On Sunday, Everton suffered yet another hapless defeat at local rivals, Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup. This time the Toffees managed to suffer a 1-0 defeat at their former home Anfield against a Reds team mainly made up of youngsters.
It was one of the most embarrassing derby defeats that the Toffees have ever suffered, and there has been a fair few to chose from. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti may have watched his team and regret his choice to take the job.
A squad full of overpaid and overpriced wasters
If somebody was doing a study on how not to spend money as a football club Everton would be the best example ever. Since the arrival of Farhad Moshiri as majority shareholder in 2016, Everton have splashed the cash on absolute wasters.
Yesterday’s team summed up the mediocrity that is running through the club. The likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Theo Walcott to name just a few are not fit to wear the royal blue shirt. Walcott looked lively in the first half, yet still made poor decisions throughout the game.
The central midfield pairing of Schneiderlin and Sigurdsson were about as much use as a chocolate teapot. Schneiderlin cost £25million, while Sigurdsson remains the Toffees club-record signing at £45million. Walcott cost £30million, Cenk Tosun £27million, Michael Keane £30million, Yannick Bolasie £25million. These are players that will keep Everton stuck in the mid-lower tier of the Premier League table. Even the likes of Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina, who look worth keeping are struggling to perform.
Ancelotti may not have much of a transfer kitty
When Ancelotti became Everton head coach, the perception was that the club’s hierarchy had promised the Italian transfer funds in January and the summer transfer windows.
Anybody who has watched the Blues of late will know they need near enough a new starting line-up. As an Evertonian it is difficult to name 11 players I would keep at the club.
The problem is firstly there needs to be clubs willing to sign the players and secondly, there needs to be funds available to bring in replacements for the dross that’s leaving. Finding better quality replacements would not be hard, as most of the under-23’s would have produced better performances than the current starting 11.
However, to truly challenge for a top-six or top-four spot in the next few years Ancelotti needs to bring in the right players. If he can’t bring in new players, then his stint will be doomed to failure like all the other Toffees bosses of recent years.
This group of players have for too long underperformed for their ridiculous wages, masquerading as professional footballers. Boss after boss they have seen off. Hopefully, the club’s hierarchy gives Ancelotti the backing he needs to overhaul the squad.
What is left to play for this season for Everton?
The Toffees have very little left to play for this season after exiting both the cup competitions. A top-six finish was the Toffees aim at the start of the season. Ironically, despite a terrible start to the campaign and a poor squad, the Merseysider’s are just five points behind Tottenham who are sixth-place in the table.
However, the Toffees are major outsiders to clinch a top-six finish this season at odds of 12/1. They will just be looking to collect as many points as they can between now and the end of the season, even if the top-six looks within touching distance.
Ancelotti has had a few weeks of working with his players and he will now better understand what it will take to improve the Toffees fortunes. Hopefully, he is not yet regretting taking the job.
Can Carlo Ancelotti sort out the mess that is Everton’s starting eleven?
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