Everton 2020-21 season player review

James Rodriguez 7/10

Everton’s big summer signing has had a frustrating first season in English football. He started like he was a 21-year-old again and seemed to have taken to life on Merseyside like a duck to water.

His sublime technical skill and creative ability was in full display as the Toffees got off to a flyer and led the Premier League table after those first seven games.

Then after the first international break came the Goodison derby in October. The Colombian was challenged by Virgil Van Dijk in the opening moments of that crazy match. This was the first of a series of injury and fitness problems that were to blunt his effectivness and undermine Ancelotti’s tactical and attacking plans.

When he was fit and playing at the Grand Old Lady he still produced some superb performances but his impact was more limited and couldn’t recapture the early-season sharpness. Then there have been occasional rumours of a possible exit this summer.

All this means it’s difficult to see how much Everton can rely on the South American star and build their attack around him. Still he’s magnificent footballer when fit and healthy and will surely have a significant role to play in helping his manager and club if they are to realise their ambitions over the next few years.

Richarlison – 6/10 

Richarlison has had a strange and underwhemlming season and his contribution has been fitfull and frustrating for him, the team and the fans.

In particular his goal tally was way down on the previous two seasons when he managed thirteen goals in each of those campaigns.

This year he has been held back perhaps by a new 4-3-3 formation, which seemed to inhibit his ability to get those chances and then his own stupiduty in getting sent off after a wildly reckless tackle on fellow countryman Thiago in the October derby.

When he came back from that ban he was again unable to kick-staet his season although when he first moved back to a more central role it seemed to help and he started scoring again.

However, he ended the season again failing to regularly threaten and playing at times petulantly and selfishly. And there are more questions about his atttitude and what is his best position. If he stays at Everton (not guaranteed I don’t think) he needs to resolve these questions and start delivering again.

Dominic Cavert-Lewin – 8/10

The Brazilians lack of goals hasn’t mattered so much this past season because Calvert-Lewin had a breakthorugh year in terms of goals.

He was in brilliant form for the first few months of the campaign and as the Blues flourished so did he scoring a sackful and getting a first call-up to the England squad.

He was thriving on the service he was getting from his team-mates -particularly Rodriguez – and he seemed to be becoming a genuinely top class goalscorer at last.

But then when the service dried up he struggled and as Everton became more defensive it was much harder to score goals. This exposed his weakness as Calvert-Lewin is not a creative forward and needs a lot of chances to score his goals.

In addition his strengths mean the team are sometimes forced to play in a certain way that prevents them operating a more fluid, modern attack.

But having said all that god knows where Everton would have been wihotu his goals and perhapshe could still become that world class striker the Toffees have lacked for so long.