Here we go again as Everton face for the umpteenth time a ‘must-win’ match as they host Wolves at the Grand Old Lady on Sunday.
Obviously, three points are an absolute must this weekend but it’s very difficult to find anything positive to say about Everton after what was a truly horrendous defeat at Tottenham last Saturday.
I have to say I have lost whatever little hope or optimism I had remaining about relegation after that game and it seems to me this team really is doomed.
I wrote in my match preview to the Spurs game that the Blues’ desperately needed to start picking up a few points away from home if they were going to survive.
This side don’t appear to be in any way able to do so and looking at the last three away matches with a total of ten goals conceded, I wouldn’t expect the Toffees’ to pick up any points on the road from now until the end of the season.
So, the remaining home fixtures have taken on an even greater significance starting with Wolves on Sunday.
Everton’s form at home has been the only saving grace this season and the last few matches at Goodison Park have seen two very comprehensive wins and a really good performance against the champions Man City, which led to a very narrow 1-0 defeat.
There was also a far from convincing win over Boreham Wood in the FA Cup, which may have in part been down to a change of personnel.
The kind of performance seen against City will probably be necessary on Sunday to ensure the Blues’ can take three points from the game against Wolves.
I was unsure about Frank Lampard taking over when Rafa Benitez was finally sacked in January. But, like most Evertonians I wanted him to succeed and I was pleased to see him wanting to move the team towards a more dynamic, modern style of football.
It was good early on to see the Toffees’ pressing successfully and playing a more subtle kind of football through midfield.
However, he has made mistakes in his tactics in the last two games, playing Boreham Wood and then at Tottenham.
Against the National League side in the Cup, Lampard played a suprisingly defensive back three in the first half and that led to slow and methodical approach that played into the visitors hands, and made it much harder than it should have to break then down and win the match.
Then at Spurs, Everton played too high a defensive line and given the profound weaknesses of their defenders were exposed repeatedly to the home team’s counter-attacking.
Again, I would like to see a return to the kind of flexible tactics and performance that we saw against City on Sunday, but with a greater commitment to more pressing higher up, especially early on.
In pre-match news Lampard has confirmed that both Ben Godfrey and Demarai Gray are fit again and available for selection on Sunday.
I would like to see Godfrey come straight back into the side for one or other of Micheal Keane or Mason Holgate, I’m not sure which as both were so bad at Spurs. And, Gray should also return alongside Anthony Gordon and Richarlison up front.
Wolves are a good side who after an indifferent start to the campaign have improved a lot recently although they’ve lost three in the last four Premier League games.
Can these Everton players show some backbone and clinch those vital points? I suppose much depends on a really good strong start and the Goodison roar to help them do that.
We must all keep out fingers crossed that’s the case. Failure to win this game would seem a hugely negative outcome and possible one that’s impossible to recover from.