We’ve now got a six-week break which is going to seem like a long one for all the Evertonians but when we get back we know it’s going to be a difficult second part to the season for everybody with games coming thick and fast and do we have the squad to deal with that? If we go off the last two performances, it looks like we haven’t.
I think Frank Lampard and his coaching staff need to pull a few more players one-to-one. He was a great player and is a fantastic character who comes across great on television as someone who is honest and knows his football really well but I wonder whether the players are too comfortable.
Has Frank got a nasty side? Will we see the other side of him?
That could come in the shape of dropping players, no matter who they are. Does he have that ruthlessness to think ‘I need to put out a team that’s best for the football club’, rather than always relying on the same individuals?
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As a manager, you do have your favourites I suppose but sometimes that doesn’t work. Maybe he needs to put a bit of fear into these players?
If they don’t play well then sorry you’re out because we’ve had too many apologies at Everton Football Club, we want to see a reaction and for them to leave everything out there on the pitch because if you show that then the supporters will forgive you. The fans have been brilliant, helped the team get over the line last season and they’ll always be there but the players can’t count upon them every week if they’re putting in poor performances like they did twice at Bournemouth, it’s down to them to do something to give the fans something to shout about.
It’s going to be a huge opportunity for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to get himself fit, which will be a bonus, but we need more than that. We can’t rely on having him available, week in, week out.
We’re going to need reinforcements and a different way of playing to get the most out of this squad. What we’ve been seeing right now and how Frank has been setting up his team hasn’t been working.
We have to be realistic, and I try and be realistic in this column but we are where we are and we need improvements for the second part of the season. We’ve still got to play the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City both home and away.
Everybody needs to take a look at themselves in the mirror and ask whether they’re doing enough or just passing the buck. We’ve brought people like Dwight McNeil in to create more opportunities but is he doing that?
It leaves you wondering how and where we are going to start picking up points. We’ve only won three games out of 15 and we probably need to find at least nine more victories after we come back.
Last season was very tough mentally for everyone involved which meant there was no real break over the summer but now there’s a chance to recharge and reset for the bulk of the squad who aren’t going to the World Cup. They can go on holiday for a couple of weeks and smile with their families and the feeling on their shoulders will feel a bit lighter but when they come back, they’ve piled that pressure on themselves.
From the outside looking in, it seems that when things don’t go right for Everton it’s like a house of cards that just falls with things collapsing very quickly in dramatic fashion. It’s going to be a real slog for everyone concerned in the second part of the season – fans included – and the players will have to dig deep.
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