Frank Lampard has an important five weeks as he attempts to plot Everton's way out of a relegation battle and the Sydney Super Cup could provide a useful opportunity as he works on his plans.
Everton sit just one place and one point above the relegation zone after a miserable final week before the World Cup break in which they lost twice in the Premier League and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup. The mood entering the break could have been so different with better results but instead supporters are now worrying about another survival fight.
The halt in the domestic calendar does give Blues boss Lampard an opportunity to work with his squad away from the pressure of the league schedule, though, time that may be crucial as he lays the foundations for the second half of the campaign. Here are some of the main points he and his coaching team may be able to work on.
Finding a breakthrough as he attempts to kickstart Everton's frontline
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is not in Australia as he continues his injury recovery and several other stars are missing due to international duty. Yet while Lampard 's options are limited in some areas of the squad, he has most of his frontline available Down Under. The hope is that Calvert-Lewin will return to fitness and then find form, while Everton are also treating the forward line as the priority as the club looks to the January transfer window. Yet the coaching team will also need to find ways of exploiting the strengths of those already at Goodison Park. Neal Maupay, Anthony Gordon, Demarai Gray and Dwight McNeil are all in Australia and the games with Celtic and Western Sydney Wanderers, as well as the training sessions, offer more time for finding a formula that gets the best out of those players.
Deciding who will win the race to stand-in for Conor Coady
Everton's first game back after the World Cup break will be the Premier League tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day. The Blues will be without key man Conor Coady, who will be ineligible as Wolves are his parent club. Lampard will therefore need to find a partner at the back for James Tarkowski. He will have the newly-fit Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and potentially Ben Godfrey all competing for that spot, as well as Michael Keane, who has struggled for minutes this season. All of those centre-backs, with the exception of Godfrey, are in Australia, where they will have the chance to catch Lampard's eye.
Regaining momentum after frustrating finish to domestic schedule
The double defeat at Bournemouth and the home loss to Leicester City represented a terrible seven days for Everton before the season broke for the World Cup. By the final whistle of the Bournemouth league mauling, it was clear some fans were unhappy with what they had witnessed while the threat of another hellish relegation battle surfaced at the end of a week that started with Blues looking close to launching themselves into the top half of the table. The week became collectively more damaging and while Lampard needs to work out what led to his squad's intensity dropping, and prevent a repeat beyond December 26, the trip to Australia also provides a chance for the players to bond and find solutions themselves away from the pressure of the Premier League.
Assess the talent within the academy
One of few positives of that last week before the World Cup was watching inder-21s star Tom Cannon make his senior debut and then seeing him and Stanley Mills make their Premier League bows. They are among a talented group of youngsters trying to make the step up from the academy, including the likes of Isaac Price and Reece Welch, who are both among several starlets in Australia with the squad. Lampard is likely to experiment across the two games and, like with the summer US pre-season tour, this could be a brilliant opportunity for a youngster to make an impression.
Make final judgements ahead of January transfer window
It has become no secret Everton need to strengthen in January and the forward line is the main priority. But there will also be an emphasis on outgoings and it is not unreasonable to believe this trip could be pivotal to decisions on whether the club would be willing to let certain players leave, should interest arrive. Several of the players in Australia will also enter the final six months of their contracts in January and therefore this trip could be key to players like Tom Davies, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Yerry Mina and any contract discussions that could follow.
