Sad for Jack the lad

Evertonians were hoping that Armando Broja might be able to bring some goals to their side with as he was handed his first start but while the on-loan Chelsea striker came up against all those same issues that have now seen Dominic Calvert-Lewin – a centre-forward that endured a 23-match drought in this set-up last season – go 14 games without finding the net, one of his team-mates who made an instant impact Sean Dyche currently finds himself at a lowest ebb.

Making his first Premier League start following his initial loan from Leeds United last season, Harrison set Goodison alight with a delightful long-range finish against Bournemouth to open his account.

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It was the first of four goals that Harrison contributed with in 2023/24 while the first of three assists also came his way. But while he was capable of producing the spectacular, as that maiden strike demonstrated, Harrison was even getting on the end of tap-ins as his deflection to get the final touch on Calvert-Lewin’s goalbound effort at home to Tottenham Hotspur also showed.

Although increased competition is often attributed with raising the game of existing squad members, Harrison, who has been battling for a place in the starting line-up with another loan man, Napoli’s Jesper Lindstrom, has neither a goal or an assist to his name this term.

But after a brace of glaring misses at the end of the 4-0 romp against Wolves, an inviting chance squandered against Chelsea and making a muddle of the opportunity to snatch what would have been a famous victory at Manchester City, merely finding a team-mate with a pass was something the 28-year-old struggled with here before being taken off at half-time.

Before the game, Dyche hailed Harrison for working tirelessly and being an “immaculate professional,” insisting that he just needed to find some self-belief in the “final moment,” but his confidence looked shot. Lindstrom offered more after the break but as we prepare for the January transfer window to open and the takeover by the Friedkin Group now complete, right wing continues to be a problem position for Everton.

Soft centre

In December last year, Everton went to Nottingham Forest bottom of the Premier League after a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United had followed their initial 10-point deduction but a defensive masterclass from Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski proved the bedrock for a 1-0 victory that was the first of four consecutive wins.

Handing the pair scores of eight each in the ECHO’s player ratings, this correspondent commented on how Tarkowski was a defensive colossus against former Burnley team-mate Chris Wood while Branthwaite produced a dominant display to send the big centre-forward to the turf when he tried to tangle with him, as the man mountain looked more like a gentle hill after he was left flailing on the turf in pain. The veteran Kiwi – who Dyche once made Burnley’s record signing – has been enjoying a purple patch so far this season and unfortunately for the Blues, his performance at Goodison Park had him scaling the heights to resemble a footballing Everest.

Branthwaite’s rapid rise has seen him emerge as one of the most-valuable defensive talents in world football but on his 50th Premier League start for Everton, his steep learning curve was demonstrated by the way that Wood used brains as well as brawn to get between the 22-year-old and his centre-back partner before executing a delicate finish. Dyche, who starting his own playing career at the City Ground, had been unbeaten in his previous nine games against Forest but they’re a different animal this term.

The one that got away?

Vitor Pereira, who has this month lifted Wolverhampton Wanderers out of the Premier League relegation zone, wasn’t shy about talking up his credentials for the Everton manager’s job after Farhad Moshiri’s ill-advised experiment with Rafael Benitez ended in tears, but what about his compatriot Nuno Espirito Santo? Benitez’s hiring as the most-controversial appointment in the history of the most-passionate city in English football might not even have happened if Nuno had got the job.

Following Carlo Ancelotti’s defection back to Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, Nuno emerged from talks with Moshiri, seemingly confident that he’d be the next Blues boss, but like many who entered into negotiations with the Monaco-based businessman beyond the eight managers in as many years that ultimately served him, impressions acquired when face to face didn’t end up match the reality of a situation.

The former Everton owner was notoriously capricious with former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan greeting the news of him striking a deal with Dan Friedkin by remarking: “I think dealing with him is like nailing a jelly to the wall,” and Goodison never got to see what Nuno might offer.

A short and not-so-sweet spell at Tottenham Hotspur followed and then a stint in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad before Nottingham Forest handed the former goalkeeper a Premier League reprieve on December 20 last year. Although the team would finish last season in 17th position, the 2-0 win over Everton moved them up to second in the table with what was their first victory away to the Blues since 1999 and a first Anfield and Goodison Park double success in a season since 1899.