Southampton's decision to sack manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is a useful reminder that Everton are not the only club with concerns heading into the World Cup break.
The south coast outfit have become the fifth Premier League club to get rid of their boss this season - while Brighton and Hove Albion also had to say goodbye to Graham Potter after Chelsea moved in for him. After a performance in which the Blues took a step back on Saturday and results elsewhere saw them slide down the table rather than push up it, Hassenhuttl's departure highlights the wider context the club is operating within.
Frank Lampard has concerns heading into the break in the domestic season - chiefly where goals will come from. And no-one at Everton can show any complacency towards the threat of a difficult season. But a win against Leicester City would have transformed the narrative as the first part of an unprecedented campaign draws to a close - and the trip to Bournemouth next Saturday still provides an opportunity to end this period positively.
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The thumping win over Crystal Palace felt like a real sign of progress for Everton and a glimpse at what Lampard and his coaches are trying to build at Finch Farm. The draw at Fulham was a reminder of the work that remains to be done at the top end of the pitch but also highlighted the new-found resilience of a side Lampard sought to rebuild from the back over the summer. Yet against Leicester, the Blues' vulnerability was exposed and while Alex Iwobi and Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed good chances at important moments, the hosts were second best and concerns over creativity returned to the fore. It felt like a step back at a time when Everton could have done without it. The results of the weekend only increased that sense as Aston Villa and Leeds United, two clubs that have struggled recently, gained important wins and Leicester, so poor at the start of this year, leapfrogged the Blues and showcased the quality that was always likely to see them rise up the table.
Everton are a long way from where the management team and the supporters want them to be. As frustrating as that is, Lampard has stressed that this will be a drawn-out journey and there will be difficult moments along the way. That does not give the club a blank cheque for such displays, and the supporters, who have backed their team so brilliantly and will do so again at Bournemouth, have every right to be disappointed at seeing them outclassed and outfought.
This is just 14 games into Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell's rebuild, though. For all the concerns heading into the World Cup break there is a plan and a strategy in place at Everton. There is a stability that has been missing for several years and one that several rivals will be looking upon with a degree of envy. Issues remain but the table is fickle. No-one can ignore that the Blues are two points from the bottom three. But in that respect it would be pertinent to remember a win over Leicester would have briefly moved Everton into the top half of the table, while a win on Saturday could take them four points clear of Bournemouth and five away from the now manager-less Southampton and potentially the relegation zone.
Nottingham Forest continue to struggle to embed their multitude of new signings, Bournemouth are yet to appoint a new manager, Wolverhampton Wanderers have just appointed a new boss while West Ham United, Leicester, Villa and Leeds have all had, or are facing, issues.
Everton must find the solutions to their problems themselves - including in the January transfer window - and there remains a lot of work to do. But in this peculiar season there are not many supporters of Premier League clubs heading into the World Cup break feeling at ease. And the Blues still have it in their power to make their position more comfortable if they can find an immediate response to Saturday's disappointment in the final game before the season halts.
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