David Moyes has yet to speak publicly this summer, but the Everton boss took time in Stuttgart to sign autographs and pose for pictures with supporters who had made the trip. The Scot was part of a group that included James Tarkowski, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Garner, Harrison Armstrong and Hayden Hackney, who took a detour on their way to the team buses inside the MHP Arena to spend time with fans waiting outside the stadium's perimeter fence.
Fans' morale boosted
Moyes' decision to interact with fans set the tone for others to follow, with the players clearly more content to delay their departure after seeing their manager already involved. When the coaches later passed the Blues supporters, both drivers acknowledged them, boosting spirits as fans made the trek back to the city centre, where some made the most of another fine summer night in the stunning Schlossplatz, Stuttgart's heart.
Stuttgart test
The engagement came after the team were given a stern test by a Stuttgart side that has qualified for the Champions League and which carried a threat for large parts of a friendly they won with relative comfort – at least once Everton failed to make the most of their sustained spell of dominance after going behind, with Beto in particular missing several glorious chances.
The received wisdom is results do not matter in pre-season, though the late win over Hamburg last week clearly provided a boost the team carried through their week training in the countryside that skirts the eastern edge of the Black Forest. That position appeared to hold firm after the 3-1 defeat, particularly given the progress made by key individuals.
Branthwaite and Hackney progress
Chief among them is Jarrad Branthwaite, who started the game as captain. Both the feat of beginning successive matches after the hamstring problems he suffered last season and the opportunity to wear the armband pleased him, and he looks and feels stronger with every minute on the pitch. New signing Hackney also played a significant part in southern Germany and, like Branthwaite, now looks good as he attempts to put the setbacks that ended last season behind him.
Rohl impresses
Merlin Rohl's strong pre-season continued in Stuttgart, once he moved into a central role after the reshuffle caused by Tim Iroegbunam's injury. He created two excellent chances for Beto to end a period in which he has grown in stature in the Blues camp. Already popular, Rohl ended last season with the confidence inspired by his late run in the team and he has been Everton's best player in pre-season.
That form coinciding with a return to Germany, particularly the area so close to where he emerged at Freiburg, has put him in a comfort zone that has allowed him to continue his growth on and off the pitch. Not only has he become the face of the club's summer communications – understandable given his form and that he is the squad's German player – he has shown he can have value on the pitch to his team-mates. The return to an area he knows so well has also allowed him the chance to see familiar faces this week, a welcome opportunity for a young player who values close connections.
Pre-season preparations
With the Blues now returning to the UK – and with a game with Newcastle United in their sights – there is some uncertainty about how the Premier League will shape up. Eight clubs are set to begin the campaign with new managers – including Everton's first opponents, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. The players, though, certainly feel as though they are doing what they can to prime themselves for the new campaign.
From a fitness perspective, they have been fed a diet of regular double sessions since the squad assembled last month. Beyond that, extra sessions focusing on technical details and set-pieces have also been a feature of the work so far – though given the trouble posed by Stuttgart from corners on Saturday, more preparation is needed from a defensive point of view.
Right-back need
For all the belief the team is going about pre-season in the right way, there is an awareness inside the squad that another addition or two would be useful. Moyes again played Rohl and then Jake O’Brien at right-back ahead of Nathan Patterson, the only specialist in that position in the squad. No-one connected with the club is naive to the need for the arrival of a full-back Moyes has faith in.
That includes the Blues boss himself, who supporters are yet to hear from this summer in any capacity – including through club channels – but who made clear that he, too, felt there was a need to address that position repeatedly from January onwards. It also includes the fanbase. As the manager smiled for selfies and laughed with supporters after Stuttgart, there was no shortage of calls from the other side of the fence asking: "When are we getting a right-back?"
