In the last decade, we could ask this question about Aston Villa, West Ham or Newcastle. All of those clubs are about the same size as Everton, all of which should be comfortable in the Premier League’s second tier behind the big six, or else want to make their own way into the big six. And yet, the following three teams have all been relegated at some point in recent history. Everton seem desperate to join them.
Everton lost their fourth straight Premier League game yesterday to Wolves, and doing so looks tasteless. They only made 0.35 xG, in a game where they lasted for basically half. They only had two shots on target the whole game. It was their fifth loss in six league games since appointing Frank Lampard as manager. His only win in the tournament was against a Leeds team that had abandoned Marcelo Bielsa and were providing all the defensive resistance of a puppy demanding a belly rub. Lampard has had two more FA Cup wins, and one of them against a semi-professional team. No, seriously.
It all leaves Everton in 17th place, just one place above the relegation zone, with the same number of points as Watford below and only a goal difference that keeps them from seeing a red square next to their name. their on the board. The Toffees have three games in hand with teams around them, but those only matter if you win any of them. They can? We’ll come back to this a bit later.
While Lampard had a good season as Chelsea manager before things went awry, this idiot declared he is a difficult touch to make, thanks to the effort (or inertia) of his goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. In a season when Chelsea were banned from transfer, Lampard received some praise for being tactically flexible and switching his team to whatever system was required. He tried this at Everton, but it feels more like he’s scratching and scratching to find anything that might work the way someone is watching the water level rise rather than just solving the opponent’s problem first. his face.
Lampard has tried all of the 3-4-3, or 4-2-3-1, or 4-4-2, or 4-4-3 formations, and none have really worked. In the six league games Everton have played under Lampard, they have averaged just 0.75 xG per game. And that includes the laser tag game they played against Leeds. They only scored 4 real goals, 3 of which were against Leeds. Their last four matches had only four shots on target. Take away the win over Leeds, and they have six shots on target in five games. Remember when Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck bent Elmer Fudd’s rifle toward him? That’s basically what Everton have.
Meanwhile, on the other end, things are not much better. They gave 20 shots to Newcastle, 19 to Southampton, 13 to Man City (which is their best), 14 to Spurs, and 14 to Wolves yesterday. And Wolves are the strongest attacking force you can find in England.
They have surrendered more than 2.0 xGA in three of their six games under Lampard, and that is quite extraordinary. And Newcastle, City, Wolves and Spurs have all surpassed the expected numbers they should have, leaving one to wonder if Lampard is a curse for any goalkeeper from his perspective. are not.
It sucks when you can’t score and lose the chance to fight back. So how bad can it get? If there is salvation to be found, it can be far away. Thursday saw a resurgent Newcastle visit Goodison Park. After the international break, Everton marched to Watford, and a win there would keep them out of trouble. But a loss will make them search something like this. They still have to face West Ham and Manchester United, and both will be chasing the last spot in the Champions League. They still have to skip Stanley Park to meet Liverpool, the team that will try to chase Man City to win the title. Chelse still had to visit, even though they had their own problems. It’s not a bright picture. There’s another tight game against Burnley that has yet to be rescheduled.
If there’s any spark, it’s a home game against Crystal Palace and Palace won’t have much to play with. The final three games could be where Everton can really save themselves. Leicester City’s season will end well and indeed. Brentford is likely to save himself from relegation. And on the last day of the season. Arsenal can (and should) get the last spot in the Champions League. That’s three matches against schedule-only opponents, maybe. But if Brentford is not saved, and Arsenal still have to finish 4th, the rush will become really difficult.
Everton can be saved by teams below them just as bad. Burnley is currently at the scoring level of Beavis and Butthead. Watford really can’t defend. Everton don’t have to be good, they just need to crash less than those two.
That may be all the Everton supporters can hope for. With Lampard’s indecisiveness came an unanswered fear. The addition of Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek is supposed to liven things up. Alli is not playing often. Van de Beek produced the expected 0.1 assists while averaging one successful tackle per game. Richarlison’s offensive stats have plummeted and he struggles to get any shots on target as he bounces mid-wing, central striker or No. 10. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back back from injury but didn’t have enough strength, and could have Measure curtains in different apartments in North London.
Nothing was excavated in the defense. Séamus Coleman has died, Yerry Mina is unable to stay healthy, leaving Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey to try to hold the fortress. This was difficult to do when there was a runway running straight to them via van de Beek and any sloppiness between Allan and Abdoulaye Doucouré was crammed in the midfield.
So, yes, Everton can completely make themselves relegated. The three extra games they have is all they have to cling to, and that’s against Leceister, Burnley and Newcastle. You can easily see a scenario where they are ignored on those.
Villa, West Ham and Newcastle all didn’t think it was real until it happened to them. Reality is getting big in Everton’s view.
