Everton 2020-21 review: a massive opportunity missed
Lets start with the positives and the away record, which was the best since the Blues last topped the table at season’s end and claimed the old First Division Championship in 1986-87.
Traditionally the Toffees have been poor travellers with a pretty dreadful away record especially over the past few seasons. Most depressing of all it had been over twenty years since they had won at Anfield and the record in London was even worse with a quarter of a century having elapsed since Everton were victorious at Arsenal and Chelsea.
That away form turnaround began on opening day with a win at Tottenham Hotspur, for the first time since November 2008. It proved the first in a series of away-day milestones.
On that sunny afternoon in north London Everton seemed a team transformed from the drab and ordinary sides that had so often kicked off a campaign in the past.
The Blues were playing in a new-look 4-3-3 and played some terrific, flowing and incisive attacking football orchastrated by Rodriguez while Allan and Doucoure bossed the midfield and injected desperately needed energy and workrate.
In addition, Dominic Calvert-Lewin who scored the only goal, was embarking on a hot streak in front of goal that would see him catapulted into the England squad.
More wins followed and the goals kept coming with five scored in successive matches against West Brom and then Fleetwood in the league cup before four more were added against West Ham and Brighton as Everton’s great start continued.
Crucially, the Toffees were still winning away too as in-between those thumping home wins, they also ground out a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace.
The Palace result seemed to indictate this team had the quality to win in style when in top form but also the grit to secure points playing a bit ugly as well. Whisper it but was it possible that at last the Blues had found a winning formula that could end the long, long wait for success?
Well after seven straight victories, a feat in fact not managed by an Everton side since the nineteenth century, came the first international break of the season.
After that break things were never the same again and try as they might the Toffees couldn’t replicate that combination of flair and steel for the rest of the season.
Injuries were a big part of that of course with the international matches and then a relentless Premier League fixture list causing all the Blues first-choice players from this first month or so to miss chunks of the season.
In particular the regular absence of Rodriguez, and Allan’s constant fitness problems were telling as two key components in Everton’s fast start spent long periods out of the team.
Without the two South Americans and others such as Seamus Coleman, Everton reverted to type and started losing far too easily again as they were beaten by Southampton, Newcastle and Manchester United in successive games.
A nervy 3-2 win at Fulham was followed by the first of those home defeats that would ultimately prove so costly as the Toffees lost 1-0 at Goodison to Leeds. Then came a laboured 1-1 draw at Burnley and it felt as though the season was beginning to come apart as the Blues attacking sparkle had gone while defensively they were leaking goals far too easily.
Carlo Ancelotti had to take action and so he decided to revert to a much more defensive counter-attacking posture and unvieled a four centre-back defence when Everton faced Chelsea at the beginning of December.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 at Goodison Park, the new-look team was rock solid defensively and suitably opportunistic in attack. A win at high-flying Leicester City followed and then Everton beat Arsenal as well before taking all three points at struggling Sheffield United.
So twelve points and only one goal conceded from a penalty and it seemed as though the season was back on track. This new-look defence was performing well with makeshift left-back Ben Godfrey in particular outstanding filling in for Lucas Digne.
This formation and tactical approach now continued away from home throughout the rest of the season and brought historic and long overdue wins at Anfield and the Emirates Stadium as well as notable successes at Wolves and a point salvaged at Old Trafford. At last the Toffees seemed to have overcome their chronic away-day blues.
Obviously the absence of fans inside grounds is a key factor, how much of a factor we’ll see next season and that will be a truer test of whether Everton have actually turned around their usually awful record away from home.