Following a disappointing loss away at fellow relegation candidates Burnley in midweek in the top flight, Everton were finally able to get back into the win column at the weekend as they edged past a dire Manchester United 1-0 at Goodison Park.
However, the Toffees are still not out of the woods as they are just four points above the drop zone with eight games remaining in the league to save their season.
Former Everton defender Ball has stressed that the Merseyside giants need to keep working on improving their standards in set-piece scenarios as they will play a crucial role in helping the club get the points they need to ensure their top flight survival.
Ball explained that Everton are not great when it comes to breaking down the opposition and dead ball situations could open up valuable opportunities for them to score in a season in which goals have come at a premium.
“The set pieces we were putting in were working [against Manchester United], we were asking questions which we haven’t done”, Ball wrote in his Liverpool Echo column.
“Putting in deliveries where the opposition have had to defend and we’ve asked the question.
“We’ve let the opposition off far too often by hitting the first man and making it easy for them to stop us.
“If they keep on working at that, we’ve got players who can win set pieces in the final third.
“That’s going to be really important for us to stay in this league, that moments like that could be huge for us.
“We’re not great at breaking teams down too much, so set pieces are going to be huge and working hard at Finch Farm could be the way to get a goal and keep us in this league.”
The Toffees will have an extended spell to work in training under Frank Lampard as they are pencilled in to return to action on 20th April against Leicester City at home in the league.
