Phil McNulty slams ‘unwatchable’ Everton in end of season reflection
Journalist chief Phil McNulty has blasted Everton in his reflection on the Premier League season for BBC Sport, but said Ben Godfrey had been ‘outstanding’.
The Toffees fell to a crushing 5-0 defeat against Manchester City on the final day of the season, finishing in tenth place in the table behind Leeds United and Arsenal.
Carlo Ancelotti had aimed to take his side into Europe at the beginning of the campaign and failure to do so will have frustrated the Italian.
McNulty assessed how each of the 20 Premier League clubs had performed over the course of the season for BBC Sport, and he was critical of Everton’s failure to deliver on the pitch.
McNulty wrote: “Where do you start? Everton is a club never slow or shy of telling the world how right they get it off the field but supporters have every right to ask when they might actually deliver something on it.
“Everton, under Carlo Ancelotti, allied an outstanding away record to utterly wretched stuff at home to end in a league position that cannot be regarded as anything other than a disappointment.
“Big moments came such as winning at Liverpool for the first time since 1999 but then there were home losses to Newcastle United, Fulham and Sheffield United, among others.
“Too inconsistent and often close to unwatchable at Goodison Park. Shafts of light for the future in the outstanding signings Ben Godfrey, Everton’s player of the season, and Abdoulaye Doucoure. Still too much deadwood and Ancelotti, who missed out on his target of European football, may well be spending big again this summer.”
Work to be done
Everton have always done exemplary work off the field, they’re a model club that many should look to follow, but McNulty is right to ask when they might attempt to replicate that success on the field.
Perhaps what frustrates us most about failing to qualify for Europe and slumping to such a humiliating final day defeat is the fact that Everton were so close to securing that qualification not that long ago.
In recent months the club has fallen victim to a number of defeats against beatable teams, and that makes every success they’ve had on the pitch, like the victory at Anfield, feel inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
Carlo Ancelotti has plenty of hard work to do this summer as McNulty eludes to, and what will have become clear to him is that certain players within his squad simply aren’t up to the task.
It’s going to be a crucial summer of recruitment for the Blues, and we just need to now hope that the club make the right decisions when it counts.
In other Everton news, pundit wants Everton to sign ‘quality player’ to replace Goodison star in Ancelotti XI.
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on Everton and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.