Season Preview: Everton FC: Can they build on last season?
Everton, popularly known as the ‘Toffees’, have been consistently finishing in the top half since the last 4-5 seasons. Always considered as the 
‘Best of the rest’, David Moyes has done a wonderful job at the club over the last few years. He has always had to operate under a tight budget every season and players such as Lescott and Arteta leaving for greener pastures have only made his job tougher. Their Merseyside rivals, Liverpool, have dominated them every season which means the fans always expect him to deliver against the Reds. And not-so-surprisingly, Everton managed to finish above Liverpool this season, something which the Everton fans will savour far more than a top-4 finish.
David Moyes
Everton had a dismal start to the season and that has always been a problem for the club. They just don’t start the season well enough or they might as well be challenging the Top-6. They managed just 26 points from the first 22 games which gives you a clear indication of their poor start to the season. The signing of Nikica Jelavic from Rangers and a win against Manchester City towards the end of January brought them back to life. They lost only 2 matches thereafter and were on an unbeaten run of 9 games at the end of the season. The biggest highlight of the season was the 4-4 draw vs Manchester United where they were 4-2 down after 70 mins, but still came back and leveled the match. This shows that they are capable of challenging the top teams as well.
Everton lost in the fourth round of the League Cup vs Chelsea in extra-time in what was a tightly contested affair. They did have a good F.A. Cup run until they lost to Liverpool in the semi-finals, but they won’t mind that too much as they trumped them in the League.
Everton went on to finish 7th in the League with 56 points, 8 points adrift of Chelsea who were 6th and 4 points above Liverpool. David Moyes will be hoping to carry on the momentum into the next season and will certainly be looking to break into the Top-6.
Steven Pienaar- Game changer
Steven Pienaar- Pienaar was Moyes’ top priority this summer and he will be relieved to have got his man when it seemed Sunderland would hijack their bid for the Bafana Bafana captain. Pienaar, who was on loan at the club for the 2nd half of the season, scored 4 goals in 14 appearances and played a major part in the club’s late surge in the Premier League. Pienaar has bags of pace, a high work-rate and the ability to dribble at defenders. He is an accurate passer and crosser of the ball and possesses a vicious right-foot shot. Everton will be delighted with his return to the club and his performances will be a key factor if Everton are to have a successful season.
Steven Naismith- Like Jelavic, 25-yr old Steven Naismith also made his move from Rangers to the Merseyside club this summer. While Jelavic has turned out to be a real gem of a signing, many will be hoping that Naismith would form the perfect partnership upfront with him. And with the departure of Louis Saha and Tim Cahill, Everton need to find goals from someone else and the Scottish international seems to fit the bill perfectly. A versatile player who can play in a number of positions, Naismith could well turn out to be the signing of the season for Moyes.
Can they break into the Top-6 this season?
Though Everton managed to finish above Liverpool last season, it’ll be difficult for them to replicate the same this season. With the likes of Baines and Rodwell linked to the Manchester clubs, it’ll be interesting to see how they cope without them. Everton conceded the least goals in the Premier League last season, with only the Manchester clubs conceding fewer goals. Thus, if Jelavic could continue his form from last season which saw him score 9 goals in 13 league games, Everton can challenge for a Top-6 spot.
It is difficult, but not impossible as we also saw Newcastle finishing 5th with a relatively unknown squad. Also, Everton managed only 13 points out a possible 36 against the Top-6 teams in the League and they will certainly need to improve upon their performances against the bigger teams if they want to stand a chance of finishing ahead of the big guns.
Everton do lack depth in midfield, something which Moyes will look to sort out as soon as possible. They just don’t seem good enough for cup runs and their best bet would be the League Cup where the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United send out their reserve squads.
Nikica Jelavic- Everton’s talisman
Nikica Jelavic – The former Rangers man made his move to Everton in January 2012. And what an impact he has had! He went on to score 11 goals for the Toffees and was a major turning point in Everton’s season. Everton had been missing a goal-scoring machine and it seems they have found one in Jelavic.
He is quick-both on the ball and off it as well, has brilliant positioning sense, links up well with the midfield and has a keen eye for goal. His goal scoring instincts are remarkable and for a budget buy, he seems to be the best piece of business Moyes has ever done. No wonder his introduction in the team saw Everton pick up momentum in the second half of the season and the Everton fans will certainly be hoping he makes a big contribution this season as well.
Tim Howard seems to be the obvious choice as goalkeeper. Always reliable between the sticks, he has been Everton’s wall in goal for so many seasons and will continue to do so.
Phil Jagielka and John Heitinga form a formidable central defence partnership and Everton also have Sylvain Distin and Shane Duffy to provide cover if needed. Leighton Baines would be the preferred left back and Tony Hibbert as the right back. The inspirational Phil Neville can play as a full back on either flanks and Seamus Coleman also provides an option as a right back.
With Jack Rodwell expected to depart, we can expect Darron Gibson to start alongside Marouane Fellaini in central midfield. Gibson can play as a box-to-box midfielder and Fellaini can break down opposition attacks using his physical presence. Steven Pienaar can slot into the left wing with either Seamus Coleman or Leon Osman on the right.
Now, if Everton decide to play a 5-man midfield like they did last season, they can play an attacking midfielder (Tim Cahill was earlier used in that role). But with his departure, there is no one who has the creativity and vision to play there except for Steven Pienaar. That would mean Pienaar moving to the centre and the left wing position can be filled by either Magaye Gueye or Leon Osman.
Everton generally play with a lone striker upfront. Nikica Jelavic would be the obvious choice but he will be facing competition from Steven Naismith and Apostolos Vellios who will be ready to take any chance that comes their way. If Everton do go on to play with 2 forwards, Steven Naismith will be the one who would be preferred to partner Jelavic given his history with him at Rangers.
Probable Formation I: 4-4-1-1
Probable Formation II: 4-4-2
Thus, Everton will be looking to consolidate on their 7th place finish last season and with a good start to the campaign coupled with a few more signings in midfield, they can play spoilers to the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool and finish in probably 5th or 6th place.