Contributions from our editorial team, featured columnists and readers.
His prior association with Liverpool and diminished reputation mean the appointment of Rafael Benitez is fraught with difficulty and he will have very little margin for error with many Everton fans. It's either a hugely courageous or tone-deaf decision by Farhad Moshiri that could be mad enough to work or go the same way as his last four managerial appointments
Things may be under control behind the scenes with Marcel Brands assessing a list of managerial candidates but the impression from the outside is of a club wracked by indecision and internal conflict. Either way, in the vacuum of communication, frustration is mounting, with the Rafael Benitez speculation adding fuel to the fire of discontent
With his seemingly imminent appointment as Everton manager, Blues fans are having trouble seeing past Wolves' sorry 2020-21 season under Nuno Espirito Santo. Worrying metrics thrown up in this past campaign are definitely pause for thought but observations from students of the game reveal a more complex, astute and driven man than his reserved demeanour suggests.
Untried in the Premier League but with demonstrable success under his belt with Saint-Étienne and Lille, the 54-year-old with the piercing eyes has been described as France's hottest managerial property. In a field devoid of exciting candidates, might he be the outsider option to ignite Everton's revival?
Carlo Ancelotti appeared for all the world as though he had found home with Everton but, less than 18 months into a 4½-year contract, he is gone. Whether he's not the honourable elder statesman he paints himself out to be in his book, or is simply the embodiment of pragmatism, his departure might not be the worst thing for Everton.
A season hugely affected by the pandemic petered out with Everton winning just three of their last 12 matches and ending the campaign on the flattest of notes with a dispiriting defeat on the final day
This was less Black Watch and more the death watch as the last breaths were extinguished from European-qualification hopes that had been on life support for a few weeks and effectively died a week ago with that horrible defeat to Sheffield United
Confidence and belief are vital ingredients in football. So, too, are home supporters and nowhere does that seem to be more true than at Goodison Park
Moise Kean arrived at Everton as a symbol of a new transfer strategy focused on signing hungry, young talent that could form the bedrock of a new squad. All the signs are now that he has played his last game for the Toffees as they stand to make a tidy profit on a player who, ultimately, wasn't the right fit
When you look back on it, there was a horrible inevitability about this result; the kind of predictability that makes you faintly embarrassed to have instilled any faith that it might have ended differently
Is there an opposite to ‘The School of Science’? Everton seem to be trying to answer this question with a succession of tedious displays in their waning quest for Europe
Just when you think you’re done with them, they pull you back in, eh? Thanks to one more of those dogged and disciplined performances away from home, Everton are firmly back in the hunt for Europe
From the players to the manager
Docked points, hefty fines and governance changes should be on the cards at home but Uefa hold the greatest power
In the Premier League era, this fixture has ranked up there among the most miserable on Everton’s calendar. So forgive Evertonians for revelling in a first win at Arsenal since 1996, one that provides another platform from which to resume the push for Europe
On a night of high drama that saw the proposed Super League topple, euphoric victory for supporter power and the pressure of the "left-behinds" was claimed but without a co-ordinated, unflinching and punitive response from the Premier League and Uefa against the rebel clubs and their naked money-grab, it won't count for much
Will Fifa, Uefa, the Premier League and governing bodies of the Continent’s other big leagues stand behind their threats? Will they even be able to in the face of legal protections boasted by the Dirty Dozen? Modern football faces its biggest crisis
It was cruel on the Blues because this was almost everything that many of their recent home displays weren't. They were were energetic, purposeful and stylish at times but crucial errors at the back cost them dear
Brighton will feel they should have won based on the pattern of play. For Everton, just desperately disappointing overall and worryingly threadbare in terms of personnel, the European dream is fading
This was always going to be a tall order and, ultimately, it felt like a stretch too far for the players. In that context, the result wasn’t the end of the world; it’s the run of four games coming up that will be more important
In terms of statistics, almost nothing separated these two sides at opposite ends of the table but once again Everton ground out a win with maximum efficiency thanks to a Richarlison winner and a key Jordan Pickford save
From an entertainment perspective, this game won’t live long in the memory at all but if the result does indeed end up being the catalyst that turns around the Blues’ home form and helps propel them into Europe, Evertonians may look back on it as a vital game in the season.
As momentous as it was, the triumph over Liverpool can't be the be-all and end-all of the Blues' season. Rather it should be used as the catalyst for a decisive change in the players’ belief against lesser sides, particularly at home
This time it was different. It’s finally bloody over. 21 years and five months since Everton last won at Anfield, the most depressing sequence of results in the club’s 143-year history was shattered as Carlo Ancelotti’s team beat Liverpool 2-0
Guardiola’s side are pretty irresistible when they’re at their best but even in second or third gear they were too much for the Toffees who have a long way to go in terms of quality and sheer footballing ability before they can even hope to match them.
The sense after the cup win over Tottenham was that, perhaps, Carlo Ancelotti’s gradual shift in the mentality of this squad had finally reached a tipping point where the psychological block of “Everton, that” might finally be consigned to history. But, no — collectively, this group of players remains prone to shooting itself in the foot. Champions League? For now, you’re definitely having a laugh.
