Can Everton break into top six
The 2019-20 Premier League season is underway and (almost) all the first round of matches have been played.
So the big questions for Everton fans is can the Blues improve on last time, maybe win a trophy and/or break into the top six this season?
Well, on the admittedly limited evidence of yesterday’s game at Crystal Palace, the answer to that question would probably be no.
Despite all the frenetic summer transfer window activity and a host of new faces coming in, Saturday’s match had a strong sense of deja vu about it.
It was as if there had been no break since the end of the 2018-19 campaign as the Blues produced a performance that was almost a carbon copy of when they had travelled down to south London back in April.
The Toffees never seemed to be in any real danger despite Palace creating a few good , but equally they didn’t look like scoring either.
The same old problems, inconsistency, poor finishing and disappointing away form, that bedevilled the side last season haven’t as yet been resolved.
If Everton can’t find a way to beat sides like Palace away from home this season, then they’ve got little hope of breaking into that top echelon of the Premier League.
The Blues away form was a real Achilles heal last term, preventing them from securing European football and it’s one thing that Everton really have to improve on.
Too many times during the last season, the Toffees gave away points on their travels, undermining some fine home performances.
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Based on last season’s table, to get a top six place, the Blues have to find a minimum of at least 12 or more extra points this season and that certainly won’t be easy.
Central to doing that will be whether the team can turn frustrating stalemates away from Goodison Park, like yesterday’s match, into three points.
We have to hope that Everton’s new forward signings can deliver and quickly especially as the Blues have a number of games coming up, that on paper at least, are certainly winnable.