Everton manager Ronald Koeman has admitted that his side are going through a "difficult time" in the Premier League.
The Toffees made a promising start to the season with 13 points from the first 15 available, but they have since won just two of 12 matches to sink down to ninth in the Premier League table.
Everton will look to improve that record when they travel to face Leicester City on Boxing Day, and Koeman believes that the champions are a perfect example of how tough the division can be, having won just four matches in their title defence so far.
"We know it's a difficult time, but I knew that before. I wasn't expecting good results every day. We know what we need to do to improve and that is not done in two months," he told reporters.
"I think we can't find a better example [than Leicester] of how difficult it is in the Premier League. They evolve in the Champions League of course, but it's not the same Premier League season for them. That's normal."
Koeman will be without James McCarthy for the trip to the King Power Stadium, while goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg is also a doubt.
Barney Corkhill
