Everton frustration makes sense after dire Fulham performance as impact player found

Everton return to Premier League action this weekend when they take on Southampton at St Mary’s. The Blues extended their unbeaten run in the top-flight to five games with a draw against Fulham last time out.

Beto's stoppage-time header earned Sean Dyche’s side a point at Goodison Park. The forward headed home in the fourth minute of added time to cancel out Alex Iwobi's opener just after the hour mark.

Southampton, on the other hand, are bottom of the table and have just one point to their name. And with both games in mind, our Everton jury has returned to have their say.

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Paul McParlan - Only Human

Sometimes, as a fan, it is easy to forget that footballers are human after all. They worry about their place in the team, they stress over their performance, they can be hurt by criticism inside the stadium and on social media, and they have to manage the relentless expectations of the fans, who demand nothing less than never-ending success for their team.

Beto's emotional reaction to scoring the equalising goal in stoppage time against Fulham last Saturday was a stark reminder of that fact. Who could fail to be moved by listening to his post-match interview when he outlined how frustrating it is to train hard all week and be consigned to the bench again on matchday?

It is a common trope that footballers do not care about the club, only the size of their wage packet. Beto’s poignant response showed how much he does care and how hard he works to make it in the game. It was so reassuring to hear him articulate his love for the club and how much he appreciates the support from the fans.

This was not the normal well-scripted, well-rehearsed planned response from the Everton media team; it clearly came from the heart. And it definitely cut through!

Beto’s cameo was one of the few rewarding moments in what was a grim, turgid performance on Saturday that left most supporters in a catatonic trance. Once again, Sean Dyche waited far too long to adjust a game plan that was obviously not working.

Beto changed proceedings dramatically when he came on, but why didn’t he play alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin instead of replacing him? And what does it say about the Blues No. 9 if the manager believed Michael Keane would be a more effective striking partner for the closing minutes?

Playing two strikers suddenly caused all manner of problems for the visitor’s defence, which they struggled to deal with. Perhaps making that decision earlier might just have won us the game?

Five games played so far in the final campaign at the Old Lady, and none will exactly live in the memory. One solitary win and a dire diet of football is not what we hoped to witness in this of all seasons. But if our only ambition is to move to the new stadium as a Premier League side, it is something we might have to accept.

There are some positives though; a five-match unbeaten run is encouraging, with only one goal conceded in that spell. The trip to Southampton is an eminently winnable fixture against the bottom-placed team. If we play like we did at Ipswich Town, then we are easily capable of taking all three points there.

And is this the ideal game to give Beto a starting role? In 2022/23, he scored 10 goals in 33 games for Udinese in Serie A, a league not exactly renowned for slack defending, so he has proved himself in one of Europe’s toughest competitions.

Perhaps his time has come? Over to you, Sean

Alex McMonnies - The frustration is more than understandable

From an Everton perspective, Saturday's 1-1 draw with Fulham was hugely frustrating. From the first whistle, the Blues were visibly second best in all aspects of their play and found themselves neutralised by a thoroughly professional and organised display from the Cottagers.

It was probably the worst performance produced by Sean Dyche's players so far this campaign, and yet it still yielded a point thanks to a last-gasp equaliser from Beto, which cancelled out former Everton player Alex Iwobi's strike on the hour mark.

The frustration is more than understandable. A lot of the time, Everton's style of play can be difficult to watch, with the players set in their ways and continuously trying to force errors out of the opposition via long balls and direct passing. When this doesn't work, the anger is directed at the manager for implementing these 'negative' tactics.

However, any suggestions that this group of players would instantly take to a more expansive system based on short passing and patient build-up are fanciful, to say the least. Everton's squad is one of the most cheaply assembled in the Premier League, so is it any real surprise that this fact is often reflected in the results produced by this team?

We all knew going into this campaign that football was going to be ugly at times, but the fact is that the Toffees are now unbeaten in their last five league matches. So far this season, we have produced multiple better performances than the one seen against Fulham on Saturday and come away with nothing. These things balance themselves out over the course of a 38-game season, and the situation the club finds itself in means that our sole focus is still on acquiring enough points to remain in the top flight before anything else.

We have experienced both ends of the scale in the past two weeks. The 2-0 win away at Ipswich was an example of the sense of jubilation a Dyche team can produce, while the undeserved draw with Fulham is what can happen when we come up against one of the many teams in this league with more quality than ours. Let's all just embrace the positive days when they come and trust this manager to get us into the new ground as a Premier League team, at which point we can hopefully begin to look upwards again.

A trip to Southampton awaits on the weekend. If our last journey to face a newly promoted side is anything to go by, another joy-filled day of watching Everton could well be on the cards.

James O’Brien - The performance we put in was dire

Saturday afternoon was extremely disappointing, and for me, the late equaliser did little more than paper over the cracks.

Undeniably, Fulham have become a bit of a bogey team for Everton over recent years, and you could argue that a draw was a decent result considering.

However, the performance we put in was dire, and there was no real fight or tactical prowess from Everton. Considering it is the last year at Goodison Park, you would expect it to be a fortress that clubs are dreading coming to, but Saturday proved that this is far from the case. Instead, at times, it looked as if we were a lower division team hosting Fulham in the cup.

Beto getting his goal was a great moment, and seeing the emotion take over him is something that will definitely improve his stock with the fans. The moment he came on, he worked hard, chasing down every ball, and was ultimately paid out for his efforts. Taking off a striker before playing Michael Keane up top was a weird decision, but who knows what happens with Everton anymore?

I would argue that Dominic Calvert Lewin has grown too comfortable in the striker role, and his performances show it. While it is undoubtedly true that Everton’s tactics would hinder any attacker, I think this “excuse” has started to simply mask some underlying issues for the striker.

On many occasions this season he has missed many 1v1 opportunities, and I don’t feel he is putting in the same effort chasing down the ball or winning headers as he once did. Whether his focus has shifted due to his contract situation or something else, Everton need to try a fresh approach. With Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti set to return soon and Beto securing critical points, in my eyes it is time for DCL to spend some time on the bench and work to earn his spot back. I do believe he is a good striker, and I would love for him to break our Premier League goal record, but his in-front-of-goal form has been shocking, and he is almost expected to miss.

Next up is Southampton away, and there are absolutely no excuses for Everton not securing the full three points. They are rock bottom and have only managed to get one point from a draw against Ipswich. Also, there is that added motivation after they somehow beat us at home in the Carabao Cup on penalties.

For this game, I think Branthwaite should be brought back into the starting lineup whilst also moving Ashley Young to left back to give Nathan Patterson his first chance of the season. There’s big question marks surrounding the fitness of McNeil, but if he is fit, I would return him to his left midfield role and give Ndiaye a proper chance as the secondary striker.

While I think McNeil’s been good, his reliance on his left foot is becoming detrimental to attacks when he is down the middle.

Dyche still is under pressure for me, and I think after last week’s game, we need to tactically outclass Southampton and gain a big win for the overall confidence at the club. We have more than enough to beat them – COYB!