Week 24 of the Premier League yielded a familiar set of storylines for the division: Chelsea are probably going to win the title, Arsenal’s challenge has collapsed and they’re now in fourth, Liverpool find themselves on the outside looking in and Jose Mourinho is talking about double standards.
If you’re looking for something a little more novel, there’s Leicester City’s 13th defeat of the season and impending relegation battle, but there’s another transformation taking place to the northwest in Merseyside.
Everton are now undefeated in seven consecutive EPL matches, a run of form that includes victories over Leicester, Manchester City and Saturday’s 6-3 result against Bournemouth. They are now only seven points behind Arsenal in fourth, and a number of factors bode well for the club as they attempt to make an unlikely grab for Champions League football.
Ronald Koeman’s transformation of the squad continued heavily in January with Ademola Lookman and Morgan Schneiderlin arriving for large fees. Meanwhile, the likes of Darron Gibson and Bryan Oviedo were sold, and Tom Cleverly and Gerard Deulofeu were loaned out for the rest of the season.
Having the EPL’s leading scorer, Romelu Lukaku, makes Everton a difficult proposition for any opposition, but it’s been no coincidence that the Toffees recent run of form has coincided with Ross Barkley playing his best football of the season.
In Everton’s last six EPL matches, Barkley has scored two goals and registered three assists. He was influential in Everton’s six-goal haul on Saturday, and his premature celebration was a clear sign of a man enjoying his football.
Happiness is watching a delirious @RBarkley20 celebrate a Goal before he has even rolled the ball into the net #COYB #SixOfTheBest pic.twitter.com/gxaxc4Hcxu
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) February 4, 2017
If the 23-year-old puts together a consistent second half of the campaign, which he’s been able to do so far, Everton could be a legitimate threat to the clubs currently above them in the table.
With winnable matches against Middlesbrough and Sunderland approaching, Everton have a real chance of extending their unbeaten run and closing the gap on the top four.
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