Everton can find encouragement in their victory against Crystal Palace, though the club must not allow those hard-earned three points to divert attention from the necessity of reinforcing the squad.
The Toffees delivered a solid performance, with David Moyes benefiting from his younger players rising to the occasion and his experienced performers supplying the two decisive moments of quality as his team secured their first opening-day victory since 2021.
However, Palace also highlighted vulnerabilities in Everton’s make-up that, whilst not ultimately punished, should nonetheless serve as notice that work remains necessary if the club is to achieve the progress demanded this week by chief executive Angus Kinnear.
Everton ought to have fallen behind at least once during the early exchanges, with Jean-Philippe Mateta directing an effort over the bar from close range in the first half before striking the woodwork, bookending a magnificent stop by Jordan Pickford to deny Eddie Nketiah.
Although Everton enjoyed some fortune, it would be incorrect to suggest they should have been out of the contest by half-time. Pickford’s intervention was remarkable, but such heroics are a natural consequence of possessing an outstanding goalkeeper, whilst the Toffees also created difficulties for their opponents, with Iliman Ndiaye capable of finishing a flowing team move but instead firing straight at Dean Henderson after receiving a pull-back from Merlin Rohl.
Rohl, selected ahead of Jake O’Brien in the competition for the interim right-back role, proved a fierce competitor who battled for every ball and, when afforded the opportunity, was able to utilise his recovery speed to give defender Tyrick Mitchell significant trouble.
Yet Everton need to progress beyond depending on individuals excelling whilst operating outside their natural position. Moyes spoke warmly of Rohl at the final whistle and deservedly so, with the 24-year-old having built upon a strong conclusion to the previous campaign with an impressive summer and meritly earning opportunities in the senior side.
This display demonstrated both his capabilities as a footballer but also his constraints as a full-back, however. Of Palace’s three clear opportunities, both of Mateta’s arrived from Nketiah deliveries from the left flank. The first originated from James Tarkowski miscalculating the situation but Nketiah’s chance materialised when Adam Wharton lofted the ball over Rohl’s head to locate his striker’s run.
Moyes was justified after the match in highlighting the requirement for a new signing to represent an improvement on his current choices and, to give Rohl his due, he performed more effectively than the natural right-back on the opposite flank – Daniel Munoz features among Everton’s targets and conversed with Moyes after the game but found himself similarly challenged by Tyrique George.
Nevertheless, there must be acknowledgment that a specialist would offer enhancement, particularly in assessing those split-second decisions where O’Brien’s inclination is defensive, Rohl’s is offensive, and a skilled midfielder like Adam Wharton can exploit that indecision to create issues.
To be fair to Moyes and Kinnear, both have stated their desire to sign a right-back – the manager elaborating on his position after Palace had suggested he possessed confidence in his squad alternatives prior to the match.
It remains difficult to imagine the club not pursuing a player in that position – one that even squad members acknowledge requires addressing – and this would both enhance the first team’s cohesion and enable O’Brien and Rohl to supplement Moyes’ options at centre-back and central midfield respectively, where both can mount compelling cases for genuine opportunities.
Yet the inability to have identified a solution at right-back thus far is far from ideal, especially given that addressing this position predates both Moyes’ return and the Friedkin Group takeover.
Chances to build upon the existing squad beyond right-back also warrant examination. Everton will be strengthened by James Garner’s comeback and Christian Norgaard’s arrival, and with one of those on the pitch they might have suppressed the early creativity of Wharton and Daichi Kamada, though they will continue to depend on numerous players delivering breakthrough campaigns if they genuinely intend to push towards the upper reaches of the table and potentially Europe.
To stand a realistic chance of doing so with the current roster, Jarrad Branthwaite would need to remain injury-free (though O’Brien provides capable cover), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Garner replicate their previous season achievements, Thierno Barry develop into a consistent scorer and at least one of George and Tyler Dibling enjoy a breakthrough season to challenge Iliman Ndiaye and Brennan Johnson.
There were encouraging indicators on several of these fronts on Saturday. George was impressive in only his second start for the club, Barry found the net and Branthwaite performed well and completed the match despite several anxious moments. Mirroring Pickford, Dewsbury-Hall embraced his role as a senior leader and conjured match-winning quality with his superb opening goal. Hayden Hackney impressed on his debut and Harrison Armstrong excelled.
The Toffees clearly possess a strong side when fully fit and possess the foundation of a team that could prove genuinely thrilling in a year or two – so many players aged 24 and under could peak simultaneously. With appropriate strategy and ambition, there exists a squad capable of progressing towards something genuinely promising.
The challenge lies in preventing that growth from being undermined in its infancy by placing excessive demands on too few individuals – expecting the young players to deliver consistently and immediately, whilst relying on the likes of Ndiaye, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall and Pickford to keep providing match-defining contributions.
The squad, as currently constituted, would be too severely compromised should neither Barry nor Beto develop cutting edge, if Vitalii Mykolenko – who performed well on Saturday – displays the defensive hesitancy he showed at the end of last season, if Moyes lacks confidence in turning to Adam Aznou should an attacking threat from left-back be required, or if the team becomes excessively dependent on Ndiaye for creativity and Dewsbury-Hall for goals.
Everton cannot resolve all of those concerns but I would be taken aback if, beyond a right-back, concentrated efforts are not made to strengthen elsewhere prior to the deadline, though success will partly rely on the unpredictability of the transfer window’s closing days. Some possibilities will also be affected by departures, with decisions required regarding the likes of Tim Iroegbunam and Beto, and whether Nathan Patterson can secure the fresh opportunity all parties must feel is necessary.
Yet a positive result against Palace and the optimism it provided – along with reminders of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur’s self-destructive capabilities this weekend – should not be underestimated if the Friedkin Group genuinely aspire for the Toffees to compete for European places and cup honours immediately, as Kinnear has indicated.