Kevin Ratcliffe
Everton’s recent performances have come under scrutiny from their most successful captain, Kevin Ratcliffe. The former Wales skipper expressed his disappointment following Everton’s 2-0 defeat to Wolves, drawing parallels to their lackluster display in the Merseyside Derby against Liverpool.
Kevin Ratcliffe said: “The team that Everton put out should still have beaten Wolves. You can’t govern that the players aren’t going to be putting in a performance. I thought we were back to where we were on Tuesday night in terms of ‘we nearly got there.’ People were closing down, although it was half closing down – it wasn’t a high press – the first person I saw putting any real effort into closing down with real intent was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall when he came on for the second half. So, they can’t argue about that. Do they really want to be there now?”
He continued: “The second half performance against Liverpool was really good, but we seemed to have left it at Anfield in the first half in the cup – again. It’s disappointing because it felt like we were just going back to a year ago. What David has brought in is that willingness from every player when he puts on that shirt to give 100% and I just didn’t feel that. I’m not saying everybody, but it was back to ‘we nearly made the tackle, we nearly got there.’ I was really disappointed and hopefully it’s a one-off. We need to put that to bed because I’m sure David Moyes is not going to accept that.”
Ratcliffe’s comments reflect a broader concern about Everton’s consistency and their ability to maintain high performance levels. The defeat to Wolves mirrored their previous weekend’s performance against Liverpool, where they were criticized for backing off rather than taking the game to their opponents. Ratcliffe emphasized the need for Everton to regain their previous form, particularly against teams like West Ham, where they have also underperformed.
Ratcliffe added: “I think they need to get back to their previous levels against West Ham, although they’ve also under-performed in some of the other recent matches. Against Liverpool, we showed them too much respect in the first half. As talented as Arne Slot’s side are, when you get at Liverpool’s defence, they’ll concede goals. They’re not as good as defenders as people are making out they are and I think it’s been shown that when people are brave and go for it, they score goals against them.”
The former captain also touched on the issue of motivation and team selection, criticizing the decision to make seven changes to the squad despite having a full week to prepare for the next match. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the current devaluation of domestic cup competitions, lamenting the diminished importance placed on these tournaments compared to the league.
Ratcliffe concluded: “Seven is a lot of changes. I could maybe understand in a normal week, but they had a full six days before the next game. That’s my gripe that you could have started with your best team. You don’t know what goes on in training though as some people might have been carrying little knocks or whatever. I know these days that the league is a priority more than the cups. They’re seen as not being as important as they used to be. It saddens me because football should be about those glory days and teams like Everton are fielding weakened sides – even though they would say it’s still a strong team.”
Ratcliffe’s insights highlight the challenges facing Everton as they strive to find consistency and success in both league and cup competitions. His call for a return to glory days resonates with fans who long for the club to regain its competitive edge.
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