Everton: Full Report Card for Every Position for September
Everton's second month of the 2014-15 campaign is now in the books.
September brought better results than a winless August, but the Toffees are still far away from firing on all cylinders.
Crashing out of the Capital One Cup and sitting 14th in the Premier League is clearly well below most fans' expectations at this early stage.
Here's a look back at every Everton player's contribution in September. This article considers only those who featured in this month's schedule, and each player is graded between A+ (exceptional) and E (awful) with 10 possible scores.
The grades from August can be found here.
September's Stats
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Games—5 (W2, D1, L2)
2-0 vs. West Brom, Premier League
4-1 vs. Wolfsburg, Europa League
2-3 vs. Crystal Palace, Premier League
0-3 vs. Swansea, Capital One Cup
1-1 vs. Liverpool, Premier League
Players Used—22
Most Appearances: Tim Howard, 5
Goals—9
Romelu Lukaku—2, Kevin Mirallas—2, Leighton Baines—2, Seamus Coleman—1, Phil Jagielka—1, own goal—1
Assists—4
Leighton Baines—2, Samuel Eto'o—1, Leon Osman—1
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
Goalkeepers
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Tim Howard
Appearances: 5
Conceded: 8
Grade: C+ (last month: D+)
This is probably the most difficult grade. Tim Howard was superb in the 4-1 win over Wolfsburg—making an incredible 12 saves—and he was generally strong against Liverpool and West Brom; however, his contribution against Crystal Palace and Swansea keep his grade around average.
During those two games, six shots on target resulted in five goals, and his glaring errors against Palace were directly responsible for the Toffees dropping points.
He also should have done better with Steven Gerrard's free-kick in the Merseyside derby.
Full-Backs
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Seamus Coleman
Appearances: 2
Goals/Assists: 1/0
Grade: A (last month: C+)
Seamus Coleman has an unblemished record for September and grades accordingly. He featured in two wins, scoring and appearing a constant menace against Wolfsburg, and he kept a clean sheet in the Premier League victory over West Brom.
Everton's inability to win any of the three games he has missed only accentuates his value.
Leighton Baines
Appearances: 4
Goals/Assists: 2/2
Grade: B+ (last month: B)
Leighton Baines continues to perform well in a shaky defence and improves his grade from last month.
Statistically, he produced more end product than any Everton player in September, with two goals and two assists, and he is yet to join his fellow defenders in making costly errors.
Tony Hibbert
Appearances: 2
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: D (last month: n/a)
Deputising for an injured Coleman, Tony Hibbert made his first starts since January and experienced a tough reintegration.
Against Swansea, he was repeatedly beaten by Jefferson Montero and was at fault for the first goal.
He was a little more reliable against Liverpool—who recognised him as a weak link and targeted his channel 43 per cent of the time (attacking the left side just 26 per cent)—but offered less security than Coleman and nothing in attack.
Luke Garbutt
Appearances: 1
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: C+ (last month: n/a)
Luke Garbutt made his first Everton start in the Capital One Cup drubbing at Swansea.
Being part of a defence that conceded three reduces his individual grade, but the youngster was arguably his side's best player, putting in some impressive set-piece deliveries.
Tyias Browning
Appearances: 0 (+1 sub)
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: B (last month: n/a)
Replacing Hibbert to add more of an attacking threat, Tyias Browning made his debut in the Merseyside derby.
He showed confidence to square up against Mario Balotelli, strength to hold off Raheem Sterling and crucial endeavour to retrieve the ball in the build-up to Everton's equaliser.
Centre-Backs
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Phil Jagielka
Appearances: 4
Goals/Assists: 1/0
Grade: B+ (last month: E)
The only way was up for Phil Jagielka, who received the lowest grade possible in August. He was more defensively assured against Wolfsburg, Liverpool and particularly West Brom, putting in the second-most clearances (18) of any player in the Premier League this season during that match.
His involvement against Crystal Palace—despite not being accountable for any of the goals—and Wolfsburg's shot count would have kept his grade around average, but that was before his last-minute strike at Anfield.
John Stones
Appearances: 4
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: B+ (last month: D)
John Stones played at full-back against Crystal Palace and struggled, but it has been an otherwise impressive month for the youngster who seems to have displaced Sylvain Distin at centre-back.
He was especially assured against Liverpool, keeping close tabs on Mario Balotelli and often bailing out the heavily worked Hibbert.
Sylvain Distin
Appearances: 2
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: D (last month: E+)
Another poor month from Distin sees his grade only narrowly improve. His two appearances coincided with six goals conceded against Crystal Palace and Swansea, while just two came in the three games he missed.
As with Jagielka, he wasn't at fault for any goals against Palace, but he effectively ended his side's chances against Swansea with a sloppy clearance that set up the second goal.
