The new "Premier" league season will start on August 13th, which means that there are only 10 days left until the start of the English championship. As the competitions get closer, Eurofootball.com will provide you with a review of all twenty "Premier" league teams.
This time, we will review the "Everton" team, which finished in eleventh place in the "Premier" league last season and has decided to make serious changes this summer.
"Everton"
History:
The team was founded in 1878 and will compete in the "Premier" league for the 25th season. Their best finish in this league is 4th place.
"Everton" has been playing continuously in the "Premier" league since its creation.
Last year's season:
The 2015-2016 "Premier" league season did not go as expected for the ambitious "Everton" club. Despite setting ambitious goals, the team finished in eleventh place. Before that, for eight seasons, this team had never finished below eighth place.
Changes after last season:
Although there haven't been many official transfers in the team, rumors about the team and its players are very frequent.
The most important change this summer happened in the coach's position. Roberto Martinez, who had been coaching in the club for three years, was dismissed at the end of last season, and in his place, the "Toffees" called Ronald Koeman, who had successfully coached Southampton.
After the season, the team said goodbye to several long-time club representatives - goalkeeper Tim Howard, defender Tony Hibbert, and midfielders Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar.
In place of Howard, another experienced goalkeeper was brought in - Maarten Stekelenburg. The 33-year-old Dutchman was bought from "Fulham" for one million euros. The team was also reinforced by the acquisition of midfielder Idrissa Gueye from "Aston Villa" for a sum of 8.5 million euros.
However, rumors are still circulating that defender John Stones may leave the club, being replaced by Ashley Williams from "Swansea." It is also unclear whether the team will be able to keep their attacking leader Romelu Lukaku.
Players to watch:
Idrissa Gueye. Despite his team "Aston Villa" finishing last in the league last season and dropping out of the "Premier" league, Gueye himself demonstrated excellent play. In terms of interceptions and successful passes, he was second only to N'Golo Kante of "Leicester City." Last season, "Everton" had gaps in defense, so the acquisition of this midfielder should strengthen the team's defense against opponents' attacks.
Ross Barkley. Last season, Barkley proved that the midfielder who is improving year by year is gradually becoming one of the best players in his position in the league. The 22-year-old Englishman scored eight goals and made eight assists, and in terms of one-on-one dribbling, he was among the league's five best players. If Barkley continues to improve at this rate, he should attract even more attention this season and establish his name among the best "Premier" league midfielders.
Gerard Deulofeu. The 22-year-old Spaniard showed last season why for several years, while he was still representing "Barcelona B", he was considered one of the most talented footballers on the planet. Although he has not yet secured a place in the starting lineup in the top European leagues, last season he scored two goals and made eight assists. For a player who appeared on the field only 16 times from the start, this statistic is really good. If he gets more playing time, Deulofeu could be the one to remind the football world of his talent.
Team's strengths:
Counterattacks. Although last season the team scored only three goals on counterattacks, they often escaped in dangerous fast attacks. This was mainly due to sharp and accurate long passes - "Everton" made the most accurate long passes in the league last season. If the team can keep Lukaku, we should expect dangerous play on counterattacks from them.
Successful away games. Excluding the last three matches away, when "Everton" lost all games by a total difference of 9 goals, after 16 rounds, they were one of the three teams in the league that had only two losses in away games. However, in these matches, they played even nine draws, so in total, they managed to earn 24 points away - one more than when playing at their home stadium.
Wide selection of players capable of creating successful opportunities. Last "Premier" league season, five "Everton" players made four or more assists, and during a match, at least one of the players created chances for the teammates on average. Gerard Deulofeu and Ross Barkley stood out the most in creating opportunities, each making eight assists, but they were also helped by other team players. If the team's core is maintained, "Everton" should not have problems with creating chances next year.
Interesting facts about "Everton":
Although since the creation of the "Premier" league, this team has never been among the three strongest teams, they have won 9 titles in the highest league. The last time they triumphed in the top English league was in 1987;
The last trophies "Everton" won were in 1995 when they triumphed in the FA Cup and the Community Shield tournaments;
This team is one of 12 that founded the highest English league in 1888;
"Everton" has been playing in the highest English league for 116 seasons - more than any other team in the league. No one can match them in terms of the number of matches played in the highest league;
The 11th place in the league that the club took last season was the worst achievement for the club in the last 10 years;
"Everton" is one of two teams in the league's history that managed to climb 13 positions in a year. In the 2003-2004 season, they were only in 17th place, and the next year, they were fourth. The same achievement was reached last year by "Leicester City," which climbed from 14th to the first place;
The player who represented the club in the most matches is Neville Southall - 751. The player who scored the most goals for "Everton" is Dixie Dean - 383.
