Match Preview: Everton v West Bromwich Albion

After the brief interlude of a Carabao Cup tie on Wednesday night, Everton return to Premier League action this weekend as the Blues take on the Baggies at Goodison Park tomorrow lunchtime.

Following that excellent win at Spurs on the opening day last Sunday, Everton fans will have unusually high expectations for this game.

I say unusually high, because all too often in recent years the Blues have begun a season slowly and lethargically and have quickly punctured any pre-season optimism with their dismal form.

But last weekend saw the Toffees turn in one of their most impressive opening day performances in many a long year and the manner of that victory at the Tottenham Stadium has raised the bar for the rest of the season. Can they keep it going?

Although the scoreline only read 1-0, the Blues largely controlled the game and played some brilliantly expansive, creative and penetrating football of a kind we haven’t seen from an Everton team for far too long. They could and should have won by more.

Apart from the obvious improved creativity and the strength of the team’s defensive work, one thing that really impressed me was how well Everton kept the ball for long periods of the game taking the sting out of Spurs attempts to get back into the match.

This is something that the Blues haven’t done well for a long time and although possession isn’t everything, it can certainly help if you change the pace and tempo of a game and slow it down sometimes to frustrate the opposition. Of course, if your opponents don’t have the ball, then they can’t hurt you.

The Toffees played lots of neat, simple, one-two passes and this kept the ball moving quickly in midfield, preventing Tottenham from ever getting a hold of it and the game.

In particular, Abdoulaye Doucoure constantly made himself available in space, often allowing James Rodriguez to quickly release the ball to him, get it back and escape any pressure from Spurs players trying to press him.

That, together with his relentless energy, terrific tackling and excellent general positional sense, was why I felt Doucoure, though only just, was Everton’s most important performer last Sunday.

Anyway, while West Brom won’t represent as potent a threat as Tottenham did, at least on paper, I hope the Blues can maintain that same level of industry and flair tomorrow. Infuriating inconsistency has also been a trademark of recent Toffees teams.

As for tomorrow’s opponents, the Baggies have returned to the Premier League after several years absence battling to get out of the Championship.

The midlands club will be hoping to replicate what Sheffield United achieved last season after promotion and not just survive, but make a significant impact on the English top flight.

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West Brom’s strengths are defending set-pieces and attacking with width and longer balls. They don’t have a lot of creativity in their team and will probably seek to defend in numbers, hitting Everton on the break or scoring through a set-piece.

They got a rude awakening on their return to the Premier League last weekend, as they were comprehensively outplayed and beaten 3-0 at home by Leicester City.

Base don that game, I think, unfortunately for the Baggies, this is going to be a long, hard season.

As for the home team, I would imagine Carlo Ancelotti will return to the same side that played Spurs and the 4-3-3 formation that I have for a long time felt was the best fit for Everton.

As usual no predictions. But I feel quietly confident that this new-look Blues team won’t revert to the type we’ve seen far too often in the past and will secure another three points tomorrow, perhaps with a few more goals too..?