A sumptuous goal by Bernard settled this sprawling odyssey of a cup tie in extra-time with Everton triumphing over Tottenham by a score of 5-4
Sometimes, it’s all about taking your chances. It's also about tempo, belief and courage, qualities that are going to be vital if Carlo Ancelotti’s team is to achieve its European dream this season
Everton held on through the second half to ensure they beat Leeds at Elland Road for only the second time in 40 years as goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were enough to earn the points
This was a potentially massive game for Everton, one in which a win would have been another “statement” result but the Blues often lacked fluidity and cohesion going forward
The Colombian looked right at home on a frigid Merseyside night against lower-division opposition, putting in an excellent display as the Toffees beat Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup Fourth Round
Shorn of Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison from the starting XI and with Ancelotti opting to leave Tosun on the bench, this called for a more fluid and considered type of performance and the Blues came through with an unexpected victory
The 70 minutes that preceded extra-time in this tie were pretty grim but James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucouré combined to send the Blues through against Rotherham
Having won four straight and with the chance to pull within one point of the top of the table, Everton go and lose at home to a David Moyes team for the first time. It’s absolutely maddening and it also didn’t help that it was New Year’s Day — the Blues have now lost their last five matches played on the first of the year
There were plenty of “Everton, that” omens about this game just waiting to trip to the Toffees up but they negotiated them all and won their fourth successive League game
While the result was depressing, it wasn't entirely unexpected and merely underscored the work that is still required to get this squad strong enough to compete for honours.
The performance may have betrayed some fatigue and a lack of depth of quality in midfield but Carlo Ancelotti will be toasting a third victory on the spin as his defence dug in to shut Arsenal out in the second half
Two games against teams sitting in the top four with aspirations of moving back to the top of the table, two wins, and six valuable points – the complexion of Everton’s season has changed again
Gylfi Sigurdsson and Ben Godfrey shone in an all-round impressive team performance that saw Chelsea's much-vaunted attack shut down at Goodison Park
Coming close to a year to day since Chelsea's last visit to Goodison Park, this weekend's clash with Frank Lampard's team offers an interesting contrast between the personalities in charge of Everton and, perhaps, the performance from the team
Carlo Ancelotti's selection decisions continue to mystify but are his players also taking too much of a cue from the manager's laid-back air?
Individually, Leeds aren't any great shakes but they're superbly coached. Everton are a team of individuals with questionable fitness, playing on this occasion in a dubious lineup who lacked conviction and that clinical edge
Everton go into the latest international break without a win in four games and having to pick the pieces up following three straight defeats, with very little to draw from any of them by way of optimism
This was Marco Silva’s Everton and the worst of “Project Restart” reborn… from the team that began this round of matches sitting on top of the table.
As a slice of Everton history, David Prentice's new book is a fascinating and frequently humourous skip down memory lane; an insider’s insight into the way football used to be recounted with the enthusiasm and love of a devoted Blue.
Injuries, suspensions and, perhaps, an emerging dilemma over how best to accommodate James Rodriguez are some of the things that will be on the manager's mind as he prepares for Newcastle
Richarlison’s unnecessary sending off against Liverpool last week felt like it was going to be costly and, in combination with the loss to injury of Seamus Coleman and fitness concerns over James Rodriguez, that proved to be the case as the Toffees put in their worst performance since the final day of last season
The levels of pearl-clutching and near hysteria that has dominated the aftermath of Saturday’s controversial Merseyside derby really have been something to behold
Despite being well below the best of what they’ve shown this season and never seeming to get out of second gear, Everton managed to grab a draw against what Klopp described as his side’s best away performance of his tenure, even it needed an intervention from VAR in the final reckoning.
The "Project Big Picture" proposals cooked up by two of the big six and their Trojan Horse in the EFL, Rick Parry, would slowly and ironically erode what has made the Premier League the exciting competition it so often is today
Everton have emerged from the close season with an impressively upgraded squad and go into the international break sitting on top of the pile having far exceeded expectations and infused long-suffering Toffees with overdue optimism
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James will have grabbed the headlines but this was another game that featured strong performances in almost every part of the team
The decision for the penalty that ultimately proved to be the difference in terms of the scoreline has dominated the post-match discussion among pundits but there is no question that the better team won on the day
Dominic Calvert-Lewin may have flown under the radar a bit despite scoring the winning goal against Tottenham but he grabbed the lion’s share of the limelight with his first hat-trick to bury a spirited West Brom
Lyndon Lloyd chats with David France ahead of the release of his new book
A trio of unwanted statistics tumbled in North London with a victory founded on a completely revamped midfield and an eye-opening team performance.
After last season, Evertonians have been understandably cautious in their optimism and outlook for the new campaign but with a significantly strengthened midfield and Ancelotti at the helm, there is hope that 2020-21 will be a season of marked progress
As signings go, James Rodriguez is arguably the most high-profile and glamorous acquisition Everton have ever made. He arrives on the back of a frustrating season at Real Madrid looking to revitalise his career under the man who has now managed him at three different clubs
Allan Marques was unveiled as part of an anticipated £70m worth of incoming midfield talent today, with James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucouré expected to follow shortly — a trio of moves that promises to radically overhaul the Blues’ massively under-performing mid-section
Where recruitment is concerned, the buck stops with Marcel Brands but, ultimately, his efforts will continue to be hindered by a number of factors, some of them beyond his control
Marco Silva became the latest casualty of Everton's managerial merry-go-round, Carlo Ancelotti arrived before historic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic ensured that fans just wanted 2019-20 to be over as quickly as possible
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* Everton deducted 8 pts; † Forest deducted 4 pts for PSR breachView full table
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