Honest discussions were had in the Everton dressing room after the defeat at Newcastle United.
Several players felt concerned the team had let the match 'pass them by' while issues about a lack of ruthlessness and the need for more courage on the ball also came up. That such conversations were necessary is frustrating. Watching from the stands at St James' Park there were passages of play that suggested Everton could match their hosts' levels and cause them problems. In the end they did not, and it felt like another missed opportunity.
With the defeat following the loss at Tottenham Hotspur, in which the Blues should have been ahead before Harry Kane was awarded a contentious penalty, and the home defeat to Manchester United despite Everton taking an early lead, the frustration among the fanbase after the result in the north east is understandable. Some reassurance can be taken from the players recognising this amongst themselves though.
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Andros Townsend recently described the Everton of last season as "failures" and "disgraces" and, while he praised the leadership of Seamus Coleman, claimed Everton were undermined by players who were unable to deal with the pressure of playing for such a big club. This season, he said, it is different: "We have so many leaders now so if the worst happens and we are in a situation like last season we have the right characters to roll up our sleeves and get out of this situation we are in."
The Blues set up a player leadership group to oversee squad discipline at the end of last season and, boosted by the likes of Conor Coady, it is already having influence. Frank Lampard, who demands hard work and commitment from his players, has also introduced a fine system to police standards. After Newcastle, the players appeared to have the same conversation as the supporters following the recent run of games.
Detailing the dressing room post mortem, Coady said: "We need to be brave on the ball when we're going out to play - and there's no better place to do that than Goodison at the weekend. But we need to learn from this because we can't let games pass us by. This was a game that I think passed us by and I think we could have got something out of it with the play we had in certain parts but we need to be more ruthless, believe in what we're doing and believe that we're going to score more goals."
It was not just the personnel that was strengthened at Everton over the summer, it was the dressing room culture and for that the Blues are stronger - particularly in difficult times such as the current run of form. Results have to follow - honest reflections would be a waste if the players do not apply their learning. The Premier League table will be decided on points, not honesty. But what is happening behind the scenes should offer some comfort to supporters worried by recent results and still scarred by the survival battle of last season. Coady is right when he says: "There's no need to panic in this situation."
The past three results have been disappointing and that was reflected in much of the reaction from the defeat in the north east. Context is crucial, however. Had Everton responded better to going ahead against Manchester United, taken one of the two glorious chances at Spurs or weathered Newcastle's storm around the time of Miguel Almiron's brilliant strike, things would be different. Fine margins can make a major difference in football, and mean Everton have taken no points from the last nine on offer, but it is only fair to acknowledge how easily the situation could have been different.
One thing Lampard has to do is work out how to get his attack functioning after managing zero shots on target in 180 minutes and now that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back from injury. Again, patience may be necessary and context is crucial - Calvert-Lewin is a proven goalscorer but is returning from a bad injury, while Neal Maupay is still new to the club and Lampard is trying to overhaul the playing style.
It also important to look around the league and see what is happening elsewhere. Most of the teams in the bottom half are having issues that include form, consistency, stability and the hunt for goals, clean sheets and sometimes both. Three are without permanent managers. Elsewhere, other managers are under more pressure than Lampard such have been their results.
Last season showed Everton cannot take anything for granted and no-one should be complacent and believe another difficult season will be avoided simply because of the size of the club. But not every bump in the road has to be a major setback. Three defeats in three is disappointing and there is clearly room for improvement. Progress is needed and that will have to be shown in results. But Everton are stronger than they were last season in a host of key areas and therefore, for the time being, as Coady said: "There's no need to panic."
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