Premier League relegation battle is ‘a shock’ to Everton players – Slaven Bilic
Everton are at a disadvantage in the relegation battle because their rivals have been there before and know how to “cope” according to Slaven Bilic.
The club are a point above the drop zone after defeat against Burnley, and face falling out of the Premier League for the first time in their history.
Sean Dyche’s side are now just a point behind the Toffees, with 19th-placed Watford three back, and former Goodison defender Bilic believes that gives the rivals a psychological advantage in the race.
He said on Sky Sports News, in a clip posted to the station’s Twitter: “They’re under pressure there. They’re in problems now, big problems.
“It’s a massive club, and they were aiming for whatever, top eight, for improvement.
“It’s the first time they’ve been in this situation this late in the season.
“Now we have four clubs, and nobody is enjoying it, nobody is looking forward to being in the relegation battle, but Norwich, Watford and Burnley, they have been there already.
“They know how to do it, they know how to cope. They are not enjoying the situation but they are not afraid.
“With Everton it’s completely new for these players and it’s a shock for them.”
Yes and no
The element of shock to Frank Lampard and his players is looking truer with every passing match.
Whether that is a deciding factor remains to be seen.
Being well versed in relegation battles is all very well, but by definition it suggests being a poor team.
Bilic’s own West Brom side were in a relegation battle when he was sacked from the Hawthorns last season, and despite installing former Toffees boss and relegation specialist Sam Allardyce, still went down.
Lampard’s side should have enough quality to overcome any benefit that familiarity brings.
It is with the manager himself where the lack of experience could really count.
Big Sam’s failure last season shows it is no sure thing, but the enduring market for coaches of his ilk to take teams back to basics for survival suggests it is worth something.
Currently, the players and their boss look resigned to their fate most games, which is not a good sign.
In other Everton news, Simon Jordan pinpointed who is at fault for the situation, and the decisions they made that caused it.
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