Former Everton star Andrei Kanchelskis has admitted that he always had doubts about the club's appointment of Rafa Benitez in the summer.
The Spaniard was appointed after the surprise departure of Carlo Ancelotti to return to Real Madrid in June, with the decision proving controversial among some sections of the fanbase.
A recent run of poor form, with the Blues' managing to go two months without a victory, has increased the pressure around the club in recent weeks.
And Kanchelskis has now opened up on his thoughts behind the appointment of Benitez and where he expects his former side to finish this season.
He told bettingexpert : “I have to be honest, I felt at the outset that his appointment was a bad decision, because of his history working with Liverpool.
"To me it almost feels like the decision-makers at that club don’t understand the fans, of which many were angry with the appointment.
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"He is clearly a great coach, but he worked at Liverpool, which obviously is a big rival for the club.
“Watching them this season and I think they can expect a top half finish, perhaps seventh at best – but I don’t see them finishing higher than that.
“They have been inconsistent and they have just one draw from their past five games – they need to get back into form and quickly. Some of the games they are playing at a good level, but there is no consistency in the way they play. That’s their problem."
Away from the manager, Kanchelskis also talked about the future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The striker has been missing for much of the season so far through injury, with his last appearance for the Blues coming in August's 2-0 win over Brighton.
Kanchelskis is desperate for the England international to stay at Goodison Park for the foreseeable future, but he knows that interested clubs will certainly be circling.
“I’d love to see Calvert Lewin stay at the club for many years to come," he added.
"I certainly hope he stays for a few more seasons and then you can perhaps understand if he gets an offer he can’t turn down in the coming years.
"Certainly, I hope he will score a lot more goals for Everton before he considers leaving! He is a great striker. I really like him.
"We’ve seen it before with Everton losing their best attacking talent though over the years, going back to Wayne Rooney, who moved to Manchester United and they could not keep hold of Lukaku who also moved to Manchester United.
“Every player wants to move to the big clubs. I love Everton and they have a great history and in the 70s and 80s they were dominating but it is not like that anymore.
"Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are at a higher level, and Everton are at risk of losing their best players if one of those sides comes in."
