As Everton walked off the pitch after their 2-0 loss against Arsenal, reality well and truly set in.
Everton have slumped to 14th on the table, with 1 win in their last 10 league games, and relegation is very much a possibility for a team that spent most of last season knocking on the door of a Champions League place.
Where has it all gone wrong?
Last season Roberto Martinez was praised by Everton supporters for the change in direction and style he brought. Everton were pleasing on the eye and a more attacking mindset was a pleasant change from the defensive, rigid performances seen under David Moyes.
Everton were rewarded with a fifth-place finish and a points tally of 72, their highest in the Premier League – a total that in many years would have been rewarded with Champions League qualification.
However Martinez has faced a lot of criticism for performances this season, some believing his position as manager is under threat despite signing a contract extension last year.
Everton’s strength in recent seasons has potentially been their downfall: a tight-knit playing group, but also a small squad that can struggle when injuries hit. The added games of the Europa League no doubt has had an effect on league performances, as for the most part Everton have the same squad as last season.
A major concern for the Toffees is failing to translate possession into goals. While Everton have only had 1 win in the last 10 league games, they have had more possession than the opposition in 7 of those matches.
Some of the stats are extremely one-sided, such as the game against West Brom last month. Everton had 73 per cent possession, 17 shots to 4, 8 corners to 1 and West Brom struggled to get out of their half for 90 minutes. But the game ended in a 0-0 draw. It seems many teams are content to let Everton have possession in the back half if they will not penetrate, which has led to questions over Martinez’s flexibility toward tactics.
Questions are also starting to be asked about team selection, with severely out of form players, such as Gareth Barry, continuing to be picked every game. John Stones and James McCarthy are two players who have missed extended time through injury but injuries are a part of sport and Everton have struggled to cover their losses.
But what makes Everton’s league form so baffling is their performances in the Europa league have been quite the opposite, and they now find themselves in the final 16. Everton qualified top of their group, unbeaten in six games. This included results against teams that are no mugs, including two games against Wolfsburg who are currently second in the Bundesliga. Everton also destroyed BSC Young Boys over two legs, scoring four away goals and a 3-1 win at home last week.
However rather than being full of confidence, Everton had the complete opposite mindset when they went to the Emirates to take on Arsenal. Three defensive midfielders started the game in Barry, Muhamed Bešić and James McCarthy. With Everton chasing the game, Darren Gibson was introduced in the 84th minute, while striker Arouna Kone sat on the bench with Everton in need of a goal. It is these kinds of tactics which have many Everton supporters scratching their heads.
Everton now have some important decisions to make. Do they put all their efforts into the Europa League? Or do they need to re-assess priorities and get their league performances in order? Ideally Everton would look to perform well in both, but they might just need to pick one. Many teams have had the conundrum in the past and Everton is another club struggling to juggle domestic and European ambitions.
Winning the Europa League or even making the final would be a wonderful achievement, but it will be quickly forgotten if Everton get relegated.
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