Failing to capitalize on scoring chances

Let me know if this sounds familiar? Everton failed to get three points against an inferior team due to an inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. This has been a big issue for Everton for years and as of the season opener, it remains an issue. Now with this being the first game of the season and all, they do get more slack than they would if this were mid-February.

Everton’s two best chances came from their most reliable attacking players, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison. Chalk it up to early season sloppiness, but one of those chances should have found the back of the net.

One of the bigger disappointments with this match was the lack of consistency one would expect from the team that was fielded today. The entire starting XI were returning players and it seemed a bit odd that they weren’t able to make a bit of magic happen given their familiarity with each other.

Hard to judge the new arrivals

Despite the lackluster result, supporters were able to get a look at two of the team’s newest signings, Moise Kean and Jean-Philippe Gbamin. Gbamin came on just before half time for an injured Andre Gomes and didn’t exactly impress in his 45-plus minute stint. He should be given the benefit of the doubt given he has just arrived at Everton, but what we did see sloppy and lacking in confidence.

The biggest disappointment was getting so little time with Moise Kean. The much-hyped Italian striker played all of five minutes with a full side before Morgan Schneiderlin got himself sent off. After that moment, Everton largely went into damage control mode and we didn’t see much from the young striker. Hopefully we get to see more of him in the coming weeks.

Cautious about the season as a whole

It must be said that it can be hard to get too excited about the team until all of the new pieces get settled into the squad. Transfer windows like the one we just had have happened to one extent or the other in the past. In past seasons the seasons with big spending windows have ended disappointingly.

Like many, I’m optimistic about the team that Marco Silva and Marcel Brands have put together. They did a lot of good business this summer and filled nearly every position that needed filling. But this first match felt uncomfortably familiar to the under-achieving nature of past squads. Hopefully that optimism will grow once the new arrivals get settled in.