In the end, Everton didn’t have quite enough at Aston Villa. In the end, it looks as though they won’t have quite enough to secure European football for next season.
The Toffees huffed and puffed for long spells in the second half at Villa Park on Thursday night, although they couldn’t break the stalemate. The 0-0 draw leaves them in eighth place in the Premier League table, level on points with Tottenham Hotspur but with a far inferior goal difference.
In the main Everton were comfortable on Thursday, perhaps unsurprisingly so against a Villa team that were without star striker Ollie Watkins due to suspension and could only call on a returning Jack Grealish in the final 20 minutes.
But it was in the final third were the Toffees lacked the kind of potency that so many of the teams above them have shown this season.
So often the team would get into strong positions and make the wrong choice. Frequently Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, while excellent forwards in their own right, would run into trouble, perhaps out of frustration at the inconsistent service coming from further back in the team. But dribbling with the ball at speed is not really their game.
Without the creativity of James Rodriguez, Everton looked a little one-dimensional and a little one-paced. And it’s the latter trait in particular where it feels as though manager Carlo Ancelotti and the club’s director of football Marcel Brands will need to find something in the transfer market in the summer. The Toffees are just a bit slow.
While sitting deep and playing on the break has worked well for Everton on the road this season in the main, if they are to be a consistent threat playing this way next season they require a player with more speed and strong ball-carrying ability in the final third. Someone who can really unsettle defenders in one-on-one situations.
As much as the manager has made some players better this term with his coaching quality and imparting of tactical knowledge, there are some attributes that can’t be taught. They need to be bought.