Sean Dyche has five key Everton challenges heading into make-or-break week

The next week is immensely significant for Everton.

The club will play three games - half its remaining fixtures - in six days that will go a long way to deciding the fate of this season. All three are at Goodison Park and they include two teams in the same orbit as the Blues - Nottingham Forest and Brentford - as well as, of course Liverpool.

Ahead of those crucial fixtures, the ECHO looked at some of the challenges that lie ahead, some of which were particularly exposed by the 6-0 thrashing at Chelsea on Monday.

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Lifting the dressing room

James Tarkowski labelled that Stamford Bridge display as “embarrassing” and Sean Dyche, while more reserved, still accepted his team were “miles” away from the standards he expects. Everton have struggled for form for some time, and the impact of that appeared clear on Monday. One win in 15 league games, as the run now stands, is clearly terrifying form and it will take us to Sunday’s game with Forest to learn how deep the wounds are from the Cole Palmer-led thrashing.

What perhaps offers some comfort is that this squad has been here before. It was in late April of last year when the Blues were humiliated 4-1 at home to Newcastle United. That was a night that left Goodison shellshocked and the manner of the defeat, with just five games to go, suggested Everton’s run as a top flight club would soon be over.

That was not the case, however. The Blues lost just one of the five that followed - at home to the future champions Manchester City. They immediately responded with two of the performances that did