Near the end of the 2012/13 summer transfer window, former Everton manager David Moyes bought a young Belgian winger from cash-strapped Greek side Olympiakos. The player was relatively unknown amongst Evertonians and the only hype we as supporters had to feed off were Youtube videos and proclamations from other Belgian players that he was the “Belgian Ronaldo.” With these words at the forefront of our minds, we eagerly anticipated his first game in the royal blue. To our joy, he didn’t disappoint. Coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa, he wowed the spectators and would’ve scored if he had not strayed offside on a headed effort. His first goal came against Leyton Orient in a League Cup tie. He went on to score another in that match and scored his first Premier League goal in a 3-0 win at Swansea City. Injuries plagued most of the year for Kevin Mirallas, but he went on to finish with 9 goals in all competitions in his first year at Everton and left the supporters feeling extremely excited for his sophomore outing.
With all the excitement, all the build-up, all the pomp and flair and expectation placed on Mirallas’s shoulders, it isn’t exactly surprising to see him struggle. In fact, it should’ve been expected, at least for the first few games of the season. However, the amount Kevin has struggled this season has been exponentially more than can be allowed. The pace and creativity he brought to the squad last year has been all but lost and he regularly loses the ball to weak challenges. His final ball has been despondent; although there are many in the squad whom can have the same said about them. There really hasn’t been a game this season that Mirallas has shone in and his ability to take over a match hasn’t been shown at all.
A lot has been made of Mirallas and his attitude. Belgian journalists label him as the “Mr. Vain” of the Belgium international squad. In a recent match against Crystal Palace, Mirallas was subbed off early in the second half, and rather than sitting on the subs bench with the other players, he stormed down the tunnel, throwing his gloves down as he went. There was quite a bit of anger amongst Evertonians over this development, and speculation arose that he might ask for a transfer come January. However, an article from the Daily Mirror completely reversed this thought process. The article quoted Mirallas as saying that it was his fault that Everton’s recent goal scoring form had been so poor. He states that he knows he has become an important part of the squad and that, with the amount of attacking play that flows through him, he needs to perform at a much higher level than he has been.
There’s been a lot calling for boss Roberto Martinez to drop Mirallas and play the highly-rated loanee from Barcelona, Gerard Deulofeu. As nice as this may sound, it is definitely not what’s needed. As poor as Mirallas has been, he’s still one of our most creative players. He has four assists this season, tied for most in the league. Also, there’s another player who’s been worse than Mirallas. Steven Pienaar has been a stalwart in the Everton side for the past few seasons. Unfortunately, this doesn’t constitute a high performance rate as much as it does a lack of players to play down the left. Mirallas has been quoted as saying he much prefers playing down the left and a solution seems to be birthing itself. Playing Mirallas down the left and Deulofeu down the right could be exactly what Everton needs. Two pacey wingers down both sides, coupled with Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, is a terrifying prospect for the other team’s back four. Plus, turning Pienaar into what he needs to be, a 20-minute impact player, should also pay off handsomely.
As nice as this solution sounds, I find it hard to think that Martinez will want to make these changes immediately, especially with the Merseyside Derby looming. Mirallas must stay in the side, or we risk losing pace and threat up front, but Pienaar needs at least a small period out of the starting eleven. Much is made of the psychic connection Pienaar and Leighton Baines seem to have, but neither have been on the same wavelength this season. Even giving Steven Naismith a few starts strung together can benefit the squad. Something different needs to happen if we want to continue to win games and challenge the top 4. Martinez is adamant about his playing style, and rightfully so, as it’s about time someone took it to every team week in and week out. But, we cannot continue to go games with 73% possession and yet have nothing to show for it. It will be extremely interesting to see the team Martinez picks for the derby. These are the type of games that names are made in. It’s time for Mirallas to step up and make his name ring around Goodison Park once more.
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