Everton are in a vulnerable position in the Premier League finding themselves in the relegation zone following a defeat in the Merseyside derby last weekend.

Frank Lampard has six games left to make the great escape to avoid the club's first-ever Premier League relegation to the Championship, and should he keep his job at the club this summer there will be big changes needed to be made, no matter the outcome.

There are numerous problems in the performances and the quality throughout the squad this season, but one particular area of focus that has let the side down time and time again is the defence.

Jamie Carragher blasted the Everton defenders recently following a humiliating 5-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur calling the defence set-up "Championship level" in a scathing assessment on Sky Sports Monday Night Football show;

"That back four is miles away, it's Championship level.

"They're weak physically and it's a massive problem for them going forward."

The back four he was referring to included both Mason Holgate and Michael Keane who have been constantly costing Everton this season with their numerous errors and lack of basic judgement whilst defending the back-line, and Lampard should do everything he can to get rid of the pair.

According to SofaScore ratings, Holgate is one of the worst-rated players in the entire squad ranking 23rd out of 30 and for good reason when you consider his performances and statistics this season.

The centre-back has lost the majority of his ground duels (56%), is unsuccessful in the majority of his dribbles (67%), commits 1.2 fouls on average per game and has not only scored an own goal but has also served a three-match ban following a reckless challenge on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg just 10 minutes after coming on against Spurs at Goodison Park.

However, Keane completely outshines Holgate for poor performances this season, with the 29-year-old making a huge amount of mistakes this season on top of extremely average to poor performances every single week.

The Toffees defender has made several game-changing mistakes including two own goals in the space of two months that have led to defeats, with both of his own goals opening up the scoring for Norwich City and Spurs in the aforementioned embarrassing defeat.

On top of his two own goals, Keane has had two errors leading to a goal, hasn't won possession in a single Premier League performance for the entire season and like his team-mate has also served a suspension when he was recently sent off against West Ham United for a reckless challenge following a yellow card.

With all of that in mind, there is no doubt that the Everton manager must find a way to either sell these two players or convince Farhad Moshiri to provide the funds to replace and upgrade the disaster duo ahead of next season if they have any hope of improving their position in the Premier League should they stay up.

AND in other news: Sources: Huge exit claim emerges out of Everton that will leave supporters fuming