With a number of new arrivals ahead of Thursday’s summer transfer window slamming shut, Everton manager Marco Silva certainly boosted his options ahead of the opening day’s clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park today.
The starting XI did largely pick itself and I doubt there were many fans surprised by Silva’s opening selection, but we did see new arrivals Moise Kean and Jean-Philippe Gbamin sit on the bench.
The game was pretty much a bore draw given the conditions, but we did need Jordan Pickford to be on his toes twice, even though we did better dominate the ball and the chances on the day.
Not a perfect start, but with us going down to ten men late on following Morgan Schneiderlin’s sending off, maybe some fans will hope we have a bit more of a backbone this year and didn’t capitulate.
Speaking to the BBC after watching our opening day’s efforts, Silva said.
“It was a tough game, competitive as you would expect. We lost Andre Gomes, we were controlling the game, creating moments – it’s clear for me in some moments when you bring in new players they need time to adapt. Today was a good example, we lost some balls in zones we cannot. Our first half deserved something more. A clean sheet, the attitude was there. We lost some easy balls and if they didn’t happen we would have controlled the game until the end.”
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