Everton’s daunting run highlights fundamental flaw in relegation argument

Are Everton too good to go down? The argument should now be: Are the Toffees good enough to stay up?

Never before in their top-flight history have the Blues played 25 games and been sat on just 22 points.

They are facing the prospect of returning to the second tier for the first time in 68 years as they sit one point above the Premier League drop zone.

Not just because of the position they’re in now, but also because of what is coming for Frank Lampard’s side.

If getting hammered 5-0 by Tottenham on Monday wasn’t enough, up next is the visit of Wolves.

Then a clash with fellow relegation battlers Newcastle before a run of West Ham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Considering they have won just two of their last 19 league games in a run which has included 14 defeats, it’s not easy to see how the Toffees get out of this situation.

“I’ve got no problem with the challenge because I knew exactly what it was when I came here,” said Lampard.

But did he really think it would be this bad?

The Everton boss can take solace from the fact out of four games at Goodison Park since he’s taken over they’ve won three.

But two of those have been FA Cup games and now next week’s quarter-final at Crystal Palace seems more of a distraction, which is causing a backlog in fixtures with four games now needing to be rescheduled.

Recovering from a one-sided mauling at Spurs is going to be difficult, too.

If Lampard wasn’t aware of the real character inside his dressing room, he would have surely found out on Monday night.

But it isn’t just character; there is a lack of form and quality all over the pitch, particularly in defence.

They’ve conceded 46 goals this season with only Leeds, Watford and Norwich letting in more.

Injuries aren’t helping, either, but there are no excuses for displays like the one in North London.

“It will be hard because people will throw some stuff at us for a one-off game, but what we’re doing at Goodison and the feeling of fans there has been a big deal,” Lampard said.

“We will need that going forward.”

What may save them is that their fate is in their own hands.

Lampard’s men have to face fellow relegation battlers Burnley, Watford and Brentford before the season is out.

But with that comes jeopardy if they slip up.

“I’m absolutely confident [of turning results around],” Lampard said in the aftermath of the Spurs hammering.

“That’s why I’m here. I wouldn’t have taken on the job otherwise.

“When I came in, the feeling was, ‘We could be going down here’. That was the feeling in the club and the city. It was up to me to change that.”

That feeling has only grown in the weeks since Lampard replaced Rafa Benitez.

Their seven remaining home games will also be crucial if they are to beat the drop.

Everton faced a financial headache last week when they had to suspend sponsorship deals worth around £20m with oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

But it would be nothing compared to the drop in TV revenue – currently around £120m a season – should they fall out of the top tier.

Lampard has a big job on his hands to avoid becoming the first manager to take Everton down since Cliff Britton in 1951.

It’s not a line he needs on his managerial CV.

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