The Premier League’s lengthy hiatus, to make way for this winter’s World Cup, could not have come at a more fortuitous time for Everton and under-fire boss Frank Lampard.
Going into the international break the Toffees were mired in crisis and though they had flailed for form before, on several occasions in fact in recent years, this time felt different, more substantial.
That’s because no matter what system Lampard went with; or which full-backs and wingers he deployed; or whether he could call upon Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the club’s only recognised centre-forward of note, or have to make do, the end result was always the same. More points would be dropped and frankly, the situation was beginning to feel irreversible.
💬 What Lampard said...
— 888sport (@888sport) April 4, 2022
💭 What Lampard was thinking 😂#EFC pic.twitter.com/Uuv3aHRIbX
In their sign-off game, before packing away their troubles for a month, Everton meekly lost 3-0 at Bournemouth, a performance that was greeted by vitriolic protest from the traveling supporters.
Now though, there is a chance to reset; to take a long breath, reconfigure and go again and how sorely they need to faced as they are with the apocalyptic prospect of dropping out of the top-flight for the first time since 1954.
That’s right, 1954. To date, it’s been a proud sixty-eight-year residency.
If Evertonians – who are incidentally one of the best, if long-suffering fan-bases around – react so strongly to a singular defeat on the south coast, it’s not worth thinking about how they will respond to that.
There is also the club’s imminent move to Bramley-Moore Dock to consider. With the 52,888-capacity stadium expected to cost half a billion pounds, Everton can’t afford to see their revenues plummet by dropping down a division.
In every way possible, they really can’t afford that.
Yet, right now, that seems like a distinct possibility with the Premier League betting pricing them at a worryingly short 17/10 to endure relegation and that feels fair given that Everton have only won three from their opening 15 fixtures, scoring every 122 minutes along the way.
Granted, the shrewd summer additions of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady have minimised damage at the back, with the Toffees conceding the same number as Liverpool to this juncture.
But they too seldomly score, and what’s more, so lacking are they in creativity and intent, often it feels like they never will again.
There are several sound reasons why our Premier League predictions routinely tip an Everton loss but it’s mainly this, that they’re so lightweight up front.
Worse yet, if their circumstances looked dire a third through the season, it only exacerbated going into November as the teams around them all improved.
👋 Reporting back
— Everton (@Everton) December 9, 2022
💪 Fitness tests
⚽️ Return to full training
After starting the campaign a shadow of their usual selves, Leicester have climbed to mid-table. Nottingham Forest have perked up too, as have Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
Under new management, there is every chance that Southampton and Wolves enjoy a better second act to 2022/23 which makes it highly pertinent that Everton face both of these sides on their return to domestic action.
It is those two fixtures that may ultimately define what becomes of Everton, a club in great fear of a fate they are not used to. At the very least, they will reveal if Lampard’s reset has worked, a plan B that simply has to.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 12th December 2022
