Everton were not poor against Brighton and Hove Albion, yet still ran out 3-0 losers. It was the story of all last season, as they created chance after chance to no avail. Then, inevitably, they would concede and lose.
Last campaign saw them forge countless opportunities to score in so many matches, yet despite a lofty expected goals tally, they only amassed 40 Premier League goals.
Sean Dyche cannot afford this to be the case again this term, and yet they have started as if it will be.
If anything, Saturday’s clash with Brighton and Hove Albion should have taught him one thing about his squad, and it is what his opposition had that they lacked.
Mainly for the first goal, given how the second and third were gift-wrapped by a tired and ravaged team, the pace, dynamism and directness of the Seagulls’ play caused untold issues for the Toffees.
That is exactly what Everton lack.
Everton were ravaged by Brighton’s wingers
With Kaoru Mitoma on one wing and Yankuba Minteh on the other, there are few full-backs in the division that would relish such a challenge.
The latter in particular shone early on in the match, and it was his remarkable change of pace to skin Vitaliy Mykolenko which forged the opener, tapped in by the Japanese star at the back post.
His trickery and willingness to attack his opposite man petrified the entire Everton backline and all those watching on from the stands, and what’s most frustrating is that it could have been Goodison Park heralding his presence on the home side rather than fearing his quality for the opposition.
After all, Everton very nearly signed Yankuba Minteh this very summer, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scuppering the deal due to his inability to work out a viable contract.
Everton desperately need to make one more transfer
Perhaps this flashpoint might tempt Dyche and Kevin Thelwell to now wade back into the market, given it has been shown exactly what they are lacking.
Jack Harrison did okay on his flank, occasionally bypassing his man, but he lacks the raw speed of someone like Minteh.
Meanwhile, Dwight McNeil was anonymous, and has never really been the fastest wide man in the world anyway.
So, with Everton’s interest in Wilfried Gnonto having cooled, perhaps this represents the best option for them to reignite their interest in a dynamic winger who could fix Everton’s glaring transfer error and give them what Brighton used to tear them apart on Saturday.
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