An encouraging Everton display in the 212th Merseyside derby only increased the turmoil for David Moyes. The despondent Scot departed for a Europa League tie against AEK Athens yesterday with one established central defender on board the flight to Greece and with his stand-in captain, Tim Cahill, admitting failure to punish Liverpool had left Everton in serious trouble in the Premier League.
Moyes's side languish three points above the third-from-bottom Bolton Wanderers, having played a game more, following a dreadful run of form that has yielded one win in 11 matches in all competitions. Along with domestic trials, and Moyes issuing conflicting signals about his future following the collapse of the proposed stadium move to Kirkby, qualification for the knockout stages of the Europa League is in jeopardy after successive and comprehensive losses to Benfica.
Cahill encapsulated the mood within the ranks with an admission that the dominant but ultimately blunt performance against Liverpool showed "we couldn't hit a barn door at the moment". The club's appalling spate of injuries is also hindering progress, with Joseph Yobo the latest casualty having suffered a hamstring strain during his poor derby showing.
Yobo's withdrawal means Moyes will be without nine senior players in Athens due to injury or ineligibility and is down to only one fit centre-half, Sylvain Distin, for Wednesday's game. The Frenchman is likely to be partnered by Jack Rodwell, who has recovered from the groin strain that caused the midfielder to miss the derby, the right-back Tony Hibbert or either of the untested 17-year-old defenders in the squad, Shkodran Mustafi or Shane Duffy.
Unsurprisingly, Cahill believes recovery will be an arduous process. "I think that was the best we've played in a while," said the 29-year-old of Sunday's defeat. "Our passing was good, we made lots of space with our movement and had two disallowed goals. We were strong from corners too. It's hard to take, but at this stage it's not going to get any easier. We're in a lot of trouble, and the only way we can get out of it is by playing and working our way out of it."
The Australia international was involved in the derby's pivotal moment when his 71st-minute header was superbly saved by the Liverpool goalkeeper, Pepe Reina, who foiled Marouane Fellaini's follow-up and deflated Everton in the process. "You always think keepers' left hands are weaker than their right but with Pepe at the minute he's just as strong on his left as his right," Cahill said. "I could have headed it across the goal but I was going for power, and Felli followed it up. We couldn't hit a barn door at the minute but things like that change a season and I'm much happier with our approach.
"It's the overall attitude and mental toughness that counts. I'm gutted for the fans and gutted for the team. The attitude against Hull wasn't good enough but it was a lot better against Liverpool and we will keep fighting. We're too good to be in this position. It's just one of those things and nothing's going to fix it except our mental attitude as individuals and a team."
Everton entertain Tottenham Hotspur on their return from Greece and travel to the league leaders, Chelsea, the following weekend. It is a schedule, believes Steven Pienaar, that increases the importance of a victory against AEK Athens, who are two points behind Moyes's team in Group I.
The South African midfielder, outstanding against Liverpool, said: "Europe can help our league form. If we win in Athens, it can lift our spirits in the Premier League as well. We didn't even consider we might get dragged into a relegation fight. You just don't think about it like that. Sometimes you can go on a bad run, and that's what is happening with us now. But there are still plenty of games to go, we have a few over Christmas, so if we can win two games in a row then we will be back up the table. It's nothing to panic about."
