end of the season.