Three weeks until the next Everton game is a gift - and a curse

Everton have three weeks without a game and that might be for the best. Winless in 10 league matches, going into this trip to OId Trafford, one thing this side could not afford to do was to be their own worst enemy. Once again, they were.

A fortnight ago the Blues were leading against 10 men in stoppage time at Brighton and conceded a gut-wrenching late goal from a poorly defended set-piece. Seven days ago it was wasted chances, included a missed penalty, and more defensive lapses that led to defeat against West Ham United.

On Saturday, against a Manchester United they was capable of challenging, Sean Dyche’s team lost because of two bad tackles that led to two clinically taken penalties. If Everton are not playing, they cannot defeat themselves. And after three months of being battered by injuries, off-the-pitch chaos and some appalling decisions, perhaps what the Blues need more than anything is a break.

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Next week, Dyche will make use of the gap in fixtures created by the FA Cup schedule to take his squad away for a training camp. On Thursday he said he had told the players they would be made to work hard before the group loses some of its members to international action. Maybe what they really need is a psychological and physical break. Maybe the problem is exhaustion at the relentless pressure these players have operated under for so long. Maybe that is why they have lost the important moments in both boxes in too many recent games.

There is a story that could be told about this match that suggests Everton were unlucky, that they lost due to two penalties and