Not so long ago, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin was scoring for fun and James Rodriguez was picking sumptuous passes out with unfathomable regularity, Everton were talked about as surprise title contenders.
Fans were pinching themselves. They had one of the best managers in the world at the helm, flanked by fan favourite assistant Duncan Ferguson, and buoyed by notable wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, title talk was not looking quite so ridiculous.
That optimism evaporated in the New Year on the back of an horrendous run of results at home that produced a shocking six points from 11 games.
Rodriguez had done his usual disappearing act, culminating in the Colombian announcing he “felt a bit too tired” to play in their penultimate game against Wolves.
The fact that Rodriguez was brazen enough to post a picture of himself on a private jet returning to Colombia before the final day trip to the Etihad tells you all you need to know about his commitment.
There was bewilderment when Everton bagged the attacking midfielder from Real Madrid. Why was nobody else in for him? How did Everton get him for so cheap? Now we know why.
As Calvert-Lewin’s goals dried up, and Rodriguez vanished, the lack of quality in the rest of the squad became all too apparent.
While Calvert-Lewin helped himself to 16 league goals, Richarlison was the Toffees’ next highest scorer with seven. Sunday’s opponents City finished with six players on seven or more league goals.
The errors crept into Everton’s end-of-season form, as they finished with their worst home record in their 143-year history. Three of City’s five goals came about as a result of such sloppy Everton play and summed up their final half of the season.
“We won the derby, we won against some top teams but we were not good at home and this is where we have to improve and work in the summer to find the right players to improve the squad,” Ancelotti said.
Ancelotti’s task of restoring Everton to its former glory, however, is yet to get off the ground.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3hQ7g10
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