No-one can escape the reality of the final week before the World Cup break. No-one at the club should be trying to hide from it either. Those defeats to Leicester City and then at Bournemouth, twice, were miserable. The performances were poor and the league table for the next six weeks serves as a constant reminder the Blues can take nothing for granted as they search for progress and stability rather than another relegation battle.
Such is the danger on the horizon and the subsequent disappointment - though remember it was only 180 league minutes ago a push into the top half felt plausible - the reaction of some supporters to the idea of Everton flying out for the Sydney Super Cup is understandable. Seeing pictures of players doing yoga on Bondi Beach so soon after fans travelled 1,000 miles in a week to watch an aggregate 7-1 defeat to a newly-promoted side may test the patience of the most forgiving supporter. But whether you look at it in the context of the league table or take a step back and have the wider perspectives of Everton being a club with a global fanbase, or one that is embarking on a commercial project, heading Down Under makes sense.
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