Everton signed off with a win before the international break, but when league action resumes, they could find themselves in a tricky spot.
That win over Fulham was much-needed. It was a vital three points, a strong performance, and it all happened in front of a positive crowd at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Sadly, there’ll be no real momentum gained, as the Everton squad now splits up for the international break. When they resume, David Moyes will have to get his players on task immediately, or they’ll be sucked back into the relegation battle in no time.
That’s because, out of the next six fixtures, there’s a good chance Everton will end up with just one win heading into Christmas, which is far from ideal.
Manchester City v Everton - Premier League
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Upcoming games are incredibly tough for Everton
The first game back after the break is an away trip to Old Trafford for some Monday night action against Manchester United. Given their resurgence under Ruben Amorim of late, getting a result there will be no mean feat.
After that it’s a home tie against Newcastle United. Eddie Howe’s team are pretty unpredictable at the moment, so there’s every chance of a win for Everton at Hill Dickinson if the Magpies are on an off day. But, if they’re on their game and Nick Woltemade is firing, the Toffees will struggle.
Everton begin December with an away trip to the very impressive Bournemouth. While the Cherries signed off for the international break with a 4-0 drubbing against Aston Villa, Andoni Iraola’s side have proven they’re a force to be reckoned with this season.
MORE EVERTON STORIES
The most winnable fixture on paper for Everton is the clash with Nottingham Forest on December 6th, when Sean Dyche returns to Merseyside. Forest picked up their first win under the former Everton manager this weekend, but they’re still very much beatable.
The final two games before Christmas will be incredibly difficult, with an away day at Chelsea and a home game against Arsenal. Both teams have looked outstanding this year and possess enough quality to cause Everton real problems.
If the worst case scenario does materialise, we could see Everton go into Christmas with just 18 points on the board by gameweek 17. Interestingly, that would be one point more than they had at that stage last season, but as we know, that is not exactly a good place to be when it comes to avoiding a Premier League relegation scrap.
Arsenal FC v Everton FC - Premier League
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
We’ll know a lot about Everton by January 7th
Thankfully for Everton, the four games after that tricky run provide the Toffees with a much better chance of picking up some points.
On December 27th, Everton travel to Burnley in what could well be a six-pointer. Three days later they face Forest again; another game they’ll absolutely need to win.
Two home games follow, with Brentford up first and then Wolves on January 7th. While the former will be a tough test, Wolves have looked awful this season and appear to be relegation fodder for sure.
Picking up wins against the teams around you is the key to getting out of a relegation fight, and that’s exactly what Everton will need to do in the New Year.
If they can come out of that four-game run with nine points, Everton will be in a far stronger position and will hopefully have put some space between themselves and the teams below them.