MIND BLAMES
Silva pinpoints ‘lack of confidence’ for goal drought
MARCO SILVA says Everton are suffering in front of goal only because they are short of confidence.
The Blues have lost 10 of their last 16 games, including five of their last six, to see their hopes of silverware and Europe fade.
They have scored just two goals in their last four games and Silva, appointed manager last
May, puts the dry spell down to a lack of selfbelief, particularly among front-men like Richarlison and Cenk
Tosun.
“It’s one of the areas where we have to be more consistent, to create more chances to score,” said Silva.
“When you’re not playing with confidence, and you have to put some creativity in your game, the final decision in attack does not always come.
“It’s up to us to work on that and to create more chances.” Some fans are beginning to question Silva (below) because of Everton’s lack of progress under the Portuguese.
The Blues are a point worse off than they were at this time last season under the unpopular Sam Allardyce.
They are struggling to defend set-pieces and have managed just two clean sheets in their last 16 matches. Former Watford boss Silva, working hard with his players ahead of their return to action against Cardiff next Tuesday, has pinpointed midfielder Idrissa Gueye as the man to spark an Everton revival.
Gueye’s head was turned by Paris Saint-germain’s interest last month and Silva is keen to get him back performing for Everton.
The midfielder sets the tempo for the Blues with his tackling – no Premier League player has made more challenges this season.
Only Lucas Digne has had more touches of the ball for the Mersey men than Gueye, who has a pass success rate of 84.1 per cent.
“He’s really aggressive,” said Silva. “He’s fast in both transitions and that is important for us.
“With him there, we can have the other players freer to support the attack.
“He has been really important for us since the beginning of the season, and he was really important last season also.
“He’s playing well and he’s doing a good job.”