The Everton manager believes “fear” is stopping his squad from replicating their decent home form on the road. And ahead of Saturday’s trip to Stoke, he has brought the club’s mind doctor in to talk to the team.
“I hope it will have an effect,” he said. “Everything in the world of football today revolves around coping with the pressure.
“If the sports psychologist allows them to focus on the positives rather than the negatives then that will give them a chance of delivering a performance.
“You have to find a balance between complacency and fear. You have to be anxious before the game – but not too fearful.
“Too fearful and you freeze, too complacent – it’s just as bad as being too fearful. Fear can do many things to a player on the field of play, where it looks like he has frozen and can’t deliver what he can.
“For us it’s fear away from home.”
Everton have won just once on the road this season in the league – at Newcastle in December.
The Toffees face a stiff task against a Stoke side which has toughened up since the arrival of Paul Lambert with seven points from their last seven games and just five goals conceded.