Everton has a new look in their jerseys and have new faces as the beginning of manager Carlo Ancelotti's project begins. While it is still a work of progress, you can still expect them to be a top side in the Premier League. It has felt like a constant cycle of underachievement for the club as the fans are desperately awaiting a trophy. With that all being said, let's preview Everton.
New Faces
It seemed to take the club a long while to announce any signings, but nonetheless three highly impactful players will join the side. The midfield was admittedly a mess in 2019/20, but Allan, James Rodriguez, and Abdoulaye Doucoure should make it significantly better. It should also help improve the offense a lot more too, especially with Rodriguez who is a legitimate star player and won the Golden Boot award in the 2014 World Cup. More work needs to be done, but these three make Everton so much better.
What Happens With Gylfi Sigurdsson?
Sigurdsson was very likely the Toffees most important player in 2018/19, but his numbers dropped off considerably last season. However, with Ancelotti's preferred formation and his drop in performance, what happens with Sigurdsson? No one knows that answer at the moment, but it should become apparent very quickly.
Will The Team Finally Score Goals?
For whatever the reason was, Everton could not score goals in 2019/20. Despite a breadth of talent like Richarlison, Moise Kean, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the team should have scored more. Now with Doucoure, Rodriguez, and Allan on board, this gives Ancelotti more options to work with offensively. The question will be if whether they can finally consistently score more goals.
Is Jordan Pickford The Guy?
Pickford was signed for a hefty wage to come to Everton and man in front of the net. He was even the first choice goalkeeper for England. However, his performance for the club has been erratic and some question as to whether he should still be the guy. The decision as to bringing in another goalkeeper to challenge Pickford sounds like a great idea, but will it happen? On the bright side of getting another goalkeeper is that it provides cover in case Pickford is injured.
The Youth Movement
The team has seemingly been bringing up more of it's younger players to the senior side and having them contribute. Players like Anthony Gordon, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Ellis Simms saw some time last season, but Gordon and Branthwaite are expected to contribute a lot in 2020/21. However, there's a lot of good young talent looking to come through soon and play serious minutes for the top side.
What Will The Formation Be?
It's no secret that Ancelotti likes to employ a 4-4-2 formation. While that is something he wants, will it be something that will happen in 2020/21? With the players he has brought in and mixing them with the other talent he has, he might have to adjust and play with a different formation. How that will be answered is probably in the first few matches of the campaign.
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