I almost feel kind of sorry for Everton. Last season they finished fifth in the Premier and manager Roberto Martinez’s first season had been a resounding success - the club looked to be on the way up.

Fast forward almost a year later and Everton have endured a miserable season so far where players have lacked their normally impressive form and the possibility of relegation has been hanging over them for months.

But one aspect of their season that they can be proud of is their performances in the Europa League. Despite being European football’s second best tournament, many good teams play in it and some have gone on to win it before making an assault on the Champions League a few seasons later. Take Atletico Madrid, for example. They won the Europa League in both 2010 and 2012.

Then just last year they made it all the way to the Champions League final where they ultimately lost out to city rivals Real Madrid. It can be quite the springboard.

Now, Everton's defeat last night means they won't be winning it this year, but that's not to say they can't go on to improve their league form and start climbing the table between now and May.

They will still need to address their problems and make some changes in the summer, figure out what it is that saw them fall rapidly from grace in the space of just 10 months and then rebuild in the summer.

Midfielder Ross Barkley in particular has been disappointing this season. His form was so good last year that it was expected that Everton would find it near impossible to hold onto the 21-year-old when a big money team came knocking. Fortunately the Toffee’s got Barkley to commit to the club until 2018.

At the start of the season an injury did keep him out of the team for eight weeks, so it is understandable that he would have a less explosive year than the last one, and this has surely contributed to Everton’s decline.

The Toffee’s are six points above the dreaded relegation zone and with Premier League fixtures against teams like Manchester United and Southampton, both who are looking to qualify for the Champions League, and teams like Queens Park Rangers and Burnley, who are hoping to escape the drop, Everton are not guaranteed to stay up. It would be unthinkable for them to drop down, though, and there are a few other teams who appear more likely to take those three unwanted spots.

Everton still need to pick up points in the league to be safe but I think where the season is now a write off the Toffee’s can still take a lot from their European performances and build on them to ensure a strong finish to their somewhat disappointing campaign.

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