Andy Gray explains why he is still ‘concerned’ by Everton after Man City defeat

Add as preferred source on Google

Andy Gray is still ‘a little concerned’ following Everton’s defeat to Manchester City.

Everton looked set to comfortably avoid relegation prior to being handed a ten-point deduction last month, but the severe punishment threw them back into a bottom of the table scrap.

Things looked even worse when they were thrashed 3-0 by Manchester United just days later, however the form that followed gave them great hope.

Everton enjoyed four consecutive wins in the Premier League this month, conceding zero goals and beating both Chelsea and Newcastle United in the process.

However, they have since been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Fulham, before losing to both Tottenham and Man City.

Back-to-back defeats has left them 17th in the league table – only a point above the relegation zone.

Despite looking miles better than they did at the start of the campaign, Everton’s point-deduction has really made things tricky for them and Andy Gray is still ‘nervous’ about the prospect of ending up in the Championship.

Speaking on beIN SPORTS, Gray said: “That run there was a fantastic response after Manchester United. I had a funny feeling that Manchester United would kick us in the teeth. I had a funny feeling that there was too much going on around that game for the players to cope with it. It didn’t feel right and I wasn’t as confused as lot of people.

“But the four after that have been terrific performances. They have been really hard to play against, they’ve been vibrant, they have actually looked like they can score goals now.

“It’s a blow that Doucoure’s not playing because he’s been a real threat. I’m still a little concerned if I’m being honest with you, but that’s just natural because it’s my team, so I’m obviously still a bit nervous.”

Can Everton avoid the drop?

Everton would be sat 10th in the Premier League and eleven points above the bottom three if they hadn’t received their point deduction.

The Toffees’ performances have been far above the quality of the other teams around them, and while many Everton fans will be rightfully worried, I think the team would have to massively underperform in the second half of the campaign to actually be overtaken by the likes of Burnley and Sheffield United.

Everton seem to be comfortably beating the teams around them and have even put on some terrific displays against the ‘bigger’ teams, so it would be a huge surprise if it was Sean Dyche‘s side that ended the campaign at the bottom of the pile.