Changes for the BETTER

NOW might be the time for David Moyes to make some changes. We can all see this side has made progress since last season. There is more confidence, more intelligence and more guile than we have seen for some time. Not only is there a desire to have the ball much further up the pitch, there is the ability to use it, too.

- By JOE THOMAS

But as nice as that is to see after the gruelling survival football of recent years, it is tough to watch Everton right now and conclude there is no room for improvement. Not all the answers lie in the squad and that is fine, the summer could only ever have been stage one of a transformation that will have to continue over several years to deliver sustained progress. Some might though, and it may now be time to explore them.

What Everton need to try and do is everything in their power to load the big moments in their favour - to leave themselves less reliant on needing to find a more clinical edge or for decisions to go their way to win games.

Moyes has built a decent team and he clearly believes the starting lineup against Spurs is his best available. It is that group that has been the bedrock of the season and, while the table looks less healthy than at various points so far, Everton have picked up good results and have been close to grabbing better ones than they ultimately managed.

One of the biggest issues for the season has been Everton's difficulty defending in transition. It feels like they have an attack that wants to play on the edge of the opposition box and a defence that needs to play on the edge of its own creating the gaps in between that the likes of Liverpool and West Ham United have exploited.