Pressure continues to mount on manager Frank Lampard as his side have endured an eight-game winless run across all competitions, including last weekend’s 3-1 away defeat at Manchester United in the FA Cup third round.
However, Toffees owner Farhad Moshirihas insisted in an open letter to the club’s supporters that he retains the faith of Lampard, who has won only 28.6% of his matches since taking the reins at Goodison almost a year ago.
Everton’s dismal form has seen them slip into the Premier League relegation zone, and two important fixtures are up next against fellow strugglers Southampton and West Ham United.
Lampard and co head into Saturday’s contest after losing each of their last three home league matches; the Toffees last lost four consecutive league games at Goodison between April and September in 1958.
However, Everton are unbeaten in their last 17 home meetings against Southampton, winning 12 of those, and they recorded a 2-1 victory in their most recent encounter away against the Saints in October.
Victory for the Merseysiders this weekend will see them complete their first Premier League double over Southampton since the 2001-02 campaign.
However, Southampton appear to have turned a corner in their last two domestic cup matches, with a 2-1 FA Cup third-round win away at Crystal Palace last Saturday followed by an impressive 2-0 victory at home against Manchester City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
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First-half strikes from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo helped the Saints secure a deserved win over the Citizens at St Mary’s, and a two-legged semi-final tieagainst Newcastle United awaits the South-Coast club later this month.
Jones has urged his team to replicate their cup form in the Premier League as they bid to preserve their top-flight status for an 11th successive season. Southampton have only won three of their 18 league games so far this season, but two of those have come on the road.
Indeed, a slender 1-0 win at Bournemouth was their most recent Premier League away win in mid-October, while their other away triumph was back in August against Leicester City, a 2-1 victory courtesy of a second-half brace from top scorer Che Adams.
