Wolves 3 Everton 0: Blues get a mauling

That was coming. After two dreadful efforts away to Tottenham and at home to Southampton, Everton crashed to an appalling defeat against Wolves this afternoon at Molineux.

Where to start after this absolutely shocking performance from Everton. Are these players Premier League footballers or a bunch of out of work actors, it’s frankly hard to tell?

The attitude exhibited by some of these ‘players’ is disgusting. Jordan Pickford was laughing and giggling as if he was in the local park with his mates, while conceding goals again and at one point, almost throwing the ball into his own net.

Most of the others were strolling around and appeared to be more interested in topping up their suntans than playing a football match.

I’m so sick and tired of these overpaid prima donnas wearing the royal blue shirt. The only ones who looked at all bothered were Anthony Gordon, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

As I said in my previous articles, this team needs so much rebuilding it’s truly frightening. It feels to me like we’re actually going backwards again.

Given this performance, I can’t see the Blues winning another football match this season. This campaign is unraveling at lightening speed and almost unbelievably the Toffees are going to finish lower in the table than at the end of the last equally wasted and worthless season!

After going through a string of managers in the past four years, it is crystal clear that most of these players are simply not good enough. There can’t be any doubt about it now.

Even bringing in a supposedly world class coach in Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t ultimately made them give any more effort or find any more quality to their play. Truly most of them look Championship level at best.

So to the game then. Ancelotti again went with a funny formation, this time going with a sort of back five in which Leighton Baines came in at left wing-back with Theo Walcott on the right.

The manager yet again trusted his midfield to Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies. Both were utterly useless and anonymous. Why not give young Beni Banningime a chance?

Well once more it didn’t work. I’m becoming more and more concerned with what appear to be the increasingly eccentric selection decisions and formations from Ancelotti.

Why after setting the team up to play a 4-4-2 for so long to create a consistently good shape, did he decide to change it now? And if he was going to do this, why play the team’s most creative threat, Lucas Digne, as essentially a central defender and play Walcott as a wing-back and not Djibril Sidibe, who would seem ideally suited for that position??

Anyway, after a fairly decent start and having survived most of the first half, Lucas Digne stuck his leg out in the box and a Wolves attacker conveniently fell over it to win yet another absurd penalty in a season littered with them, many of course against Everton.

As an aside, for the good of the game, I really think the Premier League has to take stock at season’s end, not just about the often obtuse VAR decision-making, but also the shockingly bad state of refereering generally. Sorry who I am kidding!

So Wolves were one nil up and from then on they dominated the game as the Blues looked utterly disinterested and incapable of anything.

The only player who seemed to have any desire to make something happen was Gordon who had a decent game overall playing more centrally. He does look a good prospect.

Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin appeared to be trying at times but they were staved of any service in Ancelotti’s highly defensive system and their frustration showed.

Then straight after halftime, Everton helpfully conceded again and that was game over. In truth Wolves could have scored four or five today and it would not have flattered them.

I remember going to Molineux for the opening game of the 2017-18 season, Wolves first back in the Premier League.

More from Prince Rupert's Tower

Both sides had Portuguese coaches and were embarking on what they hoped would be a new era, leading to genuine progress and success. That match was an even one which finished 2-2, and both clubs seemed able at the time to look forward to the future with some degree of optimism.

Now three years on and once more Everton are going rapidly backwards while their opponents are making continuous and deserved progress towards becoming an established top six side, competing for Europe and perhaps trophies too. The contrast is huge and deeply depressing.

I honestly don’t know what else to say as on the back of days like today, I really feel like I have no idea where this football club is going.

Hard as it is to admit, but all the endless ribbing from my Reds supporting mates seems ever more justified. And frankly in the aftermath of performances such as this, its almost impossible to find anything to be optimistic about regarding Everton FC.