Having infamously not won a trophy since 1995, Everton fans must have been shocked to see 11 changes from their side that featured against Leicester City on Saturday in their EFL Cup clash with Bournemouth.
Inclusions for James Garner and Nathan Patterson were met with praise, but to see the return of so many figures who were instrumental in last season’s misery was a shock to most.
It was those usual suspects who once again let the Toffees down, in an embarrassing display which sets up the repeat fixture in the Premier League this weekend as must win.
Whilst Michael Keane was particularly shambolic, earning a 6.1 SofaScore rating, it was the performances from Tom Davies and Abdoulaye Doucoure who truly let the side down.
Their reluctance to give options to the three centre-backs often forced the play long, and with no aerial presence up front, it meant possession was relinquished with little pressure from the opposition.
The latter was particularly invisible throughout, as he continued to bewilder fans with his lack of offensive or defensive qualities.
When the Frenchman was first signed, he was billed as a powerful box-to-box midfielder who loved to score a goal, yet today seemed frightened to touch the ball at all.
He only recorded 28 before being dragged off with nine minutes to go, although it arguably should have been much sooner.
Even Asmir Begovic had the same number of touches.
Having not registered a single shot throughout the game either, his only shining moment was a through ball to Tom Davies which was subsequently blasted over, although that potential assist would have hidden what was another horrid display from Doucoure.
Having offered little going forward, zero clearances or interceptions and having competed in just four duels (via SofaScore), it further compounds his lacklustre and frankly lazy display.
With a 6.58 average SofaScore rating in the Premier League this season too, it is clear that his decline is much more severe than first thought.
With the summer arrivals of Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana and the resurgence of Alex Iwobi, tonight marked a huge chance for the 29-year-old to try and work his way back into the side.
However, all he has done is push himself even further out the exit door.
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