Carlo Ancelotti has pinpointed Everton’s need to improve in all departments.
Last weekend’s defeat to Wolves saw the Blues take just one point from their previous three Premier League fixtures and lose ground in their European bid.
Ancelotti’s side came in for particular criticism in midfield, where Andre Gomes and Tom Davies noticeably struggled during the recent run of matches.
But the Champions League-winning coach insists Everton must strengthen their resolve in multiple areas despite sticking to the current 4-4-2 system.
He said: “I think that in general we have to improve everywhere: in the final third, in midfield and in defence.
“In this period, what we showed is that sometimes in midfield we have needed more power and quality.
“We have players with quality, we have players with power, with ability – but we were not always able to show this quality and this ability.
“I think that the system is not so important. For the players I have in this moment, 4-4-2 defensively is the best system.
“I think that, when you change shape, it’s not always easy for the players to understand.
“We were forced to change shape in the last two or three games for a lot of reasons, but I think that for the future the identity has to be quite clear.
“As I said, defensively you can see easily how we play. Offensively we would like to have a different system to attack.”