The fact of the matter is that the Toffees have only looked faintly convincing in a couple of games this season, and apart from the good win against Blackburn, those performances came against absolutely dreadful teams like AEK Athens and Hull’s reserves.
David Moyes’s men have found comfort in Europe so far this season, but they face their toughest test yet in the Stadium of Light tomorrow.
In terms of qualifying for the next stage of the Europa League we could probably afford to have one eye on Sunday’s trip to Bolton, lose in Portugal and not really suffer too much. However, Everton’s performance in front of the thousands of travelling supporters will be pivotal in shaping the confidence of the side and the whole atmosphere surrounding the club.
A no-show will just increase concerns about where the season is heading, but win, or at least play well against a proper European name, and the disappointments of the last fortnight or so will be all but forgotten.
As our old pal Rafa says: these are facts.
