View: Three things we learned from Everton in draw v Crystal Palace
Everton were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday after conceding a late equaliser.
James Rodriguez had given the Toffees the lead in the second half with a well-struck finish past Vicente Guaita, and Everton looked as though they’d done enough to beat the Eagles.
However, Roy Hodgson’s side fought until the very last, with Michy Batshuayi drawing the away side back level with less ten minutes remaining.
At Goodison News we have picked out three things we learned from the home draw…
Offensive reinforcements needed
Neither Richarlison nor Dominic Calvert-Lewin were able to convert the many chances presented to them against Crystal Palace, and their inability to score ultimately cost the Blues the victory.
Other than Josh King, who is seemingly not in Carlo Ancelotti’s favour, Everton had no one on the bench to turn to in order to rectify their attacking issues. They’ll need to strengthen in the summer.
Coleman doesn’t deserve subbing
Rarely does Everton’s club captain play without finding himself withdrawn in the second half, yet the Irishman keeps proving his worth.
Everton hold a much better defensive shape when Coleman is on the field. The 32-year old is a strong leader and a more than capable defender, and he still provides an offensive threat. He needs to remain on the field more often.
James can’t do it alone
When Everton are at their attacking best, everything seems to flow through James Rodriguez. He becomes Everton’s hub of creativity, and without him the Blues are a significantly weakened group.
Palace equalised after James had been subbed off at Goodison Park, and the feeling was that Everton didn’t have the quality on the pitch to get back into the context. Relying on one player so much isn’t a strong long-term strategy.
In other Everton news, Carlo Ancelotti has shared an injury update on key Everton duo following the draw with Palace.
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