Frank Lampard clearly suspected things could get worse for Everton when he dissected the first home defeat of his short reign, against Manchester City. But how much worse, and how quickly, will have alarmed a manager who has projected confidence from the moment he was tasked with avoiding the club’s first relegation in 71 years.
“Don’t look too much at the table for the next few weeks,” he said a fortnight ago. “I am not buying time with that, we have a lot of points to play for. If we play with the energy and passion we did today, my feeling is, we will be fine.” Then came Tottenham, and a performance so abject that Everton looked condemned at Premier League level. Two home games in the next five days, against Wolves on Sunday and Newcastle on Thursday, will have a major bearing on the final verdict.
