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What went well
Survival with something to spare was a remarkable achievement given everything thrown at Everton this season and should really put Sean Dyche in the conversation for manager of the year.
Dyche has his critics – and amazingly, there were calls from some Toffees for his dismissal after Chelsea dismantled them 6-0 at Stamford Bridge just four weeks ago – but how many other managers could thrive when dealing with off-field dysfunction, points deductions and operating on a miniscule transfer budget?
There was nothing particularly fancy or novel about what he did but there is plenty to be said for a manager who is really, really good at the basics. His messaging did not waver and neither did the conviction that his methods would deliver Premier League safety in spite of the points deductions.
And a word for the way he eradicated Everton’s soft centre this season too. They conceded the fourth fewest goals of any team in the Premier League – 51 – and the centre-back partnership of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite was as formidable as any.
After successive years of civil war at Goodison Park, unity on the terraces returned as supporters rallied around to protest against the injustice of a ten-point deduction for breaching the league’s Profit and Sustainability regulations (PSR). It was a year when Everton – with the club’s influential Fan Advisory Board to the fore – rediscovered what a potent force their fanbase can be when they’re all rowing in the same direction.
What went badly
Off the field, just about everything. It was a season when the myriad mistakes of the Farhad Moshiri era came back to haunt Everton with two points deductions for PSR breaches and the disastrous decision to agree a sale to 777 Partners, a group that looks patently unsuitable to become owners of such a proud institution.
The Premier League’s desire to punish Everton so severely exposed the inconsistencies of the PSR regime but the financial recklessness under Moshiri has had wide-ranging and serious consequences. The club are likely to have to sell more of the family silver this summer to avoid another breach and there are still issues to settle which could result in further points deductions.
But nothing has been more ruinous than Moshiri getting into bed with 777 and continuing to pursue a takeover that would have been disastrous for Everton. The Miami group are falling apart and Moshiri’s decision to put his head in the sand rather than heed warnings from informed observers could cause the club profound damage.
Everton start next season as a Premier League club but at the moment there is precious little certainty around anything else.
A word too for striker Beto, who underwhelmed in his first season in the Premier League with just three goals. A timely reminder that it is exceedingly difficult to recruit quality on a shoestring.
Player of the season
Is it really just 12 months since Branthwaite was seen as expendable by some at Everton?
Thank goodness Dyche wasn’t one of them. After an excellent season on loan at PSV Eindhoven, he has turned the centre-back into one of the most coveted players in the summer transfer market. Physically dominant, he is also comfortable with the ball at his feet and at the age of just 21, there is plenty more to come from him.
The worry for Evertonians is whether they can keep hold of him. Manchester United and Tottenham are interested and given their financial worries, retaining him for next season feels like a bit of a long shot.
Breakthrough player
Is it cheating to nominate Branthwaite twice? Or just a reflection of how little Dyche was prepared to trust his younger players?
Everton’s academy has some fine talent and Lewis Dobbin is one to watch. But apart from him, Nathan Patterson (who was beginning to recapture his form before injury curtailed his season) and Branthwaite there were few under the age of 25 in Dyche’s starting XIs. Yousef Chermiti still looks raw, even if he’s starting to show some promise.
Branthwaite’s first full season as a Toffee makes him a deserving dual award winner.
Best team performance
Beating Liverpool 2-0 at Goodison Park was a perfect night in every way. Everton were everything Dyche wants them to be on that night in April: powerful, purposeful and brilliantly potent in attack.
Ask Liverpool: Everton were practically unplayable on a night they extinguished the last flicker of their big rival’s title hopes. It was also a reminder of just how good Dominic Calvert-Lewin is when he’s fit and firing.
If you could bottle the atmosphere of that night and unleash it at Bramley-Moore Dock, it would be something special.
The Score is Daniel Storey’s weekly verdict on all 20 Premier League teams’ performances. Sign up here to receive the newsletter every Monday morning next season
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