A tough run in December for EFC.
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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.