Everton are bobbing along nicely in the Premier League at the moment and there’s plenty of expectation here in the Transfer Tavern that the Toffees could be set for European football come the end of the season!
And why not? Whilst some of their biggest rivals have faltered, Everton have managed to find some fairly consistent form and are only two points behind Manchester United in sixth place.
After a morale-boosting win over Bournemouth last weekend, which finished an astonishing 6-3 to the Toffees, their ability to score goals isn’t in question in the slightest.
But tightening up to prevent a decent Boro team from scoring on Saturday is a must for Koeman, along with a handful of other things they must do to make sure they get another three points.
So armed with some advice from our Everton-mad contingent here in the pub, here’s three things Koeman and Everton must do to beat Middlesbrough on Saturday…
Get the ball to Romelu Lukaku
After scoring four against the Cherries last time out, it’s clear that Romelu Lukaku remains Everton’s biggest threat going forward.
The bulky Belgian has struggled to find truly consistent form this campaign but with the right service, he remains one of the best strikers in the division and a player that can really trouble opposition defences.
It might sound obvious but getting the ball to Romelu Lukaku is something Everton need to do more often because as we saw on Saturday, he reaps huge rewards for the team.
Keep things tight at the back
Scoring six goals in a game is no mean feat but conceding three at home normally loses you games and cutting out silly goals like the ones conceded to Bournemouth is what’s going to bring Everton success.
Josh King’s strikes were almost identical and on both occasions, he peeled away from the centre-halves far too easily to almost bring his side back into the game.
The punters in here agree – a win and a clean sheet against Boro would be very nice indeed.
Keep Schneiderlin playing well
Whilst Romelu Lukaku stole the show against Bournemouth, there’s also been one player that has brought a whole wealth of quality to the Everton midfield – Morgan Schneiderlin.
The former Manchester United man has a real point to prove after a tough spell at Old Trafford but he’s been ticking over extremely well in the middle of the park and his hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Everton fans here in the pub can see Koeman is building for the future and with years ahead of him, there’s no doubting Schneiderlin can become a big player in this team for a very long time indeed.
Agree, Everton fans? Let us know below!
