Everton boss Marco Silva admits performances have not been up to scratch recently after old club Watford heaped further pressure on the Portuguese.
The Toffees were beaten 1-0 by the Hornets at Vicarage Road on Saturday, Andre Gray netting the only goal of the game to inflict a third successive defeat on Silva's side.
A run of four wins from the last 17 in the Premier League, coupled with a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Millwall in the fourth round, has resulted in some fans calling for Silva to be sacked.
The disharmony amongst the Goodison Park faithful marks a remarkable nose dive for Everton under Silva following his appointment in the summer, the team making a good start to life under his guidance.
However, Silva admits the dip in form has left him a little worried but believes there have been encouraging signs in the last two matches against Manchester City and Watford, missing some gilt-edged chances in the clash with the latter.
The Portuguese said: "It's not good for us as a club, and for me as a manager it's not good. I'm concerned but we have to work more and more to achieve the results that can grow our confidence."
"We hit the crossbar twice in the second half and had the header from Dominic [Calvert-Lewin]. At the moment, things aren't good.
"They created a chance after one corner which wasn't a corner, and after a deflection they scored the goal. We just weren't effective."
Silva's unhappy return to his former stomping ground was made worse by Kurt Zouma being sent-off after the full-time whistle, ruling him out of the clash with Cardiff City.
"I've spoken with Kurt, and what he told me is that he didn't see the first yellow card," Silva added. "He was surprised when I asked him what happened to receive a red card. I've not had the chance yet to speak with the referee."
Despite recent results, Everton are currently ninth in the standings and are 6/5 to finish in the top-10.
Everton now have two weeks off before their next Premier League clash, a trip to Cardiff City on 28 February.
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Everton boss Marco Silva admits performances have not been up to scratch recently after old club Watford heaped further pressure on the Portuguese.
The Toffees were beaten 1-0 by the Hornets at Vicarage Road on Saturday, Andre Gray netting the only goal of the game to inflict a third successive defeat on Silva's side.
A run of four wins from the last 17 in the Premier League, coupled with a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Millwall in the fourth round, has resulted in some fans calling for Silva to be sacked.
The disharmony amongst the Goodison Park faithful marks a remarkable nose dive for Everton under Silva following his appointment in the summer, the team making a good start to life under his guidance.
However, Silva admits the dip in form has left him a little worried but believes there have been encouraging signs in the last two matches against Manchester City and Watford, missing some gilt-edged chances in the clash with the latter.
The Portuguese said: "It's not good for us as a club, and for me as a manager it's not good. I'm concerned but we have to work more and more to achieve the results that can grow our confidence."
"We hit the crossbar twice in the second half and had the header from Dominic [Calvert-Lewin]. At the moment, things aren't good.
"They created a chance after one corner which wasn't a corner, and after a deflection they scored the goal. We just weren't effective."
Silva's unhappy return to his former stomping ground was made worse by Kurt Zouma being sent-off after the full-time whistle, ruling him out of the clash with Cardiff City.
"I've spoken with Kurt, and what he told me is that he didn't see the first yellow card," Silva added. "He was surprised when I asked him what happened to receive a red card. I've not had the chance yet to speak with the referee."
Despite recent results, Everton are currently ninth in the standings and are 6/5 to finish in the top-10.
Everton now have two weeks off before their next Premier League clash, a trip to Cardiff City on 28 February.
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Source: bet365.com