Dwight McNeil has admitted that Everton are struggling for confidence in attacking areas of the pitch as they look to try and use the current three-week break from action as an opportunity to reset and refocus.
Due to the FA Cup Quarter-Finals this weekend and the international break after that, the Blues don’t play again until 30 March when they travel to Bournemouth in search of a priceless win that would prevent the club from equalling a record 12 Premier League games without a victory.
Sean Dyche’s side last won in the League on 16 December and the intervening barren spell has prevented them from pulling far enough away from the relegation zone, even with the four points given back to them by the appeal board last month.
Since the turn of the year they’ve scored just two goals from open play in all competitions even though they have had plenty of shots towards goal in recent games, including the 23 they had at Old Trafford on Saturday in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
Last season’s top scorer, McNeil was, arguably, the best outfield player for the Toffees against United and went close with a cracking volley shortly after the hosts had been gifted the opener from the spot by James Tarkowski’s clumsy trip on Alejandro Garnacho before seeing a goal-bound shot blocked by a defender at the end of the first half.
However, he has struggled for form since the turn of the year and hasn’t found the net himself for three months when he netted the opener in that fine 3-0 victory over Newcastle at Goodison Park.
“Confidence is low in the final [third],” the winger said on evertonfc.com. “We had a lot of chances [at Old Trafford] but didn’t score a goal. We get a lot of chances but we just aren’t getting the final bit right — scoring goals. That’s hurting us at the minute and we aren’t picking points up because we can’t find the back of the net.
“We try and work on it every day. We getting there in the games, those final moments. I had a few chances and should have scored definitely one I think. I put a lot of pressure on myself but we had other chances and we didn’t take them and we got punished.”
Dyche and his staff take the players to Portugal this week for a training camp that will give them a chance to regroup in different surroundings and try to find solutions to their challenges in front of goal.
The break should also allow the likes of André Gomes, Arnaut Danjuma and Idrissa Gueye to regain match fitness and, hopefully, leave Dyche with an almost fit squad to choose from when he tackles three games in the space of a week on the other side of the break.
“We have three weeks until we play again,” McNeil continued. “We have to evaluate as a team. The main thing is we need to all stay together and keep believing because we are in that position again like last season.
“But we have experience in the group, we just have to try and score goals. That’s a big thing, but more importantly, win games. We need to make sure we do that after the international break.
“We are going to rest, reflect and make sure we are ready when we come back because it’s a massive run-in — every game is going to be massive. We have to be ready to score goals and win games.”
Dyche has been at a loss to explain his team’s attacking frustrations which were particularly acute in the home defeat to West Ham the Saturday before last and against United.
Beto started both games and though he missed a penalty against the Hammers, he scored the Toffees’ only goal but barely had a sniff at Old Trafford.
