Tim Howard is adamant the Europa League is not to blame for Everton delivering what might be their worse season for nine years . Perhaps the goalkeeper would have been better off hiding behind conventional wisdom , considering the disappointment of this elongated campaign which could yet see Everton finish in the bottom half of the Premier League for the first time since 2006 . Those prospects are dwindling , courtesy of a four-game unbeaten run , but there is no mistaking that Roberto Martinez ’ s side have fallen way below the standards set last season . The gap between their status now and after 32 games last season is 25 points , the difference between targeting a Champions League place and chasing the top 10 . Tim Howard is adamant the Europa League is not to blame for Everton 's poor season in the Premier League . The Merseyside outfit played 10 games in Europe this season before being knocked out by Dynamo Kiev . Aaron Lennon scored for Everton at Swansea City but the game ended in a 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium . Swansea City ( 4-3-3 ) : Fabianski 6.5 ; Rangel 6 , Fernandez 6 , Williams 6 , Taylor 6 ; Ki 6.5 , Cork 6.5 , Shelvey 7.5 ( Dyer 83mins ) ; Sigurdsson 6 , Gomis 6 ( Emnes 17 , 6.5 ) , Routledge 6.5 . Subs not used : Amat , Britton , Grimes , Tremmel , Fulton . Booked : Taylor , Emnes , Williams . Everton ( 4-2-3-1 ) : Howard 6.5 ; Coleman 6 , Stones 6 , Jagielka 6.5 , Baines 6.5 ; McCarthy 6.5 , Barry 7 ; Lennon 6.5 , Barkley 5.5 ( Mirallas 86 ) , Osman 6 ( Pienaar 28 , 6 ) ; Kone 5 ( Naismith 76 ) . Subs not used : Robles , Besic , Garbutt , Alcaraz . Booked : Kone , Howard , Lennon . Man of the match : Jonjo Shelvey . Referee : Michael Oliver 5 . Attendance : 20,468 . The demands of playing 10 games in the Europa League have certainly taken their toll but Howard rejected that theory , saying : ‘ That ’ s something that ’ s been talked about for the last five or 10 years but it ’ s just a blanket statement people make . Champions League teams have to do the same thing . ‘ They play Wednesday and Saturday and it ’ s tough but no-one blames Champions League football . Every football team does not have a god given right to be anywhere . ‘ We ’ ve put in honest performances but things just haven ’ t gone our way . We could sit here and make a list of a thousand different things but it ’ s not the Europa League or anything else. ’ The perception that luck has not gone Everton ’ s way extended to Saturday when Aaron Lennon ’ s first-half strike was cancelled out by a Jonjo Shelvey penalty . Martinez was incensed by the award of a penalty though it appeared a reasonable decision . Neither side came out of the fixture unscathed , with Leon Osman of Everton and Swansea City ’ s Bafetimbi Gomis due to have scans today on respective groin and hamstring injuries . Howard will not allow Europe to be an excuse for what could be Everton 's worst season in nine years . Jonjo Shelvey of Swansea scores past Howard with a penalty to level the scores on Saturday afternoon . Swansea manager Garry Monk confirmed a striker is top of his summer wishlist after being left with no fit front men , while Everton , in the shorter-term , have been told to finish in the top half . Howard added : ‘ There ’ s a points total we want to achieve and get ourselves in the top half of the table. ’ SUPER STAT : Everton named an unchanged team in the league for the first time since March 2014 against Fulham . Roberto Martinez will hope that after such a good campaign last time he does not get an unwanted record .
Everton drew 1-1 with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on nine years . They could finish Premier League bottom half for first time in Saturday . Tim Howard says his side 's struggles are n't down to Europa League . Toffees played 10 European games but Howard says form is down to luck .