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Everton show their metal now to keep it going

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane of Everton celebrate following their team's victory in the Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield on February 20, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane of Everton celebrate following their team's victory in the Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield on February 20, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Everton showed what they are capable of on Saturday night as they produced an outstandingly disciplined and effecient performance to secure a first Anfield derby win in 22 years.

Now after delivering what might have been their best effort of the season, especially given the importance of the match to fans and the history surrounding it, can Everton maintain this level of intensity and professionalism for the rest of the campaign.

The short answer will probalby be no giving that sustaining the kind of focus we saw at the weekend isn’t easy. But I think the Toffees need to be able to keep reproducing something like that sort of performance if they are to ensure this season isn’t another disappointing one in the end.

We’ve seen a very inconsistent set of games from the Blues this season. Some excellent matches against challenging opposition particularly away from home and then a string of underwhelming results in which they have capitulated too easily to sides they really should be beating.

Part of the problem I think is that Everton have for a long time lacked a coherent identity and a clear way of playing that they seek to impose and replicate in their matches.

If you look at all the successful teams they have a style and approach that defines them. Take the Toffees opponents on Saturday. Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp have played a high-tempo, energetic, pressing game, seeking to spend most of their time camped in the opposition half. They rarely change that approach and until this season anyway, it’s brought them plenty of success over the last few years.

Of course having players good enough to make any tactical plan and playing style work is obviously key. At the moment the Blues seem a little caught between two stools.

On the one hand are the Toffees going to be pragmatic and build from a solid defensive foundation, or do they want to try and play a more expansive and attacking game?

Over the past decade or so the team have been trying first one approach and then the other. After eleven years of conservative, defensive football under David Moyes, we had the almost suicidal, attacking approach of Roberto Martinez. When that didn’t work it was back to a more cautious and counter-attacking gameplan under Ronald Koeman.

Then he was sacked and following the best-forgotten Sam Allardyce interegnum, in came another Iberian coach in Marco Silva who wanted to play a more progressive, expansive style again. Once more though his time ended in failure.

Now Carlo Ancelotti is in the managerial hotseat and while he has the pragmatic Italian mentality, he also ideally wants to play good football.

He showed that he understood that the priority for strengthening the team was focusing on shoring up midfield and bringing in much-needed steel and energy in the form of Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

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But then he also brought in a galatico-type player in James Rodriguez. The Colombian superstar is used to playing in dominant, attacking teams who play on the front foot.

Everton were playing that way at the start of the season when they won their first four Premier League matches and sat on top of the table. But then it went wrong as injuries piled up and Ancelotti was forced to reshuffle his team.

He seemed to have found a formation and style of play forced on him through injury that worked in December as the Blues won three consecutive matches to get their season back on track. The focus was on making Everton hard to beat even if that meant conceding possession to opponents and not always creating a lot of chances.

Then recently he’s gone away from that approach trying different teams and formations as players come back from injury. Results once more became inconsistent and the side started leaking goals again.

So at the end of all of this what is conclusion? I think a team must play to their strengths and Ancelotti needs to stick with the kind of team and approach that gave the Toffees those three precious points at Anfield on Saturday. Hopefully that will then also help avoid the kind of erratic performances and frustrating results we’ve seen all too often, particularly at home.

And if you look at it statistically the Blues are a very effecient team in front of goal. In fact Everton have the second best shot convertion percentage in the Premier League in 2021, behind only the leaders Manchester City. So they are able to play this way and make it work because of that effectiveness at converting chances.

Ancelotti has talked about evolution at Goodison Park. To me that means a pragmatic approach for now and then after another summer in which the club can strengthen further, perhaps a more expansve and attacking game will be possible as the manager gets more of the players he wants.