It's been a surprising middle of the season for Everton, as the Toffees have suddenly been thrust in to the midst of a run at a European spot at year's end.
That's particularly interesting because of how recently Everton found themselves fighting for Premier League survival, and it has been refreshing to be looking up at the table instead of focusing on the free fall.
Heading into this weekend's matches, David Moyes' side sits in 11th place with 47 points, a point behind Fulham and two behind Bournemouth in 7th, the final assured European position, although that could change based on other results.
But the fixtures don't allow Everton much room for error to close out the season.
The Blues will host Manchester City on Monday as they continue to fight for the league title, then travel to London (again) to take on Crystal Palace just six days later, before closing out at home against Sunderland and away to Tottenham, two teams who could have something to fight for on opposite ends of the table.
The fight isn't over, that much is true. But if results don't start to go Everton's way, especially over the next two matches, then some consideration needs to be made regarding the future of the club.
That sounds quite dire, and in some ways it might be. But it's fairly clear that the summer transfer window, save for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish before his injury, has proven to be a disaster for Everton.
Tyler Dibling was fought for but hasn't seen much time on the pitch, same for Adam Aznou and Merlin Rohl. Thierno Barry has been up-and-down, and now seems to be in a negative place in recent weeks as Beto's form has improved.
Moyes also doesn't seem to rate Charly Alcaraz, despite the Argentine showing his worth more often than not when he does get the chance.
That doesn't even take into account the two backup goalkeepers, which is not a big deal, or the usage of players who've been around for a while now, like Nathan Patterson or Harrison Armstrong, who just don't get chances to prove themselves under Moyes.
The Scottish manager has done great work with this club, taking them from danger to the cusp of Europe in a relatively short time. We've said before, it isn't time to oust him because of the positivity he's brought to the club.
But there needs to be some consideration about who is going to be ready to contribute to this team next year and beyond. It isn't going to be Dwight McNeil or Michael Keane, or even a key contributor like Idrissa Gana Gueye.
So the second the fire of this European dream is extinguished, the only concern should be for next season. And that means figuring out if these young players you've brought in have what it takes.
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