Everton vs Bournemouth: Match Preview | Toffees seek to jumpstart season
The Blues are still seeking a first point and first goal of the Premier League season
Everton take on Bournemouth on Saturday in a game that already feels significant even at this early stage of the season, with the Toffees yet to earn a Premier League point or even score a Premier League goal.
Thankfully the sense of crisis was marginally lifted by a victory over Doncaster in the Carabao Cup in midweek. It wasn’t pretty at times but a strong second half performance, including a fine goal by Iliman Ndiaye, settled a few nerves.
Ndiaye was making his first start for the club along with fellow summer signings Jesper Lindstrom and Jake O’Brien. With Seamus Coleman and James Garner also featuring after recovering from injury, there is a feeling that the early fog that dogged Everton’s opening two games of the season is starting to lift.
The looming early September international break feels like something of a reset moment to take stack and let things settle down. Everton have certainly benefited from the break in recent years following poor starts. But if they can get a victory, against Bournemouth or at least put in a decent performance, then they can close ou this opening month of the season in a more positive frame of mind.
When Bournemouth slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Goodison in October Andoni Iraola found himself one of the favourites for the sack.
Landon Donovan provoked international beef with Mexico by trash-talking, peeing, and winning
The Cherries had won none of his first eight league games in charge and were mired in the bottom three.
But a remarkable mid-season run yielding seven wins and one draw from nine matches lifted them safely into mid-table. Another run of four wins from five in the spring, including a 2-1 victory over Everton helped the south coast club finish in 12th place, fully justifying the decision to bring in Iraola the previous summer.
They reacted quickly to the £60m departure of Dominic Solanke by smashing their club record to sign Brazil striker Evanilson from Porto for £40m, while the arrivals of Turkey forward Enes Unal, Spain U21 defender Dean Huijsen, Mexico full-back Julian Araujo and, most recently, Spain goalkeeper Kepa on loan from Chelsea. completes a productive summer.
They head north looking to improve on their recent record against Everton at Goodison, with the Toffees win six of the last seven meetings.
