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Everton v Burnley: Toffees must win last home game

By Matt Townsend

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Yerry Mina of Everton (C) scores his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Everton FC at Turf Moor on December 26, 2018 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Yerry Mina of Everton (C) scores his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Everton FC at Turf Moor on December 26, 2018 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) /
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The 2018-19 Premier League season is winding down towards its conclusion and Everton have one last home league game as they entertain Burnley on Friday night.

This has been another season of missed opportunities in my view. Everton have again failed to make any real impression on the Premier League and have also flopped horribly in the domestic cup competitions.

It’s immensely frustrating to look back and see how often the Toffees have seemingly sabotaged their own efforts. Needless basic errors and awful performances that have cost so many points and seen the team bundled out of both the Carabo and FA cup’s in the early rounds.

However there have been some real signs at last of genuine growth and improvement recently as the Blues have put together an excellent run of form at Goodison Park.

Successive home victories over Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have shown what this side is actually capable of delivering.

Everton have played some outstanding attacking football and have also kept clean sheets in all these matches, a really important step forward.

I have been critical of Marco Silva at times this season, questioning whether he was up to the challenge of turning Everton’s fortunes around. But recent games have begun to persuade me that he might be the right man for the job.

He seems to be finding a real balance in the team with a good blend of defensive solidity and attacking flair. Importantly he seems to have addressed one of the most pressing problems the Blues faced; the constant problem of conceding from set-pieces.

If this improvement continues, I will be more than happy to be proved wrong in my early assessment of the manager!

Everton need stability in order to make sustained progress, I think that’s something most Blues fans would agree on. So let’s hope that Silva can keep developing this team and add further reinforcements this summer.

Anyway turning specifically to Friday’s game, Burnley come into this match mathematically safe but keen to add as many points as possible before the season finishes.

They’ve had a very disappointing season, which never recovered from an early start due to Europa League commitments.

And the Blues produced their highest score of the season when they went to Turf Moor and won very convincingly 5-1.

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After a dreadful first half to the season, they have to some extent recovered the defensive strength that was fundamental to their unexpected seventh place finish in the last campaign.

However given how Everton dismantled United and overpowered both Chelsea and Arsenal to win comfortably, Burnley shouldn’t, at least on paper, present too many difficulties..!

But of course we’ve said that before on too many occasions this season. Well let’s hope that the Toffees can maintain their excellent recent form at Goodison and finish the campaign at home with another good win.