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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First and foremost, the next six weeks must be used wisely from a footballing perspective. Work needs to continue on the training pitch and Frank Lampard and his backroom team need to focus on fitness, recovery, tactics and deciding where - apart from the attack, where everyone can see there are issues - needs strengthening through the transfer window and what gains can be achieved from within the current squad. These players could be on a break now. That would not help the league fight. Instead they are training and undergoing assessment - an assessment that for some may be their last chance to prove they deserve to wear the Royal Blue jersey before a January transfer window in which there will be a focus on outgoings.
Yes, this will be less intense than normal and these matches are friendlies. But what else would be available should they have stayed at home? Had Everton not committed to the Sydney Super Cup they would almost certainly have gone abroad for warm weather training during this break. Most other Premier League outfits will - while Arsenal and Liverpool have just announced their involvement in a tournament in Dubai. If a departure for warmer climes was inevitable then why not Australia and why not now? And why not, when it will boost the club's coffers? Everton have previously been criticised for not being commercially savvy. Participation in this tournament will net the club a seven figure profit - a sum that is not insignificant in the wider context of profit and sustainability regulations and an upcoming transfer window in which business needs to be done. It also explains some of the images supporters will be seeing. Tourism boards are supporting this tournament - seeing pictures of players in the sunshine on a beautiful beach is no surprise when the Super Cup is being used to try and inspire wanderlust and holiday bookings.
So the club makes money, Lampard gets to cast his eye further over those of the first team who have travelled, fringe players and Under-21s - the emergence of several over the past six months having been a genuine success story - and the expense of paying for warm weather training that would have happened anyway has been removed as the club are already doing it.
And then, and no less importantly, this will give Everton's Australian fan base - and there is one - an opportunity to see their heroes. Everton Supporters Club Australia have been busy plotting events and fan get-togethers and this should be a brilliant experience for supporters who rarely get the chance to watch the Blues in action. This is also a high-profile event that will give the club exposure to potential new fans.
Everton ended the first part of the season on a disappointing note. Supporters who hoped for better are facing six stressful weeks looking at an unforgiving league table. Frustration at seeing some of the players responsible being out in the Australian sunshine is completely understandable. But a sizable portion of those players, whether they be on contracts that are expiring or youngsters trying to catch the eyes of first team coaches, know they are training and playing for their futures at Goodison Park. Meanwhile, Lampard and those around him can experiment and begin to plot their attempt to escape a relegation battle absent from the pressure of the fixture list. The club is gaining exposure and money and a dedicated section of the fanbase gets a rare opportunity to watch their side in action. When you add in the reality the squad would likely have been training abroad anyway, this trip - committed to in the summer - surely makes sense.
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