Danny Mills likes what he saw from Everton v Liverpool, shares relegation verdict
TalkSPORT pundit Danny Mills says the relegation race will go down to the final games of the season but thinks Everton showed positive signs against Liverpool.
The Toffees fell into the relegation zone and now sit two points behind Burnley with six games to go in the season, including their game in hand on their rivals.
But despite defeat on Sunday, Mills told talkSPORT‘s breakfast show [April 26, 7:12] that he feels they showed great spirit and fight in the game and proved they can grind out results against lesser sides than Liverpool.
“Can Burnley keep it going?” he said. “They’ve had that fantastic bounce, what happens if they lose a game? Does that confidence disappear? Does the bubble burst?
“It looks at the moment like it’s going to be between Everton and Burnley, but Leeds have got to be careful.
“They face City at the weekend in the late game on Saturday evening, so again if results don’t go their way they could be dragged back into it. I think it’ll probably go down to the last couple of games of the season.
“Everton’s run in isn’t particularly easy either, they’ve got some tricky games and are facing Chelsea at the weekend.
“You’ve just got to keep fighting. It’s not about how you play at the moment, it’s about digging in and grinding out results and trying to do everything possible to get results.
“The good thing for Everton is they saw a bit of that fighting spirit. People say that it wasn’t particularly pretty, but they’re playing against one of the best teams in the world.
“They did show that spirit, that fight, they need a little bit of quality and a little bit of luck in the right areas and then you get one win, who knows? Suddenly you get one win and then you go and get two or three.
“Nobody expected Burnley to get the results they’ve got in the last three or four games, so that could easily be Leeds or Everton doing the same.”
Hope
There has to be hope, or else there is no point, and there is hope at Goodison Park that Everton can get themselves out of this situation somehow.
The performances haven’t been good enough for the vast majority of the season and especially away from home, but they showed a stubbornness against Liverpool that suggested they can get out of trouble.
They were good defensively and ultimately it was just the superior quality of their rivals on the day that got the better of them. But against lesser sides it could help them gain valuable points.
Nobody cares about the style or prettyness of the football at this point, it’s simply about not getting beaten and not getting relegated come the end of the 38th game.
If that means putting everyone behind the ball and nicking goals on the counter then so be it. Needs must, and points are needed more than anything.
In other Everton news, Sam Allardyce lays blame for Everton relegation woes, defends Farhad Moshiri
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook for 24/7 updates on Everton plus more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.