Under-fire Silva seeks strong response from Everton

Everton’s defeat to Norwich City on Saturday saw them slide closer to the danger zone and under-fire manager Marco Silva says they will have to raise their game significantly with a tough run of fixtures on the horizon.

Silva was booed by supporters at Goodison Park after Everton’s seventh loss of the season left them four points above the relegation zone and the Portuguese later slammed his players, saying they were afraid to play football.

“After the performance against Norwich, we have to react and react strong because it will take playing at a different level to get the points we want,” Silva told the British media.

Everton visit second-placed Leicester City on Sunday before travelling to league leaders Liverpool three days later and complete a hectic six-day period by hosting Chelsea.

They will then take on Manchester United and Arsenal before Christmas.

“We cannot look for the next five games, we have to focus on the next one. We’ll focus on Leicester, nothing else,” he said.

“It will be a tough week with three games in six days but we have to look at each one in the right way.”