Everton fans have been aghast at the way the club have finished the season, with European football no longer realistic.
Everton now find themselves three points behind Brentford going into the final day of the season.
European football is technically still mathematically possible. But Everton need a six-goal swing to replace Brentford in eighth.
What would you say to Angus Kinnear after THAT loss to Sunderland? 😤
Something has to change… 😭
And that’s before Chelsea have even played. They could win against Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night and equal Brentford’s tally of 52 points.
The goal swing would then increase much further for Everton.
So it’s not happening, and the inquest is already in full swing as to where it’s all gone wrong.
David Moyes is rightly taking stick for several decisions he’s made.
But there is perhaps another big factor in Everton’s recent downfall – and he goes by the name of Jarrad Branthwaite.
Jarrad Branthwaite injury has been so costly for Everton
We can point fingers at Moyes for his tactics, and the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for being wasteful in front of goal.
But Everton’s loss of defensive solidity has also been a major reason for this terrible run.
And specifically, the absence of Jarrad Branthwaite after his injury against Liverpool has been so significant for the Toffees.
He was forced off in the late stages against Liverpool with another hamstring issue.
Had he stayed on, Virgil van Dijk may never have scored that equaliser, given Branthwaite’s prowess in defending corners.
In the games following the Merseyside Derby, Everton have conceded 10 goals.
And some of those have been conceded in shocking fashion, with James Tarkowski and Michael Keane both struggling badly.
The Erling Haaland goal was a terrible one, with both centre-halves way too far apart from each other. And there was obviously no recovery pace to catch Haaland.
The header that Tomas Soucek scored for West Ham was also very preventable.
The shot by Ismaila Sarr for Crystal Palace’s opening goal wasn’t blocked by Michael Keane, and Palace’s second by Jean-Philippe Mateta was absolutely awful, with the Frenchman finding all the space in the world between Keane and Tarkowski.
Branthwaite had been in fine fettle for Everton after coming back from his first injury.
Did Everton miss an opportunity to cash in on Branthwaite? 🫣
His constant hamstring injuries have to be a huge concern…
But we are now seeing how vulnerable that backline is without him. His injury was always going to mean a Keane-Tarkowski partnership, with Jake O’Brien still preferred out wide, and that partnership, which has a combined age of 66, has zero recovery pace or athleticism.
Obviously there are plenty of factors behind Everton’s horrid run right now.
But his injury on April 19 does feel like a particularly seismic moment in Everton’s season, and one wonders what might have been.
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