Antolin Alcaraz
Appearances: 1
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: D (last month: n/a)
Antolin Alcaraz grades alongside his defensive partner for the only game he played, which was Everton's 3-0 loss to Swansea.
He was caught out of position on a number of occasions and struggled with his opponents' pace. He also should have scored in the first half.
Central Midfielders
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Gareth Barry
Appearances: 4
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: C+ (last month: C)
Having appeared back to his best after an understated, excellent performance against West Brom, Gareth Barry was a little subdued for the rest of the month.
His game against Liverpool was one of his worst for the club, though he did well to remain on the pitch after his early yellow card. Roberto Martinez will want more from one of his key players.
James McCarthy
Appearances: 4 (+1)
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: B (last month: B)
James McCarthy was consistent through September (if not spectacular), putting in his strongest performances against West Brom and Liverpool.
He won a penalty against Crystal Palace but will be disappointed by the lack of protection he provided his defence in that game and against Wolfsburg.
Barry and McCarthy were persistently excellent last season, but Everton are yet to find the same level of reliability in central midfield so far in this campaign.
Muhamed Besic
Appearances: 2 (+1)
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: C+ (last month: E)
Muhamed Besic made a better impression on Everton fans after his horrible first touch against Chelsea.
He was quietly assured on the ball against both Liverpool and Swansea without ever dictating the game. His passing, awareness off the ball and overall game management will improve as he adapts to the Toffees' style, but September was a promising enough start.
Darron Gibson
Appearances: 1 (+2)
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: C (last month: n/a)
Darron Gibson made a long-awaited return after a year out on the sidelines.
He looked good alongside Besic during much of the first half against Swansea before seeming to tire. He also appeared twice in the latter stages against both Wolfsburg and Crystal Palace.
Leon Osman
Appearances: 1 (+3)
Goals/Assists: 0/1
Grade: D+ (last month: C+)
Leon Osman's status has plummeted quite rapidly this season. Having appeared in more games than any Everton player during Martinez's first year, the former England international is struggling to find action.
In his only start, his mistake led to Crystal Palace's third goal, and he had a great chance to make it 2-0 before half-time. He did, however, set up Romelu Lukaku's goal and made a strong 20-minute showing against West Brom, almost scoring.
Wide Midfielders/Attackers
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Kevin Mirallas
Appearances: 3 (+1)
Goals/Assists: 2/0
Grade: A (last month: B+)
Kevin Mirallas has been quietly integral this season, and his injury suffered against Liverpool is a big blow to Martinez.
The Belgium international scored the key second goal against West Brom and wrapped up proceedings against Wolfsburg. Strangely omitted against Crystal Palace, he came on to add extra intensity into the Toffees' attack, and he looked a threat to Liverpool before his injury.
Aiden McGeady
Appearances: 3 (+1)
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: C (last month: B)
Everton's most inconsistent player, Aiden McGeady, produced less of his best form during September.
He started both wins against West Brom and Wolfsburg, winning a penalty against the Germans that effectively sealed the contest. That was arguably his highlight, though, as he was never a constant threat, and his performance against Swansea was particularly average.
Bryan Oviedo
Appearances: 1
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: C (last month: n/a)
It's hard not to hand Bryan Oviedo an A+ simply for overcoming such a horrendous injury so soon.
He made his comeback against Swansea, and, on his performance alone, looked understandably rusty.
Christian Atsu
Appearances: 2
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: D+ (last month: C)
Christian Atsu was involved in both of Everton's defeats, which affects his grade.
He looked promising early on against Crystal Palace and almost scored before fading just prior to half-time. He was then peripheral throughout the loss at Swansea.
Strikers
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Romelu Lukaku
Appearances: 4 (+1)
Goals/Assists: 2/0
Grade: B (last month: C+)
Romelu Lukaku found his scoring form in September, notching once against West Brom and once against Crystal Palace.
While that improves his August return, he's still yet to find his dominant best seen at the start and end of last season. He wasn't helped by having to play on the right against Liverpool with minimal support coming from Hibbert.
Steven Naismith
Appearances: 3 (+1)
Goals/Assists: 0/0
Grade: C+ (last month: A+)
After a faultless August, it's been a month without any attacking end product for Steven Naismith.
He missed an embarrassing open goal against West Brom and has been unlucky on a few other occasions. His best contribution was his involvement in the own goal scored against Wolfsburg.
Samuel Eto'o
Appearances: 2 (+2)
Goals/Assists: 0/1
Grade: C+ (last month: A)
Samuel Eto'o played 90 minutes against Crystal Palace in a peculiar left-sided role, which didn't seem to suit him or the team. Other than that, he hasn't played more than a half.
He was excellent in a short cameo against Wolfsburg, holding the ball up exceptionally well and threading a pass through to Mirallas for Everton's final goal. His substitute appearance against Liverpool also coincided with a goal for his side, but his 45-minute showing against Swansea was disappointing.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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