As Everton fought their way to Premier League survival last season, the squad creaked under the pressure.
It wasn't just that Frank Lampard had to deal with a miserable injury crisis - often the manner and timing at which problems emerged felt like a cruel joke. There was Donny van de Beek finally looking ready to play a role only to be injured minutes before kick-off at West Ham United. There was Ben Godfrey suffering a similar fate at Anfield weeks later.
Then there was the careful management of Yerry Mina and Fabian Delph, and the likes of Seamus Coleman and Allan who were involved despite carrying injuries that took much of the summer to recover from. Lampard's hands were further tied by suspensions but the final months of the last campaign were also an emphatic embodiment of a troubled and wasteful transfer strategy that lurched in different directions as managers and directors of football changed.
