After three- straight losses, a visit to Fulham could be the tonic for Everton’s ills.
Carlo Ancelotti must have been glad to see the international break as his Blues’ squad haven’t won for four matches, after opening the season with four straight wins.
Currently, Fulham are in 17th place on 4 points and are just a point out of the relegation zone. The Toffees are in seventh with 13 points. So on paper, it looks like the numbers are in Everton’s favour.
However, Ancelotti said in his Friday press conference
"Fulham didn’t start well the season, but it will be an important game because we lost last three games.We want a reaction, we want to come back and play well las we did the start of the season.There is a pressure on us, and there has to be as we didn’t do as we wanted in the last three games."
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Ancelotti will welcome back Richarlison after a three-game suspension and the Brazilian does have a talismanic effect on the Royal Blues, as they haven’t won in any of the eight games he missed.
Fulham have one win this season and this season, London is looking like a good place for the Toffees to visit as they have won their last two visits to the capital.
But the Merseysiders still need to be careful. In the last meeting, Fulham won 2-0 at Craven Cottage. Fulham had already been relegated. The Royal Blues in the past have had issues with teams facing relegation. However, Ancelotti looks to have instilled a different attitude.
Two Fulham players have links to Goodison Park in Ademola Lookman and Antonee Robinson.
While Lookman put his name in the headlines by missing a penalty at West Ham. He made a good impression early on after joining Everton from Charlton as scored the fourth goal in a win against Manchester City. He moved on to RB Leipzig for a number of reasons and is currently on loan at Craven Cottage.
US international left-back Robinson came through the the academy but couldn’t break into the first team, finally ending up at Wigan before moving to Fulham this summer.
This a match that could have tripped up Everton, before Ancelotti took over. However, the Italian has altered the attitude in the squad. Plus, with Richarlison back and Dominic Calvert-Lewin proving lethal in the box, Everton surely have too much firepower for Fulham.
What do you think? Will Ancelotti’s men regain their lost with a win at Fulham?