Going into Saturday’s match against Chelsea, Evertonians were nervously confident, cautiously optimistic, and fearlessly terrified of what the club had accomplished in their first three games of the season. Three draws against notably lesser opposition had left many with the hope and confidence so boldly bestowed on opening day a bit worried. Would this be the Everton we would get used to seeing under Roberto Martinez? An Everton who controlled possession and created chances but failed to convert, forever creating cries of “what if” and “if only?” Deadline day provided sparks of hope for many a fan, but Chelsea loomed over the chasm of the international break and it seemed difficult to see where goals would come from, especially with newly minted striker Romelu Lukaku unavailable against his parent club.
Come Saturday, a new sense of dread bloomed in the hearts of Evertonians when the team sheet was released. Both Leon Osman and birthday-boy Steven Naismith, two players widely regarded among the fans as “not good enough” were in the starting XI. Gareth Barry started as well, with other new boy James McCarthy on the bench along with fan favorite Gerard Deulofeu, whom many wanted to get the start on the wing. The atmosphere on social media networks was one step above depressed and you could hear the sighs and groans as Evertonians sat down for what seemed to be a long, painful game.
Everton kicked off the game and started on the front foot for the first 15 minutes, creating chances and holding possession quite nicely. After that, it was all Chelsea. Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o had multiple golden chances to open the scoring, one of which was an open net after a Tim Howard mistake that was heroically blocked by a diving Gareth Barry at the last second. Chelsea continued on the front foot until stoppage time, where, after a Seamus Coleman cross and Nikica Jelavic header back across goal, the much-maligned Naismith headed in from a yard out to give Everton the lead going into the break.
The 2nd half continued much as the first had, with Chelsea continuing to pile pressure on the Everton goal and the back four continuing to bravely ward off said pressure. Jose Mourinho made a drastic tactical change midway through the 2nd half, taking off a defender and slotting in Fernando Torres, leaving Chelsea with a back three that were almost always in the attacking end anyways. Martinez countered, bringing on McCarthy for Jelavic and putting pacey and creative Kevin Mirallas at the striker position. With that set-up in place, Mourinho was forced to keep at least one defender back to watch Mirallas. Everton continuously turned aside the Chelsea pressure and did exactly what they needed to on the counter. Employing Martinez’s patient style of play, they held the ball, passed it around, and didn’t force any unnecessary chances, all while staying as a major threat on goal. This tactic worked to perfection and Everton rounded out the day 1-0 winners.
Before the match, Martinez stated, “Everton’s season starts against Chelsea.” The games before, though easily dominated by the Blues, lacked the same passion and fervor that the squad possessed against Chelsea. They controlled the games and created the chances, but didn’t have the will to see them through. Largely, this has a lot to do with the attitude and demeanor of former Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini. A fantastic player in his own right, he became very half-hearted as of late, obviously looking forward to a move to a “bigger” club, and that is what held Everton back against Norwich, Cardiff, and West Brom. With his sale, the mood has brightened and the passion has returned. Players feed off other players, and without the smoldering giant playing poor passes around the field and generally bringing the team down, players have more positive influences to look towards, such as the man-of-the-match Gareth Barry. Martinez himself said that, while not only does Barry bring a unique experienced holding midfielder who can cover the back four to perfection, he brings leadership to the younger budding stars of the team. Barkley and McCarthy will have a true team player to look to for guidance that you just don’t get with Fellaini.
As for what this game means for the rest of the season, it helps answer a lot of questions doubters of Martinez had. His perfect blend of offensive flow with defensive guile has become a hit with Evertonians, and is proving to be exactly what the club needs. It’s early days, but the roar of Goodison is becoming much louder, and the excitement around the club runs free and true. With Darron Gibson coming back and Romelu Lukaku set to make his debut against West Ham next week, things are only looking up for Everton. A starting XI full of young talent and experienced leaders is exactly what is needed to succeed in the Premier League, and Martinez is putting the final pieces together to create just that. Happy days are ahead for the Blues, and it’s only a matter of time before those happy days take the form of silverware.
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