Will win against Watford change anything for Silva at Everton?

It has been a long time since Everton last won silverware. The Toffees recorded a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Wembley. Paul Rideout’s goal was enough for Joe Royle’s side to snatch a victory. The goal also led to my 11-year-old-self experiencing extreme pain due to the 20-stone guy sitting next to me jumping on my foot in celebration.

Unfortunately, for many Evertonian’s, all they have experienced is extreme disappointment and frustration that the Blues have served up for a quarter of a century.

Everton miss every opportunity

Tonight, Everton host struggling Watford in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. The Hornets have bigger fish to fry as it were, as surviving the drop from the Premier League is their priority.

Usually, this game would look like a home banker. However, Everton are the kings of missing opportunities. The Toffees have a history of blowing big opportunities. Marco Silva’s side has had the chance to move top of the table and also into the top-four earlier in the season.

As is usually the case, Everton failed to take opportunities. Instead they have dropped like a stone towards the relegation zone. The team is struggling to produce in defence or attack.

Question will remain even with a win

Making it to the quarter-finals of any cup competition should be a positive, especially for a team with Everton’s poor recent record in cups. Silva finally changed things up tactically recently when he switched formations. The result was a 2-0 home win over West Ham.

The Portuguese boss kept the same system for the 3-2 defeat at Brighton, only making an enforced change with Mason Holgate replacing the injured Yerry Mina. In truth, the defeat was rather unfortunate.

There are still Evertonian’s who want Silva to lose his job and a new boss brought in. A win against Watford is unlikely to change their minds. The Silva doubters cannot be faulted for their opinions on the former Watford boss, as the team has lost five of their last six games. Any boss would be under severe pressure with that sort of abject record.

The 42-year-old still has much to prove as a top-level boss, despite his high reputation as an up-and-coming boss when he arrived on Merseyside in the summer of 2018.  Only another sustained positive run will restore some belief, not just a one-off win over a struggling team.

Everton should go through

As I have talked about earlier, Everton seems to like to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. The Toffees should beat bottom of the table Watford, who have lost on 12 of their last 14 visits to Goodison Park. Silva’s side are odds of 5/7 to record a victory.

Everton are likely to field a stronger team in the clash and should go through. Watford head coach Quique Sanchez Flores has admitted that he will rotate his squad in the cup game. It is by no means a sure thing that the Blues will take advantage of a weakened Hornets starting line-up.

Hopefully, (well from Evertonian’s point of view), the Blues record a victory and it is the start of a positive run of form. A defeat for the Merseysider’s and the criticism and calls for Silva’s sacking may well be too much for the club’s hierarchy to ignore.

Will Everton beat Watford to make the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup?