Europa League football is just what Everton need next season

This past weekend turned out to be a more than happy one for Everton with all things considered. The Blues continued their push for a top-six place with a comfortable 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion and bounced back from the loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the process.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Spurs win over Millwall in the FA Cup meant that now only the top six remain in the competition this season. The knock on effect of that, of course, is that a Europa League place will now be handed to whichever team finishes in seventh in the Premier League.

Everton currently occupy that place in the table and are seven points ahead of West Brom in eighth. It is their position to lose over the remaining ten games of the campaign. If things go to plan Europa League football could be on the cards and that’s a huge positive for Ronald Koeman and his men.

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Some may look down UEFA’s secondary competition on but it is the level that Everton fit into at this moment in time. This current team are not at the Champions League standard by some distance but are more than equipped to compete in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, it will provide Koeman with a further opportunity to assess his current squad and make changes, just as he used the Premier League to do this season.

Similarly, he can use the competition to gauge just how ready his side are to compete for the top four moving forward. He will be able to garner if his side can cope with the two games a week schedule that the top teams contend with.

Let’s not beat around the bush either, Everton are good enough to win the Europa League, only the failings of Roberto Martinez stopped them winning it last time around.

Things would be different under Koeman. Don’t discredit the Europa League; it’s exactly what Everton need right now.

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