After several cancelled Premier League fixtures with Leicester City twice postponed, Everton are fingers crossed, due to travel to Norwich City tomorrow lunchtime.
Everton really do need a win in East Anglia after a truly terrible recent slide in fortunes which have seen them take all three points in just one match since late September.
On top of this awful run of form, there has been plenty of upheaval behind the scenes in this transfer window as well with the arrival of two young full-backs and the departure of another.
Lucas Digne’s leaving for Aston Villa is of course a controversial move which has divided opnion amongst supporters and left the fate of the first-team and the outcome of this season, increasingly in the hands of youthful players and a manager now under huge pressure to start delivering.
It does seem as though with all the upheaval and injury problems that the outcome of this campaign is going to be decided to a considerable extent by the contributions of individuals like Ben Godfrey, Anthony Gordon, Jarrad Branthwaite and now perhaps too, the new signings Vitalli Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson.
Can these young footballers step up consistently and deliver for a team desperately in need of points and positive momentum?
As for the manager, Rafa Benitez has been fully backed by his employer Farhad Moshiri and it was his falling out with Digne that has led to the premature departure of the French international.
In the run-up to tomorrow’s game Benitez has had some good news on the injury front, for once, and he has a near full-fit squad to pick from.
The only significant injury is to Tom Davies who is out for a few months. However, in truth he’s very much a fringe player these days.
Several others although healthy, are still getting back up to full fitness so they won’t be ready to start for a few more weeks.
One key player who is hopefully finally ready to return to his best is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The England striker has been out for most of the season but now with the Toffees in dire need of more attacking threat and goals, he should provide that at last.
His usual partner up front Richarlison is still not ready to play although he’s also been back in light training this week.
As for the new attacking arrival, I’m not sure if Anwar El Ghazi will play a part in the match tomorrow whether that’s to start, which is unlikely, or come off the bench.
This signing is a very unexpected one, he’s player that hadn’t been previously linked and it really does seem to have come out of left field suddenly in the last few days.
I’m not sure what to make of this deal. It’s a loan for the rest of the season and there’s apparently no obligation to buy so it’s good that Everton aren’t committed to a permanent deal.
We’ve looked at a few of his strengths and what he might bring to the team. He has talent, that’s not the issue, it’s whether he can consistently deliver. Perhaps, in a new team and with something to prove he might be able to produce his best and it ends up being a good decision to bring him in.
As for the other major issue with the team, it’s tactics, the manager claimed in his press conference that his decision to play three at the back wasn’t a factor in the Blues struggles against Hull City, or the goals they conceded. Well, I think many Evertonians would beg to differ.
As I’ve said so often before formations aren’t the most important thing but an overly negative tactical approach can seriously undermine the team’s chances of taking control and dominating a game. Everton need to do that tomorrow.
Against a Canaries side that has been bottom of the league basically all season long and looks certain to be relegated at the end of the season and with a near fully-fit squad, I wish Benitez would be more positive but I don’t hold out much hope that will be the case.