A review of Everton’s first season under new manager Ronald Koeman
By Nick Ciantar
The Everton Football Club will be thrilled with their season that sees new manager Ronald Koeman return the Toffees to Europe.
Recap:
The start of Koeman’s first season in charge of Everton was always going to be a challenge. But the Toffees jumped out of the blocks by winning five and drawing three (Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Manchester City) in their first ten games.
A five – nil thrashing away to Chelsea hurt but Everton did win at home against Arsenal and demolished Manchester City.
In the middle of the season Everton went on a nine game unbeaten streak but fell out of the FA Cup in only the third round.
They looked tired in their final games with the injuries mounting but Europa League was assured.
Best win – Everton 4 – 0 Manchester City
Goodison Park was rocking after a more than convincing win against Manchester City. The guests had all the play but could not find the back of the net. Teenagers Tom Davies and debutant Ademola Lookman scored in impressive displays. This game will go down for the ages.
Honorable mentions to the exhilarating Bournemouth (6-3) display and the frantic first half against Leicester City (4-2).
Worst loss:
This is a hard choice between the Tottenham (3-2) and Liverpool (3-1) away defeats in the second half of the season.
Everton were comprehensively outplayed and it hurt more as Champions League was still a possibility. The Toffees were on a roll and with only four matches separating these games, they failed to live up to expectation.
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Best player – Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku was second in the Golden Boot behind Tottenham’s Harry Kane and bullied defenders all season. He needed to perform better in the big matches but when the delivery was poor, he was always going to struggle.
The Belgian is a vital presence around goals and is without a doubt one of the world’s best up-and-coming strikers.
Best new player – Idrissa Gueye
The heart of Everton’s midfield and his absence was immense when away for the Africa Cup of Nations. His defending ability is enormousness and led the Premier League for tackles with 135.
Best youngster – Tom Davies
He played the final game of the 2015/2016 season and that wet the whistle of the Gwlady’s Street End. Enter August 2016, Davies showed what he is capable of. He is not afraid to take the game on and scored two impressive goals from 23 games.
Manager:
Impressive start, mammoth mid-year run, tired end.
Koeman brought in some fantastic acquisitions in Idrissa Gueye, Ademola Lookman, Enner Valencia (who is on loan), injured Yannick Bolasie, Morgan Schneiderlin, Maarten Stekelenburg and Ashley Williams.
He implemented a robust game plan and Everton’s home record was 13 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses – terrific. He is surely only going to get better and his statements on Ross Barkley throughout the season made a strong stance on the situation.
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Overall – 7/10
The manager was always going to be under the spotlight in his first season in charge. Koeman delivered after some turbulent moments and depth for Europa League is now required. Bolasie and Seamus Coleman returning next season are huge wins. What now for Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku?