Everton 2 Brighton 3: Blues beaten by Seagulls in yet another loss

Well so much for the hope of a winning start to 2022. Everton this afternoon lost yet again as the New Year began pretty much the same way as the old one ended.

The Seagulls’ 3-2 win at Everton today can now be added to Watford’s victory at the Grand Old Lady earlier this campaign, as a first for both clubs.

That’s a sad little commentary on far the Toffees’ have declined and while the second half performance was better, yet again the Blues left it too late and ultimately did too little.

Once more you have to seriously the manager’s tactical approach and mentality as well as his team selection decisions.

First of all why is Seamus Coleman playing at left-back when he struggles most of the time operating in his familiar position at right-back and Lucas Digne was there sitting on the bench?? Whatever the manager’s personal opinion the team’s interests are supposed to come first.

And while a back-three or five made sense at Chelsea when you’ve got half your senior squad out injured and fully expect to be under the cosh against the European champions, it doesn’t seem reasonable at home to a mid-table team like Brighton.

The team set-up and tactics were wrong and also left returning centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin isolated up front, although Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon did try to link up with him from time-to-time. Surely it was obvious that having just come back from four months out with injury Calvert-Lewin needed much more direct support alongside him?

In addition, once more Rafa Benitez insisted on playing just two in the centre of midfield. Allan had a half-decent game but Abdoulaye Doucoure wasn’t at his best and made little impact. Again, I would rather he had played Andre Gomes alongside Allan giving Doucoure more freedom to get forward and help Calvert-Lewin out.

So, yet again the Blues’ conceded possession and initiative to their opponents and allowed them to control and dominate the crucial first forty-five minutes.

Brighton took full advantage and effectively had the game won within half an hour. First Alexis MacAllister scored and then Dan Burn doubled their lead with another headed goal from a set-piece on twenty-eight minutes.

The rusty Calvert-Lewin missed a penalty and you had the feeling that once more it was going to be one of those days for Everton again.

The Toffees’ were certainly second best throught the rest of the first half and went in at the break two down and looking well and truly out of it.

After the interval there was a small improvement and the home team got the boost of an Anthony Gordon deflected effort to bring it back to 2-1 and provide a sliver of hope.

The young winger was without doubt Everton’s best player today and his performance is pretty much the only positive to take from the afternoon.

Gordon in fact got a second, although that was following MacAllister’s second which effectively put the match to bed. The youth graduate had the chance to get a hat-trick and salvage a draw but he couldn’t find the net again and that was that.

Where this latest loss leaves Benitez is anyone’s guess. But, considering the fact that this is already the team’s ninth defeat of the season and he’s still in post, I don’t expect him to get the sack now regardless of what happens on the pitch!

Again, I’m not laying all the blame at his door for the woeful situation the club is in and I’m fully prepared still to admit I’m wrong if he turns things around, but there are precious few signs this will happen.

Apart from occasional glimpses of the right kind of effort and energy such as we saw at Chelsea, there are too many of these games where the tactics inhibit the team and take away from the limited strengths of the players he has.

His approach no longer seems relevant for modern football and as I’ve said before I suspect the game has well and truly passed him by.

But, given recent developments his position looks very secure. However, you have to ask yet again how much more time does he get if this dreadful mess goes on and on and his side continues to lose football games like this?

Unless something fundamental changes and there is either a dramatic improvement in form probably from key players returning to their best, or the club make a change, this team still seems headed fast for the rocks of relegation.