Everton’s rollercoaster ride in the Premier League got snapped by a strong Tottenham Hotspur side. The Merseyside club hadn’t lost in the Premier League since their 1-0 defeat against Liverpool. But it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that Ronald Koeman has worked hard with the team and the results are clearly reflecting. The Toffees are currently in the seventh place and have a good chance to qualify for Europe. But with Yanick Bolasie out for the season, they have to tighten their grip for the remainder of this season. Despite their good performance, some of their players haven’t been up to the mark and the Dutch manager would be hoping to get the best out of them.
The Toffees were quite busy in the transfer market. They brought Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United and Ademola Lookman from Charlton Athletic. Everton have scored 44 goals so far in the English top tier and Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku has netted 18 amongst them. The 23-year-old has been a menace for the opposition defence this season and Everton depend on him heavily. The Toffees have a very important stretch of matches coming up and Koeman needs to field his best players in the best position to end the season on a high note.
A few players have to raise the bar of their game and we look at the three players who need to improve.
Ross Barkley
The 23-year-old hasn’t had the best of seasons. Much has been expected from the England international but he has failed to justify his talent. The gaffer had criticised the player on several occasions earlier but after deploying him in a slightly advanced role Barkley has started to flourish. He has netted four goals and has five assists to his name in the Premier League. But with the League set to enter its final lap, he must have to fulfil his potential on what he can truly deliver.
Aaron Lennon
The 29-year-old has made only six starts so far. With Bolasie out for the rest of the season, Lennon has to take this chance to clinch a spot in the starting lineup. He moved from Tottenham Hotspur last year on a permanent transfer after spending the year on loan at the Merseyside club.
Funes Mori
The defender has shown decent maturity for the Toffees this year. Everton is regarded as one of the best-disciplined sides in the Premier League so far but they need to attain a bit of consistency especially in defence. Funes Mori hasn’t been able to convince fully and needs to step up a gear or two.
