It’s not unfair to say that Everton’s early season feel-good factor has dwindled.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men suffered a 1-0 loss at Goodison Park to Leeds United on Saturday to make it just one win across their previous six league matches. Raphina’s late strike for the visitors also condemned them to a ninth straight league match without a clean sheet.
The defence has been one of their biggest problems for the bulk of this relatively short season so far, highlighted by the fact that there are now only two sides who have conceded more than their total of 17 goals against.
However, the attack has done a pretty good job of masking over these issue at the back, often managing to outscore opponents. In fact, the Blues had drawn a blank in just one of their league fixtures before Saturday’s loss to Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
The impact of their recent form is highlighted by the fact that heading into game week six, Everton sat top of the Premier League table and were the only side still undefeated in the division. Yet, following that run of four defeats in five matches, the Blues now sit seventh and five points off the table summit
In light of the above, it’s easy to see why there’s been a fair bit of doom and gloom descending over Goodison Park in recent weeks. Yet, it’s at this point where it is perhaps key to add some greater context.
With that in mind, the below is a rundown of the points Everton have accumulated after ten matches across the previous ten seasons.
As we can see, Everton have only picked up more points than they currently have after ten league games on three occasions across the last decade. They're also only three points worse off than in the 2013/14 season - the campaign in which they reached a total of 72 under Roberto Martinez.
There’s no doubt that Ancelotti has things to rectify within his Everton side. He must find a set up that delivers results when key players aren’t available, and he’s also got to find a way to plug his leaking defence.
Yet, a case can be made that the Blues have provided themselves with a solid platform in which to build upon across the course of the campaign. This could be the key message that Ancelotti needs to get across to his players as he attempts to help them rediscover their best form.
With tough fixtures coming up against Burnley, Chelsea, Leicester City and Arsenal, it’s important that they don’t over focus on what could have been and instead build on what they do already have, and that is a decent points return with plenty of the season still to go.
