Everton 2020-21 review: a massive opportunity missed

Everton's English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford reacts during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 23, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by PETER POWELL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by PETER POWELL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Everton's English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford reacts during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 23, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by PETER POWELL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by PETER POWELL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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So in conclusion this was a strange, schizophrenic season full of weird and unexpected results although in the end the usual suspects, more or less, came out on top.

Ironically Everton did what they always do too as the Blues falttered to deceive after raising all our hopes and once again settled for mid-table mediocrity as they have so often in recent years.

The sense that this is a club that simply doesn’t have the nous or even ambition to truly challenge the top sides keeps returning. Too much big talk and too little actual achievement on the pitch seems to be the Everton way these days.

More from Prince Rupert's Tower

Like many Evertonians I’ve had have had enough of these false dawns and the endless groundhog days of seasons that occasionally promise something before turning out to be another false dawn.

Crucially the tactical template was in evidence at the start of the campaign as the Toffees found a winning approach but couldn’t sustain it as they simply don’t have enough of the players with the qualities to make it work properly.

Now comes another massive summer transfer window where the club simply must get their recruitment right.  They have to ensure we don’t go through yet another campaign of wasted chances, overpaid and underperforming footballers and widly inconsistent performances that drive you crazy as a fan.

That’s the challenge for Farhad Moshiri, Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti. If they can’t get it right now then even a manager of Ancelotti’s experience and nous might not be able to turn this tanker of a club around and bring success back to the blue half of Merseyside. If that’s the case, where do Everton go from there?