Conor Coady admitted that Everton’s display in their 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth was “shocking” and “nowhere near good enough” but just what did the Blues not do to let themselves down so badly in their second thrashing at the Vitality Stadium in the space of just four days?
Coady added: “Personal pride and standard is what we have to set in training, it is nothing to do with the manager or staff, we don’t have them at the minute. We need to look at ourselves long and hard and are going into a break now.”
After shipping 66 goals in the Premier League last term, Everton’s highest total since they conceded the same number in 1975/76 and the club’s worst since they let in 69 in 1960/61 (both of which were in 42-game seasons), manager Frank Lampard made trying to tighten up at the back one of his major priorities over the summer. While goals have been difficult to come by for the Blues with their main striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured for the bulk of the current campaign to date, their much-improved resoluteness had been cause for encouragement.
