Prince Rupert's Tower
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What now for Everton

By Matt Townsend

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 05: Fabian Delph and Yerry Mina of Everton walk off dejected after the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Everton FC at Turf Moor on October 05, 2019 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 05: Fabian Delph and Yerry Mina of Everton walk off dejected after the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Everton FC at Turf Moor on October 05, 2019 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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As I suspected might happen, Everton slid to their fourth straight Premier League defeat at Burnley yesterday. So what now for the club and manager?

The loss at Turf Moor yesterday was a really damaging defeat for Everton and included yet another sending off, this time Seamus Coleman. It does also really beg the question what on earth do the Blues do now?

I wrote in my match preview that failing to get at least a draw from this game, could well spell the end of Marco Silva’s tenure at Goodison Park.

While I have never been sure he was the right man for the job, I was hoping against hope that he could still prove me wrong.

But it seems that time is fasting running out for the Portuguese manager as Everton now face a few weeks off to contemplate the situation during the upcoming international break.

I suppose we have to look at yesterday’s game then.

The Toffees came into this match with confidence and expectations equally low after a poor run with losses at Bournemouth and then at home to Sheffield United and Manchester City.

Burnley’s strong and direct style was always going to be a test for a Blues team struggling with constant defensive fragility.

That indeed proved to be the case as once more for the umpteenth time, Everton conceded from a set play as Jeff Hendrick scored what proved to be Burnley’s wining goal from a corner.

I’m getting so sick and tired of this constant weakness that is costing the Toffees so many avoidable goals. I’d like to see some stats showing how many more points Everton might have gained if the team hadn’t let these goals in.

As I’ve said before several times, its this failure to sort out and deal with the basics that makes me most angry at the moment. You simply cannot win football matches if you keep gifting the opposition goals like this!

Marco Silva kept faith with Morgan Schniederlin in midfield and the team looked on-paced and unable to play with any urgency, energy and drive.

Then there is the other constant problem at the opposite end of the pitch; Everton’s chronically goal shy forwards.

Yesterday Alex Iwobi missed several great chances that might still have won Everton the game.

He’s the latest Blues forward to pass up chances to win a game. Already this season there have been a number of good chances squandered by forwards including Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

And £25 million signing Moise Kean has still to find the back of the net either. His arrival was always a bit of gamble given his youth and inexperience, and so far at least it’s not worked out.

A while ago I wrote about some of the forwards in Europe who I thought Everton should look at and one of them was Sebastien Haller. He looked an ideal centre-forward for the Blues and a player likely to be successful in the English game.

He of course signed for West Ham this summer and although he wasn’t at his best last night, has proved a sound acquisition.

I think that despite his lauded reputation, it seems that a few of Marcel Brands signings, like Kean, are coming under more scrutiny.

Well anyway that’s a bit of a diversion and for the moment the Toffees have to try to make the most of the forwards they have.

I also thought that the attempt to change the club’s culture was an interesting one and I certainly hoped, would be a successful one. But it’s not at the moment proving to be the case.

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Perhaps we have to now tear that up and get back to basics with a manager who can make Everton a difficult team to beat and rebuild from there, like a David Moyes type character?

And I know that many Evertonians will say we can’t just keep ripping things up and starting again every one or two seasons but maybe that’s really all that a club in the Blues position can do.

However whether a change is made again soon, it seems impossible for things to go on like this for much longer. At any rate the club hierarchy have a lot to think about over the next few weeks.