So far, so familiar. Everton’s start to the season has been grimly recognisable and somewhat predictable. Any supporter longing for some hope at the start of what could be another testing campaign will be left grasping thin air.
Everton begun last season with a narrow 1-0 home defeat to a west London club and then an away loss to Aston Villa, followed by a succession of four draws before finally claiming their first league victory at the seventh attempt. But any uplift proved short-lived as another torturous season was underway.
Supporters may feel they are witnessing a similar course of events once more. They are only two games into their campaign but already it bears all the hallmarks of a third straight season battling against relegation.
If their opening day defeat to Fulham, which saw Sean Dyche’s team spurn plenty of chances only for the visitors to snatch a goal of their own in the second half, was far from a dismal start, then their 4-0 defeat at Villa Park on Sunday saw Everton’s shortcomings laid bare once again.
The sight of Aston Villa, who only returned to the top-flight in 2019, making strides under a progressive coach in Unai Emery, with big-money signings to boot and a European campaign to look forward to, only made the contrast starker between the two teams last weekend. Villa currently have altogether loftier aims than Everton.
This may have been Everton’s worse performance under Dyche — both attack and defence were incoherent and incompetent. Only a few darting runs from Arnaut Danjuma left Everton supporters with anything at all to take home.
The manner of the concessions were arguably the biggest concern for Dyche. Individual errors pockmarked Villa’s goals and the ease with which Emery’s men found themselves free in the final third was alarming in itself.
In Dyche’s 20 games in charge, Everton have now conceded 34 goals from an expected goals (xGA) of 37. Across the whole of last season, only relegated Leeds United posted a worse xGA total, demonstrating Everton are allowing their opponents plenty of high-quality chances.
Everton’s defence has become weaker during the transfer market and few would back Michael Keane, James Tarkowski or 38-year-old Ashley Young to win a foot race.
A vulnerability to collapse also remains. They did show some mental strength to get over the line on the final day of last season but such resilience appears to have gone over the summer.
The sight of Dominic Calvert-Lewin going off injured, this time with a facial injury, is a familiar sight and Neal Maupay also failing to deputise convincingly is equally recognisable. Both have already occurred across the opening two games.
Other setbacks will come — Alex Iwobi also picked up an injury — but the players must take these in their stride rather than being floored by them consistently. The right approach, as the end of last season demonstrated, is key.
Dyche's list of concerns grows longer
With the best part of six months in the job behind him, including a full pre-season, more is expected of Dyche and his coaching staff. The sight of Everton going backwards will quickly give rise to queries regarding the direction under the club’s seventh permanent manager in less than six years.
Dyche’s hands, along with those of Kevin Thelwall, the club’s director of football, are tied, however. The financial parameters they are operating within has led to a paltry transfer window so far.
Jack Harrison, currently sidelined with a hip injury, has arrived from Leeds on loan, Young was a free transfer from Villa, Danjuma is on loan from Villarreal and so the only player which Everton have paid for is 19-year-old striker Youssef Chermiti who cost £12.5m from Sporting.
An influx of Premier League-quality players is not going to happen and so Dyche must continue his work on the training pitch, drilling a system into his players and ensuring standards rise at both ends of the pitch.
Everton host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday and then travel to Sheffield United a week later, they are the only three teams in the division to have lost both their opening two matches. Facing such opponents now represents a huge test of character for Everton so early in the season.
Emerge from them with at least four points, a couple of goals and a clean sheet and there will be something to build on. But fail to make the most of these two games and Dyche’s tenure will be at its lowest ebb yet.