Everton do not yet know who their manager on the first game of next season will be.
But they know who the opponents will be – Southampton, at Goodison Park.
It’s a relatively kind start and in actual fact the opening two months of the season aren’t as bad as they could be.
That means that whoever the new man in charge is has a great opportunity to make an instant impact.
That man could well be Rafa Benitez. His Liverpool connections mean that won’t go down well in some parts.
But at least he’d have a real opportunity to get some points on the board.
Making a good start to last season raised optimism around Goodison Park and it meant the season was spent in a European battle.
Perhaps it’s worth imagining the alternative. The unpopular appointment of Benitez is confirmed and Everton make an awful start to the season.
The atmosphere would be toxic. Everton’s fixture list now lessens the chance of that happening.
It offers a real opportunity to make some early running and change the mood around the club.
Whoever the new manager is will be grateful for that.
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