After starting the season with 13 out of 15 points, Everton has been on the decline as of late
Everton were looking like a title contending team at the start of the season. They had won four of their first five matches, mainly beating mid to low table teams. Koeman and his team sat in second place, just two points behind Manchester City who were undefeated at the time.
After a 2-0 loss in the EFL cup to Norwich, it seemed Everton changed. They lost to Bournemouth 1-0, then had a pair of 1-1 draws to Crystal Palace and Manchester City.
Everton’s most recent blunder saw them lose 2-1 to Burnley after a 90th minute goal by Scott Arfield. Both Koeman and the fans knows they need to change something quickly if they want to stay in the race for the top 4.
Everton are still very heavily leaning on their main man Lukaku to create the chances. The players always look for him making a run in behind the defense, and he is usually the main target when it comes to set pieces and crosses. Lukaku has been providing the best he can, with two goals and an assist in his last 3 matches for the blues. The problem seems to be the lack of effort and form from other players.
Ross Barkley often comes to mind when thinking about how Everton will play that day. Most of the time, if Barkley has a solid game in midfield, dictating the tempo and picking his passes, Everton as a team seem to click. Barkley has not been at top form this season, bagging himself just one goal and one assist through the first eight league games. If Everton want to turn their season around, Barkley needs to step up his game, or Koeman will be forced to bench him again.
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The defense also comes to mind when talking about Everton’s struggles. They have not kept a clean sheet in their last five matches. They seem to let up sloppy, lazy goals that seem to be avoidable. Koeman will surely be preaching to his defenders to tighten up, with experience across the back line.
Everton’s next match comes against a hot West Ham team that has been on the up and up as of late. They host the Hammers on Sunday at 9:30am, with the match being televised on NBCSN. The Toffees will be looking to take all three points from this vital home fixture in hopes of reviving their recent drought.