Ronald Koeman has challenged his Everton players to win their next four games to rescue their season - and his position.
Boss Koeman is under mounting pressure at Goodison Park because of the Blues' woeful run after a big-spending summer. They have lost their last four matches without scoring to slide into the bottom three.
Bookmakers have cut the odds on the Blues boss getting the chop, and he knows he must turn around their current slump.
Wednesday’s Carabao Cup visit by Championship side Sunderland is the first of four successive home games before the next international break — and Koeman wants four victories from them.
After the third-round tie, Everton face Bournemouth, Europa League group foes Apollon Limassol and Burnley, and their manager knows that run is a chance to rebuild the team’s battered self-belief.
While the Dutchman’s position is not under immediate threat, failure to address the club’s poor form in those games would lead to some difficult questions in the boardroom.
“We need a win, because a win is the best medicine to grow your confidence,” said Koeman.
“It’s really difficult to keep the players confident. We started afraid and maybe that’s normal if you have a difficult start to the season. We have played against four title contenders, as well as in the Europa League on Thursdays.
“That means now, for the coming weeks, we have four home games before the next international break. We need to win them.”
Everton’s miserable form is beginning to put a strain on Koeman’s relationship with the supporters.
They did not expect to be in the relegation zone after spending a club record £145million in the summer.
Koeman is adamant the team will bounce back, and saw signs of a recovery in Sunday’s loss at Manchester United — despite the 4-0 scoreline.
“We had a good reaction,” he said. “We spoke about needing more desire. Last Thursday (against Atalanta) was really poor and in every aspect we had to show more aggression and more football, and we did.
“If we take the positives from how we played on Sunday, I have the belief we can get a win.
“We need to analyse the game, but it’s important to take the positives from Sunday and prepare ourselves for Wednesday.”
“We will stay together, stay positive and keep working,” said the midfielder — the Blues’ club-record £45million signing from Swansea in August.
Everton’s meagre tally of 10 shots on target is the second fewest in the Premier League, and returning superstar Wayne Rooney’s drink-driving ban has been an unwelcome distraction for Koeman.
Yet Gylfi Sigurdsson insists the players have the quality and experience to pull out of their nosedive.
“A lot of us have been in this kind of position before — where things are not going your way.
“It doesn’t look too good at the moment, but I know we are more than good enough to turn this around.
“With the staff and the players we have, and the will within the team and the players, eventually we will turn this around.”