With Everton stuck in the middle ground outside the elite, the Spaniard’s style is a better fit than Carlo Ancelotti’s ever wasWhat is Everton? It sounds like a flippant question, and perhaps to an extent it is, but as Rafa Benítez takes charge, it’s also fundamental. A journey of self-improvement must perhaps begin with a realistic assessment of where you are starting from.But that is not easy. It is not enough simply to say that Everton came 10th last season after a promising start, or even to point out that the latest Deloitte report their annual revenues as the seventh highest in the Premier League. They are the fourth most successful club in English league history. There were one of...
Everton goalkeeper endured a troubled start to last season but has now proved he can thrive when the going gets toughFive months ago, Jordan Pickford walked out at Anfield into the eye of a storm. His form for Everton had been poor for several months. He had been briefly dropped in November by manager Carlo Ancelotti, ending a proud run of 120 consecutive league games. Plenty of Everton fans wanted him gone. Plenty of England fans felt the same way.Plus, it’s fair to say Pickford and Liverpool had history. Back in 2018 his 96th-minute howler had gifted a winning goal to Divock Origi. Earlier on last season, a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk at Goodison had brought death threats...
Tottenham and Everton both need a result while Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa may serve up another feast of footballWhen the dust settles on José Mourinho’s Tottenham tenure - and that could be one day soon - 4 October’s 6-1 win at Manchester United will probably be a high watermark. It happened on a day when the Premier League took on a demented quality. That Sunday also featured Liverpool’s 7-2 loss to Aston Villa. Six months on, Spurs announcing themselves as title contenders feels like a dim, surreal memory. United have since regrouped and victory in north London would further frank their passport into next season’s Champions League. Meanwhile, Spurs continue to scrap on the peripheries of the top four...
Chances for Arsenal and Liverpool to boost their seasons and for Edinson Cavani and Aleksandar Mitrovic to deliver goalsIf anyone had told Mikel Arteta that last season’s gap between Arsenal and Liverpool – 43 points – would narrow to four by early April he would have been forgiven for envisaging an unlikely title battle. The truth from Arsenal’s perspective is far more mundane; Liverpool’s slump is the story and they travel to the Emirates in urgent need of a win that might recharge their top-four hopes. They cannot afford to drift any further behind Chelsea so this weekend is probably all about keeping pace, given Thomas Tuchel’s side face West Brom, This is not a fixture Arteta or Jürgen Klopp...
He’s not big, not quick and doesn’t score, but the Brazilian’s elegant efficiency made the difference against EvertonFootball isn’t always about glamour. In fact, it usually isn’t about glamour. On evenings like this, when one team have a very specific plan to contain and counter, perhaps the most important virtues are patience and consistency.Manchester City may be contemplating the greatest season in their history but they, just as much as anybody else, need a player who can be relied upon not to give the ball away, to hold his position to block the break and to commit tactical fouls when necessary. Related: Gündogan and De Bruyne steer Manchester City past Everton Related: Southampton’s Nathan Redmond outclasses Bournemouth in FA Cup...