Jamie Carragher has warned Everton of their poor form as the Merseyside giants slide further into the relegation zone.
Everton’s hopes of a potential turnaround around new coach Frank Lampard suffered yet another blow when they were swept aside 5-0 by a rampant Tottenham Hotspur this midweek.
It was a disappointing display that opened up an opportunity for the likes of Burnley, Watford and even Norwich City to capitalise and move out of the drop zone. 18th-placed Burnley are currently Everton’s closest competitors, and a point could see them move out of the relegation spot, dragging the Toffees into the 18th place, at the same time.
Reacting to the 5-0 defeat to Spurs, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher had reserved some fierce criticism for Frank Lampard and his men. “Whenever you see teams who are worst in the league away from home, the first thing that comes to mind is they’re weak and soft. That can never be Everton,” said the former defender, as quoted by Daily Mail.
“I said that back four is Championship level but for Everton not to be physical, aggressive, making it tough. That’s what Everton have always been even when they’ve not been at the best. Fundamentally this group of players at this club is so weak now. The lack of athleticism in that Everton team is frightening,” he added.
? "It's one of the first times I've thought Everton have a real chance of going down."@Carra23 fears Everton have a realistic chance of actually getting relegated this season pic.twitter.com/YoFlW1ZjyF
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) March 7, 2022
Carragher, who had made an extraordinary 737 competitive appearances for Liverpool, was reportedly a boyhood Everton fan growing up, despite going on to play for their arch-rivals. Further reacting to the result, the 44-year-old went on to slam some of the individual players for their poor showing against the Lilywhites.
“Allan can’t run, Donny van de Beek can’t run. Harry Kane for one of the goals runs past Michael Keane. Harry Kane is not sprint champion. People just running off [Seamus] Coleman. They’re weak physically which is a problem for them right now,” he said.
With Everton just one point above the drop zone, Carragher has stressed the importance of winning their upcoming games, failing which could see them entertain the prospect of potential relegation come May. He said, “If their next two home games don’t go well, they’ve got massive problems.”
“With what’s going on behind the scenes, what’s going on with the stadium, teetering around financial fair play which was why they couldn’t bring in new players last summer. Frank said he’s looking forward to the next two games. If they don’t win them I think they’ve got a massive problem in terms of going down.”
Everton will host Watford in their next game, a potential relegation six-pointer, as the two struggling Premier League clubs look to dig their way out of trouble.
