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This article is part of Football FanCast's Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba's haircuts to League Two relegation battles...

There are alarming signs being ignored by Everton's management, and if they continue it is unlikely to be a successful season at Goodison Park.

The biggest issue currently, from a defensive perspective, is the Toffees' deficiency in defending set-pieces, which worryingly has been a continued theme of Marco Silva's tenure.

In 2018/19 his side finished top of the table for goals conceded from set-pieces, with 16, and in five Premier League games so far Everton seem to be defending their title, letting in three, two of which came last Sunday against Bournemouth.

One reason for that may be Silva's preferred method of zonal marking, which has failed too often, but Jordan Pickford's lack of command of his area is also a concern.

Without conceding those goals Everton would boast an impressive record of only four goals conceded in five games, and therefore if they can solve the issue they will be better placed to pick up points, particularly away from home.

Last season they finished their league campaign with seven goals conceded from their last ten games, which shows they have the players to keep the opposition quiet.

Furthermore, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina are more than capable of performing to a high standard in the Premier League, and their average aerial battles won per game of 5.4 and 4.4 respectively suggests they should be able to take care of set-piece situations.

As a result, Silva should perhaps look to implement a man-marking system, placing his two central defenders on the opponent's key attacking figures. Dominic Solanke's near-post run for Bournemouth at the weekend highlighted the ease with which the zonal marking system can be taken advantage of.

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The delayed reaction for the Cherries' first goal was also unforgivable, with both Callum Wilson and Nathan Ake free to head home, and that underlines the lack of leadership in Everton's own penalty box.

Silva must address that issue, and it is up to the goalkeeper to organise and fix problems when things aren't going their way, and Pickford needs to build a commanding presence.

The 25-year-old is often vocal for club and country, but a reluctance to come off his line is costing his side, and Silva or a goalkeeping coach may need to raise the idea of England's number one coming out to catch or punch the ball more often.

If Silva can cut this vulnerability out of his team then he will massively reduce the pressure on his side away from home, and likely prevent the amount of times Everton find themselves chasing the game, which they are not successful at - Silva has failed to overturn a Premier league deficit in his spell on Merseyside.