January is almost here for Everton. With Halloween just gone and bonfire night to come before Christmas enters most minds, it feels strange for there to already to be focus on the new year.
Yet it is already on the minds of those at Finch Farm. It has to be. In 10 days the Premier League will take its unprecedented World Cup break and, while there will still be two more ties before 2023 begins, the opportunity to learn where Everton are, what they are doing well and where the weaknesses lie will have largely passed.
There will still be weeks of work - some in public, such as the matches against Celtic and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Sydney Super Cup, and more behind the scenes at Finch Farm. The World Cup will also have its influence as new stars rise, potential transfer targets emerge and the threat of injury hangs over those involved. But the foundation for the next stage of Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell’s project to take Everton forward will be the opening 15 games of the season.
