"Billy" impresses on debut!
Ever since Diniyar Bilyaletdinov completed his transfer to Goodison Park, fans had been eagerly awaiting his debut and the Russian certainly did not disappoint with his performance last night against AEK Athens in the Europa League.
Starting the game on the left of midfield and having been compared to an Everton legend in Kevin Sheedy, "Billy" was under pressure to show fans why David Moyes paid nine million pounds for him but in the 50 minutes he played, he showed enough to make fans believe Moyes has once again found another gem.
Although he is not blessed with lighting pace, the Russian international showed he was a quality footballer.
Comfortable in possession, hardworking and excellent at set pieces, he was involved in three of Everton's four goals, and his creativity could prove vital for the blues in the coming weeks, and help take the creative burden off the likes of Stephen Pienaar and Mikel Arteta when he returns.
Although it is far too early to make a judgment on "Billy", as he will face far sterner tests in the coming weeks, the signs are positive that he has the ability to make an impression and if he can settle into the pace of the Premiership he could add another dimension to Everton's play as we saw during last night's impressive team performance.
Yes it can be argued that AEK were not of the highest quality, but as Debrecen showed on Wednesday against Liverpool, teams not blessed with the highest quality can still prove difficult opponents, and the way Everton dispatched of the Greek side reinforced the qualities which made them the fifth best side in the Premiership.
From front to back they were excellent. The partnership between Joseph Yobo and Sylvain Distin is improving each game; Jack Rodwell was once again excellent in midfield and Steven Pienaar continued his fine form but it will count for nothing unless they use this performance as a catalyst.
With winnable games on the horizon against Blackburn and Portsmouth in the league and Hull in the cup, it is essential the blues pick up maximum points and if they can reproduce last night's performance I am confident by the time the blues next return to Europe, Everton will have their domestic challenge firmly back on track.
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This piece was cogent, well-wtiretn, and pithy.