A new season unfolds: Early impressions and what to expect at Everton

Having gone into the 2024/25 Premier League season with renewed hope, three defeats in three games have brought Everton fans crashing back down to earth.

While no one on the blue half of Merseyside expected the Toffees to be challenging for the title, improving on last season’s 15th-place finish was a realistic target.

Everton would have finished just one point short of a top-ten finish last term if they had not had eight points deducted for financial rules breaches.

With that in mind, their current premier league odds of securing a place in the top half of the table this season are good value despite their poor start.

With that in mind, read on as we offer our early impressions of Everton before assessing what the rest of the season may have in store for the club.

Everton let Bournemouth off the hook

Everton shipped seven goals in defeats against Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur to immediately dampen the pre-season optimism.

They regrouped for their third outing at home to Bournemouth, and were well on course to claim three points as they led 2-0 with four minutes remaining.

The wheels started to fall off just sixty seconds later as the visitors netted the first of three goals in nine minutes to turn the game completely on its head.

Manager Sean Dyche was understandably frustrated after the game, saying his players should have had enough about them to get over the line.

"We did so much right until they scored their first goal,” he told the BBC. “I think they had one shot on target before then.

“The game should have been out of sight. We conceded one and then threw it away. I can't put my finger on it right now.

"They kept raining it forward and got their reward in the end. The Premier League you have to play to the last breath of the game and we simply didn't but they did.

“They were playing it forward and crossing it into the box and we didn't deal with it. Simple stuff but we threw it away. It is the third game we have thrown away this season.

"You have to kill teams off at every level, but particularly at this level. Everyone was looking at someone else to deal with things and that is when there is trouble.

“You could see the body language change. You have to see games through and we have enough experience to do that, but today we didn't."

Having got themselves into a winning position, Everton’s implosion was staggering. Dyche undoubtedly must shoulder some of the blame.

While Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola was using the options on his bench to change the course of the game, Dyche waited until the 83rd minute to make his first substitution.

The tide had already started to turn before then and there was a sense of inevitability when the Cherries halved the deficit just four minutes later.

However, Dyche can justifiably feel aggrieved that his players failed to get over the line after establishing a firm grip on the game.

The panic which set in when Antoine Semenyo scored Bournemouth was mind-blowing to witness given the experienced players Everton had on the pitch at the time.

Centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite’s absence became much more noticeable during those final minutes as Everton’s defensive unit collapsed.

Despite the final result, it is much too early in the season for the club to start panicking, although Dyche does need a positive result sooner rather than later.

Dyche doubts persist but Everton must keep the faith

A sizeable proportion of fans did not want Dyche as Everton manager, with his well-documented ‘pragmatic style’ not fitting their vision for the club.

More balanced supporters recognise that he is the right man for the job at this moment in time, with the club hindered by their off-field issues.

Many respected pundits believe Dyche would adopt a different approach if he had the right tools to work with and the first 86 minutes against Bournemouth cemented that viewpoint.

Everton produced one of their best performances since Dyche was appointed, keeping Bournemouth pegged back in their own half while playing attractive football.

A four or five goal lead would not have flattered the Toffees, yet they somehow found a way to lose a game they should have comfortably won.

With the dust now settled on the game, it is imperative for Dyche and the players to take the positives from what they produced up to Bournemouth starting their comeback.

Tim Iroegbunam was excellent in midfield and could turn out to be one of the buys of the season at £9 million if he continues in the same vein.

Former Sheffield United forward Iliman Ndiaye sparkled in attacking areas and is the type of flair player Everton fans will take to their hearts.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin caused the Cherries’ backline endless problems and his goal will hopefully give him a much-needed confidence boost for the rest of the season.

The upcoming fixture list offers hope for Everton, with their visit to Aston Villa in their next game the toughest test they face over the next few weeks.

Home matches against Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Fulham are all winnable, while trips to newly-promoted trio Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton should hold no fears.

Everton’s situation may look a lot healthier by the time November comes around and their poor start could become just a distant memory.

Despite losing their opening three games, Everton are only four points off the top 10. If they pick up some momentum over the next few weeks, finishing in the top half is a realistic possibility.

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