Former Everton striker Louis Saha has had his say on the club's current relegation plight and admitted he has "no idea" how they have descended to such a level.
The Blues currently find themselves in the bottom three following their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. Burnley's win against Wolves earlier that same day moved the Clarets two points ahead of Frank Lampard's side, although they have played one match more.
Everton have six matches to save themselves this season, starting with a tough clash against Chelsea at Goodison Park on Sunday. Looking back on the campaign so far, however, Saha can't put his finger on what has gone wrong for his former side - but he knows that silly mistakes have been key.
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He told GamblingDeals.com : “That’s the million-dollar question. I have absolutely no idea.
"Yes, mistakes have been made, but to point out what the problem is and where it went wrong to the point where they’re in a relegation battle, it’s a mystery to me. I recognise that the Premier League has improved, a lot of teams have improved. Even the promoted teams haven’t been easy to beat, so it’s tough.
"You look at the addition of the players and managers in this time, for example, Ancelotti, who has got all the experience in the world to improve this squad and did it for a spell of three to four months, then suffered from inconsistent form. Conceding silly goals at home, making silly mistakes.
"I don’t understand those mistakes. Sometimes it’s individuals, but sometimes the spirit of the team is not the same.
“I remember my time at Everton, it was really tough to come to Goodison Park, you were not going to have an easy game because we were able to play a very scrappy style of game, very aggressive. Now they look to play on the floor, play nice football, but sometimes you have to play in a more dirty way and I think that’s been lost a little bit.
"Anyone who has followed Everton can recognise they need to go back to the basics. I feel for Lampard, I don’t think he’s been helped by injuries or referees. Last week [in the Merseyside derby], it was a horrendous decision, even if Liverpool were stronger. It’s an odd one."
Everton have six matches remaining of their 2021/22 campaign while both Burnley and Leeds United, the other sides widely regarded as being in the mix of the relegation battle, both have five games left. However, Saha believes that both will have the fight at this end of the team.
He fears that his former side may not have the experience and they have been "privileged" in recent years, but they need to stick by Lampard in these closing stages of the campaign.
"I feel like it will be a very sad moment, but they need to feel the pressure. Whatever fixture it is, they need to get points, especially against teams they’re fighting against at the bottom.
"Those teams at the bottom, have the spirit, where they don’t feel entitled to those points, whereas maybe Everton has been more privileged over the years, where they don’t need to fight relegation battles. They’re maybe not experienced enough when it comes to relegation battles, so it will be a big disadvantage.
"Lampard hasn’t experienced that as a player. As a manager, he’s had some great performances with Derby, in Chelsea, it wasn’t the case for long.
"Sometimes these clubs go for an experienced manager to save them, Sam Allardyce for example, has rescued a few teams. But I think it’s too late and the best move will be to give their full support to Frank Lampard, his staff and his team."
