Michael Keane: Lack of confidence behind Everton's recent poor form

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Michael Keane believes Everton’s poor start to the campaign is an issue of confidence rather than a lack of quality.

Defeat to Burnley on Sunday means only Crystal Palace have been behind in games for more time than Everton this season.

It had been suggested that Everton could challenge the top four early in the summer after an aggressive recruitment strategy which saw Wayne Rooney, Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Sandro Ramirez, Gylfi Sigurdsson and, indeed, Keane arrive at Goodison Park.

Since then, Romelu Lukaku has been sold and in his absence, Rooney, Ramirez and Sigurdsson have struggled for form, meaning Everton have lacked a focal point in attack.

Ronald Koeman’s desperation to find a solution has led to the reintroduction of Oumar Niasse who started against Burnley having previously been told he had no future on Merseyside, his position reflected by the fact he did not have an allocated locker at the club’s Finch Farm training ground.

Keane was asked after Sunday’s defeat where it had gone wrong for Everton. “Maybe down to confidence,” he said. “We played two up front [against Burnley] to maybe try to get on the front foot and I thought we did that. We started brightly, obviously Burnley got the goal and it’s always difficult.

“I know more than anyone how they like to play, especially when they get a 1-0 lead it’s hard to break them down. I felt like we got into some good positions, which we just didn’t show that quality in the final third to break a team like Burnley down. We just need to keep working hard and hopefully it will come.”

“Obviously, there are loads of great players here but you get confidence from winning games and especially lately we have not been winning many,” he continued. “We had a bad week a few weeks ago. I think the confidence of a few of the lads is pretty low but they only way you can come out of that is to keep working hard and do the right things. Sometimes you need a bit of luck and things aren’t dropping for us. We have to keep working hard to turn it around.”

Everton are two points above the relegation zone, albeit after only seven games. Pressure is building already on Koeman but Keane suggested the responsibility is also with Everton's players to change the mood.

“Everyone has to stand up and be counted. It’s down to us at the end of the day, the manager puts a team out but we have to carry out his plans and his game plan. I feel like we did that pretty well today and I feel he will say the same. It’s the final moment in the final third to create a chance and when we do get them taking them.

“[Koeman tells us to] keep working hard every day on the training pitch, doing all the right things, all the time. He’s an experienced manager, we have some experienced players and they know we will come out of this stage. We just have to keep working hard, that’s all you can do. Do your best every time. If we get a few wins the confidence will come back and hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.”

Keane retains belief that Everton’s season could prove to be a good one.

“If we won today we would have been eighth or something like that and climbing up the table. Things can change quick, we’ve had a bad start to the season but we are still not too far from where we want to be. If we put a good run together, three or four wins together, which we are capable of doing then I’m sure we will climb up the table.”