Bilyaletdinov frustrated by form

Bilyaletdinov: Frustrated with form

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov admits he has been unhappy with some of Everton's tactics this season and has questioned whether his team-mates have the mental strength to halt their stuttering run of form.

The Toffees, currently just two points above the relegation zone in 15th position, travel to Sunderland on Boxing Day without a win in six Premier League games.

With injuries plaguing the squad for much of this season, boss David Moyes has been forced to adopt a long-ball approach in certain games and Bilyaletdinov has grown frustrated at that lack of flowing football.

The 24-year-old Russian told the Daily Mail: "Our team are very good at playing passing football but we rarely do this.

"We create chances mainly by lobbing the ball forward and putting teams under pressure."

Crisis of confidence

Bilyaletdinov bagged his fourth goal of the season against Birmingham last weekend but Sebastian Larsson's strike subjected the Merseysiders to their third straight draw.

The midfielder insists such displays are not good enough and has hit out at the Goodison Park squad for not holding on to leads.

He added: "Crisis or coincidence? Call it what you like. The point is that for the umpteenth time we took the lead but could not hold on to it. It seems our problem is psychological."