I’ve got to admit, a couple of weeks ago I thought Everton were down.
So to be writing in this column that I can see them going into a game against Manchester City with (an admittedly slim) chance of getting a result, speaks volumes for their remarkable performance at Brighton.
I’ve no idea where it came from, but seriously, that was a totally different team to the one I’ve watched struggle to deliver any sort of identity or personality in recent weeks. Ok, all season in fact.
We’ll talk about why things have changed later, but there is a point to my reasoning on why Everton can get something - anything! - out of the Goodison visit of my former club. It’s called European glory.
City have to make changes. They can afford to make 11 changes if Pep Guardiola seriously believes that will help against Real Madrid this week.
Let’s face it, winning the Champions League is what he is all about now. It’s a huge - and frankly baffling - stain on his incredible career record that Pep hasn’t won it since 2011, and has only been to the final once in the past 12 years…especially when you consider the clubs he’s managed.
And it’s not just him personally. Sheikh Mansour and the rulers of the UAE didn’t pump billions into the club to watch the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea win Europe’s greatest trophy ahead of them. They didn’t spend hundreds of millions on Erling Haaland to simply win the Premier League.
They scored 284 four league goals in the previous three seasons without him, and won’t score any more than usual this time around, so he was bought to win the Champions League, absolutely no question.
And now is the time, because City will beat Madrid at the Etihad unless Pep has one of his meltdowns again. So basically, no mistakes this time. Rest Haaland at the weekend if he’s been bought to win the European trophy.
Rest Kevin De Bruyne and anyone else who is vital against Real. But more importantly, learn from the mistakes of last season, and that ridiculous semi-final against the same opponents.
Bear with me here. If I have a pet hate with Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp - who is undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches of his or any other generation - is an infuriating inability to see games out, occasionally.
They get a lead, and keep going, keep doing the same thing, even when the balance of the game has changed. You saw that against Madrid earlier this season, when they were in a winning position in the first leg, but kept piling forward. It could have been them in the final, with a slightly different mentality.
And, it’s the same with City sometimes. In the semi last season, they had the game won, but then carried on with the same tactics, and that gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side a door back into the game that should not have been left open. Full stop.
I think City will have too much for Real, they can get a lead at home - we saw that in the first leg in the Bernabeu when they totally dominated the first 50 minutes or so. This time, close the door, see it out.
Do what it takes to get to the final, no complacency, no fancy tactics, do what you’re good at, and then shut the game down completely. City have the best defenders in the Premier League, so use them at the right time in the right way.
And you know what, they can risk dropping a couple of points at Everton. They’ll still win the league.
As for Sean Dyche’s side, that change? Well, for the first time this season, really, they have a focal point, and someone to hold the ball and bring others into the game around him, with the return to fitness of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
It makes such a massive difference. I can’t tell you how massive it is to have someone up there who can stop the ball coming back immediately to put pressure on a defence, especially in a relegation scrap.
You saw it against Brighton. Everton could sit deep, soak up pressure and then hit on the counter, knowing the likes of Dwight McNeil had the time to get up there as Calvert-Lewin would buy the team time, and take the pressure off.
It’s going to be different against City of course, even a much-changed City. They’ll have to defend even better, battle even harder. But with a striker actually holding the ball up, they look a different team completely.
