Journalist and TalkSport pundit Darren Lewis has voiced his concern over Everton and thinks that they could get dragged into a relegation battle.
Having appointed Rafael Benitez this past summer – someone with a proven track record when it comes to winning trophies – things haven’t gone all that well for them this season. They currently sit in 15th spot in the Premier League table, eight points above the relegation zone.
On top of that, the relationship between Benitez and the fans, which wasn’t great to start with, has taken another nasty turn, with supporters protesting during their recent 3-2 FA Cup win away at Hull City.
Speaking on the TalkSport GameDay podcast, Lewis claimed that the club were on the verge of dropping into a relegation battle, and that their winner against the Tigers in the FA Cup saved things from getting even worse in the grand scheme of things.
He said: “Lots of underachievement at the club, and just moving towards the Premier League, I think, what are they, six points off, eight points off the relegation zone? I think, and it’s a big call, but I think that they’re going to get sucked into relegation trouble. They are not good enough.
“They cannot defend, they simply cannot defend.”
“At the moment, they have a mistake in them in every game. And they’re very, very lucky that Townsend came up with that late strike. I think they’re in big, big trouble.”
TIF Thoughts on Darren Lewis’ comments about Everton this season…
Should Everton sack Benitez?
Yes!
No!
Lewis’ comments do come across as very alarming, especially when it comes to Benitez as someone who is renowned for his discipline and structure when it comes to how his teams set up, so for them to be seen as weak at the back and capable of making mistakes is rather frightening.
And with Everton’s form the way it is, with the Toffees ranking 18th over the last eight games, there certainly should be cause for concern amongst the Toffees board and supporters about whether or not Lewis’ prediction of them getting into a relegation battle could come true.
Thankfully, they are in the January transfer window with time to put some things right, but they are going to have to do it sooner rather than later if they are to avoid relegation fears potentially becoming real.
In other news: ‘People have made their minds up’ – TalkSport pundit drops worrying Benitez verdict at Everton