The Everton 2022/23 season preview and prediction was originally printed in the Season Preview edition of FourFourTwo. Subscribe today!
Most Evertonians are realistic enough to acknowledge that sorting out the abject shambles of recent years won’t happen overnight. No team conceded more goals from set-pieces (19) or won fewer points on the road (10). Some supporters still dream of returning to the table’s higher reaches, but short-term desires are restrained; yearning for a blueprint, a sense of direction and stability.
By recruiting a young manager with a point to prove, appointing a new director of football in Kevin Thelwell and reorganising the club following a ‘strategic review’, there is hope that these more modest desires could be met. But then, this is Everton. And, as most Blues know only too well, it’s the hope that kills you. That, or the exit of Richarlison, whose 10 goals delivered seven points and made safety possible.
Everton 2022/23 season preview and prediction: The lesson from last year
Like a lot of fans, the blue half of Merseyside aren’t that complicated – commitment is the minimum expected of those donning the shirt.
A pervasive sense of too many players not meeting this requirement has haunted recent campaigns, all of which made the shift in attitude during last season’s run-in so welcome. Although far from perfect, the closing month saw Lampard’s Everton play with steely determination. Inevitably, the crowd responded. The coach and players should remember this. If you want Goodison Park on your side, then the very least you can do is run your arse off, leave everything on the park and, if the opportunity arises, kick Andy Robertson into Row Z.
Also, 66 goals conceded – more than in any other Premier League season for the Toffees – simply can’t happen again.
The coach: Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard did a decent job guiding the Toffees away from the abyss to 16th place. He also seems to ‘get’ Everton, and has forged a strong relationship with the fans. As a result the 44-year-old former Chelsea boss has plenty of goodwill in the bank and, with another year of rebuilding ahead, he’ll need it.
The owner: Farhad Moshiri
If Farhad Moshiri decides to sell up, as is rumoured, few will mourn the departure of a man who once described Gylfi Sigurdsson, Wayne Rooney, Yannick Bolasie and Cenk Tosun as Everton’s ‘Fab Four’. If he stays put, most Evertonians would be happy if he left his involvement to just signing the cheques.
The mood around Everton…
While not exactly brimming with positivity, it’s certainly better than last summer when the Toffees faithful begrudgingly lent their support to an emissary of the Sith. Ideally, Lampard will have the tools to create the team he wants. If Goodison Park’s magical atmospheric reawakening continues, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin stays fit, this could be a better year.
The one to watch
Lewis Dobbin. The 19-year-old forward has been seen fleetingly, but is quick, has an eye for goal and is well thought of within the club. Hopefully he’ll follow the path that Anthony Gordon blazed so impressively last term.
Most likely to…
Retain the best nickname. Courtesy of the fans, there is the ‘Ketwig Kaiser’ (Tom Davies) and ‘Big Mick Keggers’ (Michael Keane), but none top ‘Micky Lentils’ – left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko’s recently acquired sobriquet.
Least likely to…
Stop running. Belatedly, Alex Iwobi has realised that perpetual motion is the key to getting the Goodison crowd off his back. Apparently, the revitalised wideman has not stopped running for a single second since 2021/22 ended, circumnavigating the globe three times already.
The fan's view: Joe Strange (@Joe_Strange)
Last season was frustrating, disappointing, but ultimately a success. We looked dead and buried a few times.
The big talking point is a potential takeover. Most would be happy for Moshiri to sell, but only to a group with the right vision.
This season will be different because Rafa Benitez is no longer manager and Frank Lampard isn’t trying to drag a squad bereft of confidence out of a slump. The fans are well and truly back onside.
I won’t be happy unless Lampard is given a decent transfer budget to start shaping his own squad with young, hungry players – not overpaid, underwhelming signings we’ve been used to.
Our most underrated player is Yerry Mina. Makes us much harder to beat, but seems unable to stay fit for more than a few matches.
The opposition player who grinds my gears is Andy Robertson. Great player, but just not for me.
I’m least looking forward to playing Liverpool. The Merseyside derby is very rarely fun, and this season the home fixture falls on my birthday. Wonderful.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that Lampard’s passion, straight-talking and celebrations endeared himself to the supporters. Questions remain over his tactical acumen, but we all want him to do well.
If he left, he should be replaced by Graham Potter. Unlikely he’d fancy it, but the long-term appointment we’ve been crying out for.
The pantomime villain will be Anthony Gordon. Rightly or wrongly, he appears to have earned a reputation as a diver already. Expect more headlines in 2022/23.
We’ll finish 11th. Mid-table mediocrity, but we’ll take it after the stress of last term.
FFT'S VERDICT… 14th
Lampard eventually shook them up enough to survive, but replicating that over 38 matches is another matter.
