When the fixtures were announced for the 2019/20 Premier League season, many Everton fans would have had a similar thought drifting around in their minds.
The prospect of an easy start to life in the league looked enticing for the Toffees. On the back of a stellar summer transfer window that saw Marco Silva entice the likes of Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Moise Kean, and Alex Iwobi to Merseyside as well as pinch Fabian Delph from Manchester City on a bargain £10m deal according to BBC Sport.
Yet as we all know now, the start to the season for Everton has been nothing short of awful for the Merseyside club, and there are no two ways about it.
Seven points from a possible 18 currently see Everton dwell in 14th place in the Premier League table, a run that has seen the Toffees lose to the likes of Aston Villa, Bournemouth and more recently Sheffield United as well as being held against Crystal Palace in the opening game of the season.
With Silva’ side facing off against Manchester City, West Ham and Tottenham in their next six Premier League games, the Merseyside club could yet again be about to endure another spell of torrid form, especially when you consider the Cityzens are up next for Everton, who are heading to Goodison Park on the back of an 8-0 win over Watford.
A 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United, their first away win in the Premier League since 2006, isn’t exactly the best way to prepare yourself with an encounter against the reigning English champions in red-hot form, but this is the situation Everton find themselves in, and barring a miracle against Pep Guardiola’s side, Toffee supporters could find their club in serious trouble.