Everton’s 2024 Premier League festive fixtures

A tough run in December for EFC.

Transcript

00:00Well, looking at Everton, and on the contrary to Liverpool's festive fixtures, I mean, these

00:05look quite tough. They look like it's going to be a challenge. I mean, they are playing

00:10all four of them, four of the top six so far this season. Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth

00:16have been having fantastic spells so far. Manchester City have been a bit depleted now,

00:23but they are still a dangerous side, especially at home in an early kick-off, you could think.

00:28Everton obviously went to the Emirates and got that draw. Just on that game, I mean,

00:33it was quite an impressive way of really dealing with Mikel Arteta's tactics and the set-pieces

00:40that they've been so good at. Sean Dyche sort of won that day and it was a fantastic point

00:46away from home in the context. So, just have a little review on the Arsenal game and then

00:52look ahead to the festive fixtures, which are going to be quite defining, I think, for

00:57Everton's little spell that they're on now. Yeah, I think when supporters were looking

01:02at this run of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City and Liverpool before that, albeit the derby

01:08was cancelled, anything more than zero points would have been a bonus. I think a lot of

01:14fans have just been pragmatic looking at it, thinking we might get anything from these

01:18games, but they went to Arsenal and they delivered a professional performance. I don't think

01:28Everton were fighting for their lives and they were really put under siege. Joan Pickford

01:33made a couple of good saves, but it wasn't like Arsenal were incessantly banging on the

01:39door and that's credited to Sean Dyche. I mean, look, there is the argument that some

01:44fans think that Everton should have a little bit more of a goal, but at the end of the

01:49day, they've returned with a point and it was a really good defensive performance.

01:54Chelsea to come next, that's a tough fixture, isn't it? Chelsea are flying, they've really

02:00found the rhythm, but Everton have got a really good record against Chelsea, good to some

02:04part, to be honest. So they can take a little bit of comfort from that. Manchester City,

02:11to say they're in an absolute slump, well, they've picked themselves up by the time that

02:15Everton visit on Boxing Day because they just look devoid of attacking ideas, really, Man

02:23City, which it all seems so bizarre to say, doesn't it, given the wealth of talent that

02:29they have, but they just don't look like they've got the answers. And yeah, maybe previously

02:37supporters would look on that and think, right, we'll get over those games, then we've got

02:40Forrest at home. Forrest is going to be a difficult one, isn't it? You know, Nuno Santos

02:45got them absolutely ticking and they look like they are bona fides European contenders

02:53this season. And just to make life a little bit more difficult, Everton then go to a ball

02:58of size who are having a really good campaign themselves and Everton haven't exactly got

03:03a fantastic record at the Vitality Stadium. But, well, Sean's ice to be fair to him, he

03:09says you've got to play all these teams at some point, it hasn't really concerned him

03:12and he'll just be taking it game by game and seeing what Everton can get from these fixtures.