Could Everton be dragged into this season’s Premier League relegation battle?

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This time last year, Everton were managed by a serial winner in Carlo Ancelotti, who had won both the Premier League and Champions League in his illustrious career so far.

Fast forward to June 1st 2021, he had resigned from his position at the Toffees and the club were now looking for their sixth permanent managerial appointment since David Moyes departed for Manchester United in 2013.

At the end of the same month, former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was hired for the job at Goodison Park, a somewhat unexpected and therefore surprising appointment. However, he only lasted five and a half months and Everton now find themselves in the same position once again.

They have just five league wins from a possible 20 games, with four of those coming in their opening six games of the season. Their most recent victory came at home to Arsenal at the beginning of December with Demarai Gray’s last-minute strike saving their blushes.

Since then, the atmosphere around the club has worsened, and if nothing improves on the pitch soon, then Everton fans could find themselves staring at the face of relegation to the Championship.

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As it stands, Duncan Ferguson is the caretaker manager of the club for the second time, with his last stint in temporary charge coming in 2019 after the sacking of Marco Silva. He took charge of their most recent game against Aston Villa, in which they narrowly lost 1-0.

They are currently 16th in the Premier League having been in the top six of the table at the end of September and they have only fallen further down the standings ever since. The Toffees, who were playing European football as recently as 2017, could soon find themselves preparing to play in the second tier of English football at the end of the season.

Below them are Norwich City, Newcastle United, Watford and Burnley, all teams who have also certainly struggled during the campaign so far. They may be four points clear of 18th, but in reality, there are varying factors as to why Everton are not yet safe.

The Clarets, who sit rock bottom of the league, have had a number of games postponed as they find themselves with multiple games in hand. Should they win all those matches, they would overtake Everton in the league.

Newcastle United sit four points behind the Toffees, but their recent takeover in October could see them climb up the table during the second half of the season. They have already recruited Kieran Trippier, an experienced player who once played for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League as well as winning La Liga with his former club, Atletico Madrid.

While the January transfer window is only open for a limited amount of time as the month draws to a close, they still have the chance to make signings that could significantly improve their chances of survival. As well as this, their recent victory away at Leeds United may give Eddie Howe’s side a newfound sense of confidence.

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Everton may have the slight advantage of knowing they have a game in hand over 15th placed Leeds and three over Brentford who are one spot above them. However, their progress beyond these two teams, in particular, will be determined by how well they perform in their next few fixtures.

The Toffees will return to Premier League action against Newcastle after the winter break, a now monumental fixture considering the situations regarding the two sides. A win against the Magpies, as well as fellow strugglers Leeds, would surely strengthen their fight for survival. It is these upcoming games and those up until the beginning of April that will define their season and determine whether or not they can survive the drop.

Throughout their final eight games of the campaign, they will face the likes of West Ham, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester City and Arsenal. This means they will need to secure their spot in next season’s Premier League before this run of fixtures, otherwise, survival may be a foregone conclusion.

Everton no doubt have the quality in their squad to climb back up the table and avoid any potential dogfights for safety especially with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jordan Pickford and Richarlison at their disposal.

However, they need to ensure that their next permanent manager has the ability to launch some fight back into this team, otherwise, they could see themselves relegated for the first time since 1951.

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