Gary Lineker raises Everton concern after what he saw in Nottingham Forest loss
Gary Lineker expects Everton to continue to struggle in the Premier League this season after the 2-0 loss against Nottingham Forest.
The Blues saw their four-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League come to an end on Sunday (29 December) as they came up short in against high-flying Forest at Goodison Park.
However, former Everton forward Lineker said he believes deeper problems are rooted in the defeat as he shared his analysis on The Rest is Football podcast (30 December, 18:10) after Forest comfortably beat Sean Dyche’s men.
He said: “They got exposed on the counterattack, which they would never do against a Chelsea or Arsenal and whoever else they played.
“So I think that therein lies Everton’s problem, and they’ll continue to find life difficult in the Premier League because they just don’t score many goals. Which has to be a concern.”
Everton need to beat the lesser teams in the Premier League
At the moment, Nottingham Forest can be considered a top-six Premier League outfit after the win at Goodison Park moved them up to second place heading into the New Year.
Nuno Espirito Santo is performing a remarkable job at the City Ground, and Dyche would best served taking notes as he prepares to steer Everton away from the relegation zone in 2025.
The Blues looked a shadow of the side who held Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City to a share of the spoils in the previous three outings and could not live with the opposition’s fast transitions.
James Tarkowski was fortunate to remain on the pitch after he recklessly lunged into Chris Wood to stop Nottingham Forest in their tracks while already on a yellow card.
Despite all the plaudits in recent weeks for the Toffees’ defensive resilience, the lack of goals on Merseyside will ultimately be Dyche’s downfall unless he finds a way to get one of his strikers firing.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s omission from the starting lineup has caused backlash, but with only two Premier League goals to his name in 17 appearances, he has fallen well below the required standard for a top-flight forward.
Armando Broja could be rewarded with an extended run in the first team for the busy January schedule, and the Everton faithful will be praying that Albanians will be the answer to their goalscoring woes.
In other Everton news, Match of the Day pundit reacts to shocking Blues info he’s told live on air.
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