Everton’s disillusioning Premier League campaign reached its nadir on Sunday as John Stones and Tim Howard’s costly combination gifted Swansea a 2-1 win in Francesco Guidolin’s first game in charge. If there’s a top flight player in worse form than either of the Toffees’ gruesome twosome, Stones and Howard did their best to update that with a first-half showing of woeful ineptitude. Injuries to Muhamed Bešić and Kevin Mirallas, a worryingly knackered Romelu Lukaku and Seamus Coleman’s shoot-me-now missed sitter in the final seconds completed the Blues’ most pitiable afternoon of a dispiriting season.
Roberto Martinez’s attacking intent in naming Gerard Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas in the starting lineup was undermined immediately by the Swans settling at once and dictating the game. What transpired thereafter was a deflected Gareth Barry goal away from being Everton’s worst first half imaginable. Two dreadfully conceded goals, two debilitating injuries, weak football, misfortune and a poisonous Goodison atmosphere. Guidolin was experiencing Premier League football for the first time and yet his new side passed with more confidence, pressed Everton into trouble with ease, and exploited a plethora of errors. The Italian is by all accounts tactically savvy but his instant superiority reflected terribly on Martinez.
Even by Everton’s shambolic defensive standards, Swansea’s 16th-minute opener was an appalling goal to concede. Ashley Williams’ wild blast high into the air exposed Stones’ naivety as the youngster foolishly headed to Barry before beckoning Swansea to press with an ineffectual dummy and selling Howard short with a soft pass. That Howard stepped back, hesitated, spotted Ayew and still swung his leg recklessly was of course terrible, but it’s Stones who should reflect most on the incident. If he cannot inform his game with experiential know-how to address clear weaknesses, his talent will be wasted. 76 Everton games is ample time to learn never to rely on Howard in those situations. It was like watching Del Boy fall through the bar having given the latch the once over.
Always unlucky, always inept
Gylfi Sigurðsson’s brilliant penalty gave Swansea their just reward. A mere eight minutes after Barry’s stylish but fluky equaliser from Deulofeu’s corner, they were rewarded again, as Williams blocked Deulofeu’s flick round the corner with his hand. The Spaniard had the entire right channel to run into with Barry, Romelu Lukaku and Steven Pienaar in support, and just Federico Fernández and Àngel Rangel covering. It would probably have resulted in a goal. Instead, Neil Taylor exploited Everton’s hesitance to free Ayew whose shot deflected in off Stones. Had Stones sensed danger, there would have been no deflection – another lesson in minimising risk for the struggling £50m youngster you would hope.
Everton huffed and puffed after the break, figuratively as Deulofeu’s whipped deliveries went unmet, and literally as everyone was knackered. After Pienaar and Tom Cleverley – both working towards full fitness – had replaced the energetic Bešić and Mirallas, and with Martinez sensibly bringing off Bryan Oviedo for Seamus Coleman, the Blues were left with several players who were simply exhausted. Lukaku was running on empty from kick-off. The merest gamble would have secured Everton a second as Deulofeu repeatedly bent the ball to the back post but having been overused for over a year, Lukaku understandably wasn’t up to it. Steven Naismith’s departure and Mirallas’ injury make this a huge concern ahead of Wednesday’s trip to the Etihad.
Coleman’s late missed sitters, one from close-range on the run with his right foot, the other from practically the bloody goal line with his left, summed up Everton’s miserable afternoon and their entire shoddy campaign. Eminently capable players are under-performing every game. A multitude of individuals errors are committed every half. Everton have led for just 252 of 1133 minutes at home this season (22.2%) and fans are so fed up that even lifting the Capital One Cup would flatly fail to convince them. Besides, at this stage, if Martinez were to pull that off, would you confidently bet against him repeating his trophy and relegation combo? Just four points better off at this stage than Everton were when they finished 17th in David Moyes’ second season, I can’t say that I would.
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By Chris Smith
Follow me on Twitter @cdsmith789.
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