Carlo Ancelotti will come full circle this weekend.
A home fixture against Burnley kicked off the Italian Era at Goodison Park on Boxing Day 2019 with a rapturous reception in the famous old stadium.
Unfortunately, that aspect of the match experience will still be conspicuous by its absence on Saturday evening when Sean Dyche brings his side back to L4.
But this weekend's opponents will face a different prospect than they did the last time they made the trip to the blue half of Merseyside.
In 2019, Everton were just beginning to find their feet once more after a serious loss of direction. There were still clear problems in the squad, but the bounce of having a new manager and the spirit injected by Duncan Ferguson were powerful tools.
A 1-0 win secured by the most likely of scorers when you look back, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, was enough to gain all three points in a match the Blues dominated, but looked for some time as if they would be frustrated in.
With 68% possession and 21 shots the hosts enjoyed relative dominance against a side that entered the match five points and five places ahead of them in the Premier League table.
A lot has changed since then.
Everton will come into this match 16 points better off than their opponents, having played a game less than them so far this term.
They are no longer a side desperately searching for direction, they are a squad that want to continue on their new-found path towards potential European qualification.
The setback against Chelsea is something to bounce back from, and there are certain qualities from their last home game against Burnley that the Blues will be looking to draw upon.
Ancelotti's first line-up was a strange one, something which would set the tone for his tenure up until this point really, with both Djibril Sidibe and Seamus Coleman starting in particular.
That in a way showed the relative strength that Everton had at the time in terms of right backs, but also a weakness in general on that right flank that still needs to be addressed to this day.
The system switched in the attacking and defensive phases, with the usual 4-4-2 noticeable when the Blues were out of possession.
Again, this is a trend that has continued long into the Italian's time at Goodison Park, even leading up to the recent 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Monday evening.
It's a system that the manager has always thought works best defensively, and he has married it more recently with a narrow diamond in midfield to eke out results against Southampton and West Brom.
Three of the players who made up the shifting midfield in Ancelotti's first game probably won't be starting next time around.
Sidibe's loan was not made permanent, Fabian Delph's fitness has been a concern throughout the majority of the season and Bernard finds himself on the periphery of the side.
That in itself shows a certain amount of progression, without it being a complete overhaul. It's been an evolution, rather than a revolution.
Now Allan will come into that midfield, perhaps Tom Davies will regain his place in the starting 11 too. James Rodriguez, if fit, could slot into one of those roles too - while Andre Gomes will be staking his claim.
In defence too there is increased competition. For Ancelotti's debut Everton game, his choice at centre-back was Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina - but Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey seem to be the preferred options currently in an intriguing battle for those places.
So in terms of pure personnel, the Blues do find themselves in a better position of course. But it hasn't been the complete turnaround that some might have envisaged.
Ancelotti hasn't revamped the entire playing squad, instead he added quality to important areas and focused on improving the tools he had at his disposal. It's a slower, more considered process - and one that will undoubtedly show long-term benefits.
But ahead of Burnley's visit this weekend, there's certain aspects of that match on Boxing Day in 2019 that the hosts will need to look back on.
Dyche will want his side to be as resolute as possible once again when they come to Goodison. They're four points above the relegation zone and don't seem in immediate danger, but he will want security as soon as possible.
And so Everton could easily expect a similar amount of frustration this time around as they did last time. The challenge again will be to break down a well-oiled unit at the back.
Eventually, it took a mistake from Dwight McNeil to allow the Blues their opportunity last time they secured a home win over the Clarets, with Sidibe then picking out a pinpoint cross for Calvert-Lewin to steer home via the post.
To do that took a lot of patience, however, no doubt helped by the encouragement of an expectant home crowd who did not want a repeat of the 0-0 draw against Arsenal a few days previously.
Everton were persistent in their attempts to score, even if the game did lack a certain sense of quality. They were dogged and eventually ground out the right result.
Sound familiar? It should, because that's a trend they have called upon a lot this term to get themselves into as strong a position as they are.
Patience again could be the key, but a chance for the Blues to really stamp their authority on a home match has been long overdue.
Everton have ground out strong results recently, but haven't quite hit the heights of technical attacking displays as they were showing at the beginning of the term.
As Ancelotti's tenure reaches a point of coming full circle, he'll want to see yet more evidence of the steady progression he has instilled at Goodison.
The more things have changed since that debut match in charge of the Blues, there are still certain aspects that will need to stay the same.
While the core reasons are different, beating Burnley is a must this weekend - just like it was in December 2019.
