The month of March has come to a close, and Everton secured 6 out of a possible 9 points and kept themselves well in the hunt for a coveted spot in a European competition next season. There were several standout performers in the month of March, and the Toffee Blues contributors have once again lodged their votes for who shined the brightest for Everton.
FOURTH PLACE (1 VOTE-T) – Dwight McNeil & Iliman Ndiaye
Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil split a share of fourth place in this month’s Player of the Month ratings, receiving one vote apiece. McNeil had a solid month of March after returning to the starting eleven at the end of February for the first time since a 0-1 victory at Aston Villa in the middle of January. McNeil started all 3 matches in the month of March, playing at least 78 minutes in all three matches, two of which were victories for Everton. McNeil looked to recapture some of his old form in March after a slow start to the season and has seemingly earned the trust of the manager back. Although he has not lined the stat sheet, his work rate has been much improved since his return to the starting eleven, and has offered the blues a reliable option at winger that the manager knows will track back and defend, contributing to fortifying the Everton defense. He has received criticism throughout this campaign, and despite a near move to Crystal Palace in the January window, it has been a welcome addition see Dwight back in the starting eleven and contributing to the success of the side following the injury of Jack Grealish.
Ndiaye has continued to be one of the first names on the starting eleven week in and week out, and had a stellar month of March as well. He notched an assist on a beautiful weighted ball to Keirnan Dewsbury-Hall against Burnley, and scored one of the best goals you will see from an Everton player this season against Chelsea. His ability on the ball has been proven time and time again, alongside his ability to pick out a brilliant effort in the top corner when you expect it the least. His nine goal contributions is near the top of the pile for the blues this season, and despite being the focal point of nearly every opposing side’s defensive gameplan, Ndiaye has continued to get Mykolenko involved in the attack and work magic all around the pitch. A well deserved nod for player of the month in the month of March.
THIRD PLACE (2 VOTES) – Jordan Pickford
It is no secret that England’s No. 1 and Everton’s very own Jordan Pickford has been a miracle worker in net for Everton this season. Following up his award winning save against Newcastle in February, Pickford kept two clean sheets in the month of March, including show stopping saves against Burnley and Chelsea. Pickford made 4 saves in the eventual 0-2 loss to league-leading Arsenal, and has been an influential figure for the blues all season. His 11 clean sheets rank only behind Donarumma at Manchester City and David Raya at Arsenal, and are a testament to his uncanny knack to make an unbelievable save seemingly every week. It has been said time and time again that there is no telling where the toffees would be without Pickford in net, but his 10 saves across the March matches give you a pretty good indication of his influence on the side.
SECOND PLACE (5 VOTES) – Beto
Receiving 5 votes for Player of the Month, Beto slots in very respectfully at second on the list this month following one of if not his best performances in an Everton shirt. He started all 3 matches in the month of March, capping off the month with a spectacular 2 goal and 1 assist performance at Hill-Dickinson Stadium against Chelsea. His first goal against Chelsea came from a fantastic run off the defender, where he latched onto a brilliant through ball from James Garner before deftly chipping the finish over Sanchez in the opposition net. He followed it up with a powerful second finish, latching onto a ball from Idrissa Gueye before lashing the ball with venom through the legs of the keeper to make it 2-0 and put the game out of sight. His header down to Ndiaye to create for the third goal capped off a brilliant afternoon for the striker from Guinea-Bissau.
Beto is no stranger to midseason purple patches, and has seemingly found one at a time where Everton needed him the most. His ability to impact matches beyond putting the ball in the net has been one of his biggest improvements this campaign, with greatly improved hold-up play and a far more robust ability to link the play and get attacks moving forward. As of this writing, he has scored 4 goals in his last 5 matches, and has cemented his place in the starting eleven, and more importantly earned the trust of the manager. Everton will need him to continue to be an influential figure should the club finish the fight and qualify for European football for next campaign.
FIRST PLACE (12 VOTES) – James Garner
Unsurprisingly, James Garner’s brilliant month of March earned him 12 votes and the award of Toffee Blues Player of the Month for the month of March. His brilliant play in March earned him a call-up to the English national team for the first time in his career, where he started and played 69 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Uruguay, and made a 19 minute cameo against Japan. For his club, Garner bagged 2 assists in the month of March, the first off a brilliant free kick against Burnley, which was finished off by James Tarkowski, the second of which was the aforementioned brilliant through ball against Chelsea to set up a deft chip from Beto.
Outside of his goal contributions, James Garner has reinvented himself this campaign under David Moyes, and has cemented himself as one of the most reliable players in the Everton eleven. He has demonstrated an ability to make pinpoint passes, but has also shown a stark willingness to defend, diving in for tackles and tracking back to protect Idrissa Gueye and the toffees’ back line. He has completed a brilliant 88% of his passes this season, and has flown around the pitch with an eye watering 95 successful tackles and 53 interceptions. Following several seasons where it was clear the blues needed midfield upgrades, it has been a massive contribution that one of those upgrades came from Garner, someone who has been at Everton since the 2022/23 season. Garner has been nothing shy of brilliant in the month of March, and captures a well deserved Player of the Month.
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