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Expectations are not surprisingly low from the Everton fanbase going into the 2021/22 season. The sudden departure of Carlo Ancelotti, his replacement by a former Reds manager who has previously belittled the Blues, question marks over the future of a number of key players, and a summer of look-but-don’t-touch in the transfer window have all combined to bring us to this feeling of disinterest just when we should be at our most excited.
Everton continue to be an excellently-run franchise off the pitch, winning awards for community engagement, charity causes and the incredibly organized and detailed approach towards building the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Docks, our third home in the club’s storied legacy.
On the pitch however we are still suffering from years of mismanagement and hackneyed transfer policies which see us with a bloated, overpaid and unbalanced squad with which we are somehow expecting to break into the top six when about a dozen teams in the league could easily take us to the woodshed on any given day.
With all that said, there is still a reason we play the beautiful game, because with fans back at Goodison Park anything can happen, lightning can strike at any moment and though we expect there to be fewer positives than negatives this season, we can be grateful that football is back in as normal a situation as can be.
In this season preview series we take a look at all the positional groups, the personnel that make up the Blues’ squad, their prospects this coming season and what else to expect. There’s a bit of fun in there too, with a look at which Everton players to grab for your fantasy leagues as well as the RBM crew sticking their necks out in their season predictions, where we boldly proclaim the top six, the bottom three, who wins the Cups and what part Everton plays in it all.
Interested in playing Fantasy Football? Sign up for the Royal Blue Mersey League by clicking here to automatically join (or use code hu2v4y) and test your skills against fellow Blues. Best of luck!