Everton succumbed to a heavy 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday, which left them 15th in the league, just two points clear of the bottom three. The Toffees are no strangers to relegation battles, but could this be the season they go down?
Sean Dyche’s side face Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea before the end of the month, so the midweek game against Wolves is of huge importance. Everton could find themselves in the bottom three before the end of the week, and the difficult run of fixtures will only increase the pressure on Dyche.
Premier League Outright Market | Odds |
|---|---|
Everton to be Relegated |
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Everton’s Struggles in Front of Goal
Scoring goals has been a real problem for Everton. They have scored 10 goals in their opening 12 matches - only Southampton have netted less. Their xG of 13.39 is the fifth lowest in the Premier League. Dyche’s side have also squandered several opportunities, with only five teams underperforming their xG by a greater margin.
Everton’s attacking output has been a concern for quite some time. Since the start of last season, they have scored an average of 0.98 per game. Only Sheffield United and Southampton have a poorer scoring rate. Dyche’s team have scored just one goal in their last five Premier League matches.
The Toffees have also conceded an average of 1.62 goals per game, which is above the overall league average of 1.46. Everton kept consecutive clean sheets before the weekend, but it all unravelled when they headed to Old Trafford.
Manchester United beat Everton 4-0, and the defeat has probably dampened the mood in the camp. Both Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford, who have had challenging starts to the season, scored a brace.
Challenging Run of Fixtures
There’s more bad news for Everton. They have failed to win any of their last six head-to-heads with Wolves and have lost five. A win for Gary O’Neil’s side would see them overtake the Toffees, and Wolves have scored plenty of late. The Old Gold have scored 12 in their last five league games. Scoring just two goals could be enough to seal a win against a lacklustre Everton side.
Sean Dyche’s side round off the week by taking on Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side are flying high and will be eager to take on their local rivals. The Reds are on a seven-match winning run coming into the week and have only lost one of their last six encounters with the Toffees.
Arsenal await Everton on the 14th of December. Mikel Arteta’s side have title aspirations and have been lethal since the return of Martin Odegaard. Dyche’s side then face Chelsea before squaring off against Manchester City on Boxing Day.
With a difficult run of fixtures on the horizon, the Toffees could very well find themselves in the bottom three by the end of the month. Expect their relegation odds to shorten drastically if they come up short against Wolves.