NOT SUCH A BRAVE ROO WORLD
Revamped Everton fail to sparkle despite return of prodigal son Wayne
IT was billed as the Return of the King, but in the end it was that little Everton prince who provided the majesty at Goodison.
While all eyes were on Wayne Rooney, the striker receiving an emotional welcome on his second coming, Leighton Baines – a quieter kind of Everton hero – ensured the coronation did not fall flat.
There was real potential for horror with Ruzomberok, the tiny team from the Slovak town famous as the birthplace of scary movie perennial Peter Lorre, defending deep and happy to concede 80 per cent possession to the home side.
And they so nearly frustrated Rooney, who had an impressive game, showing all his experience and wiles in leading the line in such a robust, oldfashioned style.
He had chances, and looked far sharper than most critics predicted.
But it took two good saves from Maarten Stekelenburg, with No.1-in-waiting Jordan Pickford watching, and then the crucial intervention of Baines to provide an important win.
The veteran left-back, who epitomises the Everton spirit as much as the impressive Rooney, was lurking from a corner, and when the ball reached him on the edge of the box he unleashed a strike that took a wicked deflection and fair screamed in the net.
It gave Everton a lead they will surely defend in the second leg, if not the emphatic scoreline their dominance suggested.
But even if the party went a little flat, it is only fair to point out they have played just three pre-season friendlies.
Indeed, this team barely know each other, with four players making debuts and one returning hero.
They will take time to bed in. There was promise in the performance of the news boys, particularly Michael Keane, Davy Klaassen and substitute Sandro.
But inevitably, magically, the night was about one man, and somehow, even in these cynical money-churning times where the romance of football has been suffocated by the weight of cash, Rooney’s return evoked a different era.
He even looked like one of the heroes of the past, barrelchested, military trimmed hairline, bolt upright almost to attention when the teams walked out, his focus a steely stare as though there was no room for sentiment.
Rooney’s performance too, had a hint of some of those ghostly greats that still haunt this historic arena, most notably the thick set, sturdy form Dixie Dean displayed in his latter years, holding the ball
with the rock-steady certainty of a wily pro.
His combinations with Klaassen showed a hint of real promise, the pair seemingly developing if not yet a true understanding, then at least shared technique and wavelength.
That produced some fine moments, not least when Klaassen produced a sublime one-two with Rooney to craft a glorious opportunity, but alas for home fans the shot was high, wild and far from handsome.
Much had been made of Rooney’s condition last season as he fell out of favour after injury at Old Trafford, but he looked fit and eager here, and was undoubtedly Everton’s most influential player in a one-sided first half, which saw the Merseysiders dominate possession.
He had his chances too, one turn and shot on his left side a vintage snapshot of his enduring talents, the ball going just over.
The former England skipper should perhaps have scored after a cute ball from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but he fell backwards just as he shot from close range, and could not get enough purchase on his effort.
It produced much admiration from a crowd who had filled every seat available – refurbishment work at Goodison meant the stadium had a reduced capacity for this tie – and whose eagerness for every touch of their returning hero spoke volumes about his impact on them . . and not just because of his Everton jimjams.