It was important that they did not throw the towel in against West Ham on Sunday, but they are not in a situation where they can lose like that.
The result that mattered was the one Frank Lampard took a lot of positives from.
They played well against the Hammers, but some of the issues they have had all season came up again - they made mistakes at the back, they didn't take their chances and they ended up being beaten, again.
The players know they are still on this run where they are getting nothing away from home, so they will be affected by that feeling before Wednesday.
It is going to be a dogfight because of the importance of that game for the Clarets.
It feels like they always have key men missing through injury or suspension for important matches like this one, and that's not the first time that has happened.
I have no doubt that the players are capable of going there and winning, even though their away record means everyone doubts them.
I have been in this situation before, playing in a team so badly out of form away from home that it is hard to convince yourself that everything is going to be all right.
In the last five away games they've played under the stewardship of Lampard, they've lost all five of them and have only picked up six points on the road.
It is almost a case of the players thinking "here we go again" when you are on a run like that.
If your team is playing well, then you don't need to be behind. They have never really played to their best level away from home, so you just say to each other, let's just keep going.
They have only been in front during one away league game since beating Brighton in August, and that lead only lasted a minute.
They had chances against West Ham when the score was nil and those misses felt like costly errors because of how they could have changed the feel of the game.
Going in front against the Clarets would give the players at Goodison a huge lift and also apply pressure to them, which is what it must feel like at the moment.
The correct mindset is so important when you play away in the premier league, it is the difference between stepping on to a pitch expecting to win, or going somewhere just thinking you are going to lose.
When we stayed up on the last day of the season, we had the worst away record in the top flight.
We were terrible on the road, but we had some great results at home. All sides were expected to beat us.
Sometimes, when there is a difference between home and away performances, it is because the team's collective mentality isn't strong enough.
It is a completely different task to go up against any opposition on their home ground instead of yours, to go up against their fans and feel that level of pressure, and understand that going a goal behind or having any sort of setback isn't the end of the game.
Certain teams have a style of play that helps, of course, but it is not just ability or tactics that gets you through those difficult situations.
When he criticized his side after they lost heavily at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup last month, he was alluding to the fact that you can work on things with players all week but they still need to dig in when things aren't going well.
If you don't have a bunch of players who are all very good at that, playing away from home can become very difficult.
The fact that they are not in the bottom three is the biggest positive for the club right now.
If they were below the red line, the teams above them would be getting away from them, so it's a huge bonus for them to be above it.
The people below them are worried that the gap will get bigger ifEverton win.
At this stage of the season, I have been above the line and below it. When you feel like you are dropping down towards the bottom, it is a terrible feeling, but it is worse when you are in it, with time running out.
The key thing to remember is that the other teams below them would be happy to trade for them.
Nedum Onuoha was talking to Chris Bevan.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
