Speaking recently on the Football Writers Podcast, Miguel Delaney discussed Everton’s summer transfer business, as well as their current run of fine form.
After a summer transfer window which saw them land the likes of James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and Ben Godfrey, Everton have had a barnstorming start to their 2020/21 campaign.
At present, the club sit top of the Premier League table, coming out of their fixtures with Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion with 12 points, scoring 12 goals and conceding just five along the way.
In addition to their fine league form, the club have also won all three of their fixtures in the Carabao Cup, defeating Salford City 3-0, Fleetwood Town 5-2 and West Ham United 4-1.
In terms of individual performances, the new signings appear to have hit the ground running, with Rodriguez bagging three goals and providing two assists over his four league appearances, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 8.41, with Allan and Doucoure also averaging impressive ratings of 7.18 and 7.05 respectively.
The club’s fine run of form was one topic of conversation on a recent episode of the Football Writers Podcast, in which Delaney suggested that, as soon as Carlo Ancelotti’s side suffer a setback, we will see “the real Everton”.
He said: “We’ve seen this with clubs in the past, and it’s famously happened with Tottenham, where just through what is a feel-good summer, a feel-good recruitment process, and because you’ve got that buzz – especially with a player coming in like James [Rodriguez] – it does create that bit of momentum about a place.
“I’d be more interested into what this all means as to when they suffer a setback and what they do [then]. I think that’s when we’ll get a real grasp of what they’re about. It almost feels like they’re surfing the wave at the moment, and when that stops, that’s when I think we’ll see the real Everton.”
Do you expect Everton's form to drop off after the international break?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
From Delaney’s comments, it is clear that the journalist will only be convinced by the ability of this Everton side once they have suffered, and subsequently dealt with, a setback.
However, for now, while Everton are, as Delaney puts it, riding this wave of good form, we would suggest that fans of the club simply enjoy the ride, rather than waiting for the crash.