Everton have had a difficult start to the Women's Super League season with the latest round dealing them a 5-0 loss to defending champions Chelsea.
The Toffees are currently sat bottom of the league table on goal difference. Everton have two points which is the same amount won by West Ham and Aston Villa.
However, Everton's ineffectiveness in front of goal is letting them down this campaign. So far they have conceded 12 goals and scored just one but that goal was an own goal by West Ham's Camila Sáez.
Everton's difficult season: What is going wrong?
There are several components as to why Everton have failed to hit the ground running this season.
The first is their injury list. It has been reported the Toffees have the third-highest amount of players injured in the top-flight this season. This includes their star summer signing in Inma Gabarro. The forward ruptured her ACL in the second game of the league campaign.
Manager Brian Sorensen is hopeful of bringing in a few players in the January transfer window to reinforce the side. He said: "We have season-ending injuries so we’re not going to get them back. We are looking and trying to find the right profiles.
"The takeover also has to get done and all of those things. That is out of my control . I’m only focused on who we have available and of course the targets I want it, we’ve already mapped them out and they’re ready so hopefully there’ll be more faces in in the winter window."
Another component is the takeover of Everton itself, according to captain Megan Finnigan. She told Sky Sports: "The club situation right now obviously isn't ideal and that is impacting the women's side in some ways. Once the new ownership comes through hopefully we can start seeing changes for the better because this league is ever growing.
"[The league] is growing so fast and that is why the standard is so high. Everton Football Club cannot be left behind."
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Those components add pressure to the attacking line to deliver goals but the lack of scores have put Everton where they are this season. If the issue is not fixed as the season progresses, in FourFourTwo's view they will be relegated. Sorensen has called for calm with performances not dismal but he did highlight the lack of goals as an issue.
He said: "I think looking back at our games this season, against Leicester we were the better team, should have won but we couldn’t score. West Ham, should have won, didn’t do it because we couldn’t score.
"Man United, better than United for 80 minutes but didn’t score. I think performance wise it’s been okay. We tried it last season and I think this group, when we have the knife on the throat, then we will be there. I’m not worried."
Next up in the league Everton will face Crystal Palace. A win against the newly promoted club could see them up to ninth in the table.
