Everton are not finishing in the top-six this season

On Sunday, Everton suffered an inevitable 3-1 defeat at Bournemouth. The reason the result was inevitable was that most Evertonian’s knew exactly what would happen before the game. We still hoped for different nevertheless.

However, there is almost a resignation due to the team’s habit of letting us down. It has been like this for far too long for Evertonian’s and it is the hope that kills you in the end.

Everybody was awful

I like Bournemouth and Eddie Howe. However, the Cherries did not have to be great to beat the Toffees on Sunday. Callum Wilson had not scored a home goal since January, so it was inevitable he would get on the scoresheet.

The thing is this happens so much to Everton that it is no longer funny, well not unless you support Liverpool, then you go out of your way to make fun of the Blues by going on the Everton Twitter and other social media and showing how much you don’t care.

However, those Reds had a right to take the mick on Sunday, as we were simply awful. Every part of the team produced awful performances. The standout pair for woeful ineptness was centre-back pairing Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.

These are international centre-backs, who have played in big tournaments and competitions. Yet, both of them seem to be terrified as soon as the ball comes near them.

Their lack of awareness and concentration was quite baffling during the 90 minutes. With different partners, they may do passable impressions of Premier League centre-backs. Unfortunately, together they look more like a comedy double act.

Maybe they will fill the gap left by the dearly departed Chuckle Brothers, it will be the only gaping the pair could effectively fill. They certainly were not filling the gaping hole in the defence against the Cherries.

The midfield and forward line were nearly as bad. However, If it were not for some woeful defending Marco Silva’s team may have come home from the south coast with something to show for their long trip.

Question marks over Marco Silva

What Everton have in boss Marco Silva is an unproven managerial quantity to put it nicely. The Portuguese boss shows some managerial acumen occasionally, but its games like yesterday where he seems to come up short.

He made the substitutes too late and failed to change a formation that has tried and failed to win their two previous away games this season, not to mention many from last season on their travels too. They have now picked up just one point from a possible three on their travels.

Everton are formidable at home, yet when they go away from home they look like a different team. Silva is not the only Toffees boss to have these troubles away from home though. The Merseysider’s have struggled for away wins in the Premier League for a good while.

However, it was Silva’s reaction to the deficit that Everton fans are asking about. He sat in the dugout with his head in his hands and a face like thunder. The former Watford boss could have been up and trying to motivate a comeback.

However, he seemed to just give up. The fact he brought on the hapless Theo Walcott for Richarlison confirmed that he had given up the ghost and was mentally on his way home. It is too soon to talk about Marco Silva leaving the club. That being said he does need to show more and stop making the same mistakes with his team selections and substitutions.

Everton not making the top-six

This season did look like a golden opportunity for a fresh team to break into that seemingly impenetrable top-six. Everton looked to be in with a fighting chance of finishing in those top-six positions this season.

The Toffees are now odds of 4/1 to finish in the Premier League top-six, with Leicester in comparison 2/1 to achieve the same objective this season. Nothing we have seen so far from Everton suggests that a top-six challenge is in sight.

The form towards the end of last season offered a hint that they could be capable of matching some of those top-six teams. However, since then the performances have been unconvincing, to say the least.

It is hard being an Evertonian and the start to the Premier League campaign has not helped either. Hopefully, at some point in the near future, the Toffees will resemble something like a Premier League team, as Evertonian’s are getting déjà vu at away games.

Who is responsible for Everton’s unconvincing top-flight form?