[ad_pod ]
Everton face Manchester United this weekend in a game that could have a dramatic impact on the top four, but only for one team.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, smarting from their defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League, will arrive at Goodison Park aware that they need to win to stay in touch with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea, who are all still in the battle to qualify for the Champions League.
The gap from third to sixth, after all, is just three points. United can ill-afford a slip-up and, while they have a good record against the Toffees, Everton have been in fine form against the top six in recent weeks.
They drew with Liverpool in the Merseyside derby and beat both Chelsea and Arsenal at Goodison Park, though their last outing saw them lose 2-0 to a Fulham side that have already been relegated.
And therein lies the rub. There is a yawning gap between the top six and the clubs below them.
A win for Everton this weekend would take them to 49 points. In plain terms, that would leave them 15 points behind the team that they have just defeated.
It is bordering on the ridiculous. Last summer, Everton, per Sky Sports, spent £89million. Let’s examine that for a second. That’s £89m more than Tottenham. It’s £29m more than Premier League champions Manchester City. In fact, only West Ham (£99m), Leicester City (£104m), Fulham (£105m), Chelsea (£129m) and Liverpool (£177m) spent more. Of those clubs, only Liverpool and Chelsea sit in the top six. Liverpool could well be champions.
Fulham’s recruitment, clearly, has been an unmitigated disaster, while West Ham and Leicester have done nothing to advance their causes as they attempt to break through the glass ceiling. The Hammers are 11th, four points behind Everton. Leicester, at least, are seventh. But even they are 17 points behind United.
What is it all for? There is clearly a mini-league below the top six and there will be some degree of pride in winning that. It could also lead to Europa League qualification. But, other than that, are teams just spending to stay at the table? Are they paying a fee to be allowed into the Premier League restaurant, only to be told to keep quiet and sit in the corner while the VIPs do whatever they want?
It is a depressing state of affairs.
Everton could well beat United this weekend. They have not done it since 2015 but, even so, the form book in 2019 suggests that, at the very least, a draw could be on the cards. Goodison Park, as it always is when the big boys come to town, will be rocking.
But it’s all in vain, really. Everton aren’t in any danger of relegation; they’re not going to qualify for Europe either.
At the end of the season, though, they might be able to say ‘we beat them’ while looking at Arsenal, Chelsea and United way off on the horizon, enjoying a party Everton are unlikely to ever be invited to again.