Four things Everton must do to escape the relegation battle

After seeing their team flirt with relegation in each of the last two seasons, Everton fans could have been forgiven for hoping things would improve this term.

However, following an underwhelming summer transfer window, the Toffees look prime candidates to be battling against the drop again this season.

One point from their first four Premier League matches further dampened the fans’ enthusiasm, and their mood will not have been helped by developments on online sportsbooks.

It is a measure of how far Everton have fallen that several football betting sites rate them as 11/8 shots to finish in the bottom three at the end of the campaign.

Only newly-promoted Luton Town and Sheffield United are shorter than Everton in the relegation market – a sad state of affairs for this once proud club.

With that in mind, we look at the four things Everton must do this season to escape the Premier League relegation battle.

Turn Goodison Park into a fortress

If Everton are to have any chance of avoiding the drop this season, they need to significantly improve their form at Goodison Park.

Punters backing the Toffees on the best football betting sites had a hard time of things last term, with the team winning just six of their 19 outings on home turf.

Successive 1-0 home defeats against Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the start of this season highlight the difficulties Everton face.

Sean Dyche’s side simply cannot afford to continue in the same vein if they are to have any chance of retaining their top flight status.

They will need to win at least eight or nine games at home to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding relegation to the Championship.

Everton created enough chances to win each of their two home games this season – they need to start converting those opportunities, and quickly.

Get their forwards firing

If you are partial to football betting online, you would not have got rich by backing Everton’s strikers to get on the scoresheet this season.

Injuries issues have limited Dominic Calvert-Lewin to just 38 minutes of first team football and Dyche will be desperate to see him return to action soon.

Calvert-Lewin has previously proved he can score goals in the Premier League, but his inability to stay fit casts serious doubts over his long-term reliability.

Summer signing Beto has been brought in to provide competition for Calvert-Lewin and he looked a handful on his debut at Sheffield United.

Dyche is unlikely to play both strikers at the same time, but will be hoping their respective presence in the squad spurs on both players.

If both strikers can hit double figures this season, Everton will have a much better chance of getting the points they need to climb the table.

Resolve the club’s investment issues

American investment fund 777 Partners have sealed a deal to acquire Everton, ending months of uncertainty over the club’s future.

The Miami-based investment fund already has a sizeable football empire having acquired Hertha Berlin, Genoa, Standard Liege and Vasco da Gama.

The takeover ends the Farhad Moshiri era at Goodison Park, which will be music to the fans’ ears.

Moshiri will argue otherwise, but his tenure at Everton has been nothing short of disastrous and he will not be missed.

While questions have been raised about 777’s suitability to run the club, you would be hard pushed to imagine they could be any worse than Moshiri.

Everton need financial stability off the pitch if they are to have any chance of enjoying success on it – let’s hope 777 Partners deliver.

Stick with Dyche and back him in January

Dyche has been doing his best to manage expectations at Everton – an inevitable reality given the ongoing mess behind the scenes at the club.

While most football betting platforms had other targets ahead of Dyche before he got the job, he was unquestionably the most sensible appointment they could make.

Dyche worked wonders with limited resources at Burnley before the wheels eventually fell off and he now has a point to prove with a club in dire need of a pick-me-up.

He is well-versed in battling against adversity, and often upset the football in-play betting oddsmakers by producing surprise results with the Clarets.

Everton must stick with Dyche this season as further managerial upheaval would be counter-productive to their hopes of staying up.

The new owners must also back Dyche in January to allow him to improve a squad that has been badly neglected in recent years.

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