View: Worrying Everton stat highlights key problem Ancelotti needs to fix
A worrying points statistic has highlighted a key problem that Carlo Ancelotti must fix during the second half of the season at Everton.
As reported by TheOther14 on Twitter, Everton have only taken 19 points from teams outside of the top six in the Premier League.
Most noticeably, 13 of those 19 points have also come away from home, with Goodison Park becoming anything but a fortress this season.
The Toffees have suffered home defeats to Leeds United and West Ham at home this season and if the club have ambitions to push into the European spots, they simply have to be beating those teams around them consistently.
Ironically, this season Everton have taken 10 points from their league games against Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham – not to mention an important win on the road at Leicester City as well.
Ancelotti’s men are producing the goods against the bigger Premier League sides but that good form will go to waste if the club cannot see off the so-called ‘smaller’ clubs.
It is telling that both Southampton and Leicester – who are ahead of Everton in the Premier League table – rank higher than the Toffees in terms of points taken from teams outside the top six.
Everton have the opportunity to put that right with their next five league fixtures coming against teams outside the traditional top six, although they do have meetings with Aston Villa, Leicester and Leeds United on the horizon.
On current form, the Toffees are being predicted to finish eighth on 58 points and so they will be fully aware that not only their home form but their record against the ‘lesser’ teams must improve if they want to break into the top six in the near future.
In other Everton news, the Toffees must avoid Felipe Anderson move at all costs amid reported interest