Most Evertonians did not know how to react upon waking up on the 1st of September with a new record signing; a signing most will admit to having no prior knowledge of. The man was Belgian International Marouane Fellaini, and the price was fifteen million pounds in installments. The 21-year-old had put in two fantastic shifts against Everton's rivals Liverpool in Standard Liege's Champions League qualifier, and it was this Moyes admitted, that was the final persuasion needed to sign him.
And so, with a great price tag, comes great expectation. However, it was fair to say he looked largely off-colour in his first few games for his new club, showing lethargic touches and a lack of pace on a regular basis. His debut ended in a 3-2 win over Stoke, but his contribution was not the most impressive. He followed this with a series of average performances, and fans in the terraces started to wonder why he was worth so much.
This general wondering around Goodison lasted up until half time in the Manchester United game. In the second half, Fellaini came out and battered and bullied the United defenders all over the pitch, and he was completely unplayable. His rewards came early into the second half when he leaped like a salmon above the usually-dominant Nemanja Vidic to power his header into the far corner, sending Goodison into raptures. For a series of games after this, not only had he changed public opinion of himself, he had arguably changed Everton's season.
He followed this game up with a last-minute winner at the Reebok stadium, which again, sent the Everton faithful delirious, and also sent Fellaini's approval rating through the roof. All of a sudden, he was a cult hero. Those who had something negative to say about Fellaini found themselves in the minority, and no more was the importance of Fellaini visible than when he picked up a yellow card against Hull, resulting in his suspension from both derby matches at Anfield. Cue a chorus of boos from the Goodison crowd, aimed at the referee.
Then, he missed the two games against Liverpool through suspension, when Rodwell came in and did a superb job, and then suffered from a back injury, slowly playing his way back to fitness. After a series of performances that were below par by Fellaini's standards, some fickle Evertonians turned on him, questioning his price tag yet again.
Fellaini has answered his critics, in-turn, scoring an equaliser in the FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesborough, before sealing the game against Stoke with a beautifully-taken goal. So with two goals in his last two games, and six goals in his twenty-six appearances for the Toffees, why are so many Evertonians set against him?
There are those who say he is too lazy, and does not have the pace nor the energy to make a large impact on the Everton team. And there are those who say he was a panic buy, and does not have a true position. And finally, there is the criticism that Moyes should not have spent all of his budget on such a gamble, especially when he does not fit into the team.
It may be a cliché at this point, but it must be remembered that Marouane is still only twenty-one years of age, and is a young boy in a foreign country. His age may be just a number, but to make it relative, Fellaini is seven months older than James Vaughan and five months older than Victor Anichebe. The Belgian is also nearly eight years the junior of Tim Cahill, but it is easy to forget this due to the large physical frame he possesses. His tender age suggests that he will make major improvements in the future, especially in terms of the unnecessary fouls he often commits, and his positional awareness.
Furthermore, we must remember Fellaini was given a baptism of fire, and thrown into a team that had just lost 2-3 and 0-3 to Blackburn and Portsmouth respectively in their first two home games. He made his debut alongside players who were not in-form themselves, and was judged by a different ruler because of it. There may even have been complacency on Fellaini's part, thinking he would be the star player in the Everton team after completing the club's record transfer. If this was the case, he was widely awoken when he found himself alongside Yakubu, Jagielka and Arteta in the starting eleven.
It may also have taken Moyes a while to work out exactly what Fellaini's position is, and that is if he has even worked it out to this point. It could be he is still hedging his bets with where to play Marouane, because he does not seem capable yet of playing the holding midfield role, or the box-to-box midfielder role. However, it must be remembered that Tim Cahill could not operate in a 4-4-2 formation in his early Everton career, and has only recently proved his capabilities in that position against Middlesborough. Also, Mikel Arteta did not enjoy the most assured of games when playing in that centre midfield berth until he returned there earlier this season. As these two startlets for Everton have developed their talents in the Premier League, their abilities and their bodies have started to grow so-much-so that they can now operate in that position. The same could happen to Fellaini.
Another point to be made is that just because a player costs fifteen million pounds does not mean he is any better than the other players in the team, who cost considerably less. An example would be the comparison between the twenty-six-million-pound Wayne Rooney, and the twelve-million-pound Cristiano Ronaldo. It is not necessary to continue such an analysis, as the World Player of the Year is clearly the more important player for the Champions. I feel this applies with the Fellaini situation. Due to his lofty price tag, Evertonians are expecting Marouane to be a key player in the team, when in reality, he is just another piece in a carefully-constructed jigsaw.
The fans are putting different standards on Fellaini than any other player in the team, when in reality, he is not as wasteful in possession as Steven Pienaar, nor is he as lazy as Anichebe. Some of his hold-up play is absolutely sublime and he has already scored six goals in his first season in England. He is definitely an uncut diamond, and a diamond that will certainly shape itself into a much brighter talent, but he definitely needs to be given the time. Now that he dons the royal blue jersey, there is no positive effect in berating such a young player, and putting such pressure on him, especially since Moyes told the fans not to expect too much too soon.
Spending such an amount on a player who has not had a cataclysmic impact on the team is just a sign of the times. Evertonians want to compete with the very best teams in football, but do not want to spend anywhere near the amount, and it seems to be a confusion of ideals. With City spending thirty-two million pounds on Robinho and Tottenham spending sixteen million pounds on David Bentley, maybe it is time that the fingers pointed away from the player on the pitch, towards the executives in the Main Stand.
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