Everton Season Review – Blues Flounder Throughout Season
In a season that promised so much, Everton took a significant step back in their second season under Roberto Martinez. They finished eleventh in the Premier League and failed to make any significant progress in any of the three cup competitions they contested.
After finishing fifth on 72 points and qualifying directly to the Europa League group stage, Everton went into the 2014 summer transfer window with high hopes of building on what had been an excellent first season under Roberto Martinez. The signing of loanee Romelu Lukaku for a club record fee for Everton, as well as the fact that they managed to keep hold of all of their key players meant that that expectation only grew; maybe, just maybe, this could be the year Everton qualify for the Champions League, whether it be through finishing fourth or winning the Europa League.
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In the end Everton came close to neither, being comprehensively beaten 6-3 on aggregate by Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 of the Europa League – including a 5-2 away thrashing – while, perhaps more disappointingly, dropping six spots in the league, ending the season a staggering 25 points worse off than 2013/4. To put that stat into context, in Europe’s top five league only Borussia Dortmund dropped as many points from the previous season.
While some of that may have been down to the increased fixture congestion the Europa League brings (despite only getting to the last 16 they still played 10 games in the competition), it doesn’t go far enough to explain the extreme drop off in form that many first teamers experienced.
Over the first few months of the season in particular, Everton suffered from numerous individual mistakes that cost them vital points and by mid-October not only had they been unceremoniously dumped out of the League Cup after losing 3-0 to Swansea, but they were also languishing in 17th in the league following a loss against Manchester United.
Thankfully though they have been able to steer clear of the relegation zone since then, meandering between 10th and 14th for much of the rest of the season, before eventually settling in 11th to complete the all too familiar pattern of one good year; one bad year that was followed like clockwork under David Moyes.
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While the start of the season was marred by defensive mistakes and losing points from winning positions, as the season dragged on both injuries and goal scoring became more pressing issues. In his first season as an Everton-owned player, Lukaku failed to live up to his hefty price tag after getting just 10 league goals in 36 appearances, while fellow Belgian Kevin Mirallas along with John Stones, Bryan Oviedo, Steven Pienaar, Ross Barkley, Darren Gibson and Leon Osman all missed significant portions of the season; putting increased pressure on those who did stay healthy.
Grade: D
After such a promising first season, Roberto Martinez’s Everton side was unable to get the same performance levels out of his side, as they failed to match last season’s efforts in the league, while also exiting earlier in both domestic cup competitions.
While last year he seemed to find the perfect balance in the squad, this year, like his cross-town rival, he appeared to tinker with formation and personnel to the point that it became detrimental to the team’s success. While he has said he thinks it’s possible to challenge for the Champions League places again next season, a more realistic aim may be to find a greater level of consistency throughout the season and aiming for sixth or seventh.