'I think it is a confidence issue with the players' says Graham Stuart about Everton's poor form

Everton's poor run in all competitions is down to lack of confidence with the players, according to the Toffees former forward Graham Stuart.

Ronald Koeman's side have managed only two wins in eight league games so far this season. In the Europa League, they are without a win in the first three group stage fixtures, while they defeated Sunderland in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Their initial fixtures saw them settle for a point against Manchester City at the Etihad, while they suffered defeats at the hands of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Burnley. The Merseyside club suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lyon in their latest fixture in the Europa League.

Following their defeat to the Ligue 1 outfit, Koeman admitted the board will make a final decision on his future. Stuart, who also played for Chelsea, believes a series of tough fixtures against the last season's top six have resulted in their poor run in the league.

"I think it is a confidence issue with the players at this moment in time. If you look at the start of the season, we had some really difficult fixtures, especially away from home," Stuart told IBTimes UK.

"In the first few games, we had Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham. Those were really tough games for us.

"There is an awful lot of pressure on us to win the first game because everybody knew we had to get to a good start. Obviously, Wayne Rooney coming back to the football club and got that goal and had a great start for him.

"But, I knew it was going to be difficult. We went to Manchester City and got ourselves a point. I don't there would be too many clubs coming out of the Etihad with points.

"Unfortunately, we then went on a barren run where a confidence level dipped a little bit and all of a sudden the clash against AFC Bournemouth becomes a must-win game for us. We managed to come from behind and beat them 2-1, only for us to lose to Burnley later. That's a poor result for us. There are no easy games in the Premier League."