Can Everton Avoid The Drop?

Everton has suffered this season.

Poor results on the pitch and underwhelming performances by the Toffees have put Everton in grave danger of being relegated to the Championship next season.

With Everton being only one of a few teams that have yet to drop down since the premier league’s inception, this is a scary time for the Everton faithful, with every game till the end of the season feeling like a cup final.

Everton’s potential drop into the Championship is a frightening prospect for every Evertonian, with the Championship being notoriously difficult to escape.

Burnley’s Chances Diminished

It was the nail in the coffin for many when Ivory Coast winger Maxwell Cornet fired in a 3rd to secure Burnley the win at Turf Moor. However, a well-fought victory by the blues at home to Manchester United has kept Everton’s survival hopes alive and has put the pressure back on Burnley to respond.

Thankfully, Burnley is yet to win since their victory over the blues. A disastrous loss to relegation fighters Norwich City and a draw away to West Ham puts the Clarets 3 points behind Everton as of right now.

Another bombshell again hit Burnley with gaffer Sean Dyche, a man who’s spent a decade with the club was sacked with 8 games left. The relegation king was dethroned last week which came to the surprise of everyone. With Burnley in the midst of another relegation scrap, Dyche’s sacking puts the Clarets in a much more vulnerable position.

Widening The Gap

Everton has the potential to extend their lead by 6 points if they were to beat Leicester City this Wednesday. A game under the floodlights at Goodison Park makes for the perfect occasion for the Toffees to come out firing.

For Leicester City, they come off the back of a relatively tame performance losing out via a late goal defeat against Newcastle United at St James’s park. The Foxes look the unlikely team to make Europe this season, and Brendan Rogers’ team arguably don’t have much to play for, which sets up perfectly for Everton to get a much-needed win.

Who Are The Key Men?

Everton will be looking at their starting men to make the runnings in these critical last 8 games.

With the return of Yerry Mina looking imminent, Evertonians can hope and pray that the Colombians’ reintroduction can foster a more harmonic defensive lineup.

With the defence being the main reason the Toffees find themselves in this mess, Mina should add some much-needed commanding centre half action to stabilise the back four.

Fabian Delph could also play a crucial part in Everton’s survival hopes. The Ex-Manchester City man was a breath of fresh air as a holding midfielder and did well to bring back some fluency to Everton’s build-up play.

If Delph continues to carry on in the same vein and keep himself fit for the remaining games, the Bradford born could hugely impact Everton’s fight for survival.

Season standout Anthony Gordon will likely be a key man in Frank Lampard’s attacking plans. The Academy graduate has been a shining light throughout the season and looks to continue to perform to the very end.

The 21-year-old is blessed with the inner fight to help Everton stay up, and most will be sure the Liverpool born will be firing on all cylinders until it’s all over.

Everton will be looking at Richarlison to fire the Toffees forward in the final few games. Evertonians know better than anyone the quality Richarlison possesses. The Brazilian will look to end this campaign into double figures, providing he gets exemplary service.

Final Thoughts

If Everton is to survive, they must be mentally prepared going into these final few matches. Surviving relegation and dealing with the pressure is all about showing heart and determination. It’s all in Everton’s hands.