Ronald Koeman’s Everton were held to a 0-0 draw by a stubborn Middlesbrough side on Saturday to fall off the pace set by the Premier League’s top six.

The Toffees went into their clash with Aitor Karanka’s men just five points behind Manchester United, although Koeman’s side were unable to find that decisive goal and thus had to make-do with a share of the spoils at the Riverside Stadium.

It means that they remain seventh in the table, but are now seven points adrift of United in sixth after they comfortably beat Watford 2-0 at Old Trafford.

Nonetheless, 2017 has been good for Everton thus far as, although they got knocked out of the FA Cup by Leicester, they have not lost any of their six Premier League matches, and have won four of them.

That has extended their unbeaten run in the league to eight games, and now means that instead of hanging on to a place in the top-half, they are setting their sights much higher.

The Toffees are seven points behind United, and only nine points behind Tottenham in second, so European football is not totally out of the question this term.

Thus, they will have to put a fine run of form together to get into the top five, and here is the Everton XI that may well be able to do that…

Joel Robles

He may not have started the season as Everton’s number one, but Joel Robles has certainly usurped Maarten Stekelenburg as Koeman’s first choice after several impressive displays.

The 26-year-old made his first start of the season against West Ham back in October, and then replaced Stekelenburg off the bench in their derby day loss to Liverpool in December.

And since then, Robles has been the undisputed number one after consistently solid performances, with his efforts against Manchester City, Crystal Palace, and Middlesbrough of particular note.

The Spaniard has been in excellent form, and he’ll need to continue that good form over the coming months to help Everton get into Europe.

Mason Holgate

Young defender Mason Holgate has been on the peripheries of the first team for much of the campaign, but has recently broken into the Everton starting line-up.

And it’s clear from his performances that he has the ability to go on and become an excellent defender for both club and possibly country.

The 20-year-old, who received his first England Under-21 cap last year, started the season in Koeman’s first team, although lost his place and then didn’t return to the side until December 4, when he came on as a second half substitute against Manchester United.

Since then though, Holgate has been a regular feature in the side, especially when Koeman plays a back three, and performed well in the wins over both Manchester City and Crystal Palace last month.

Although he lost his starting berth last week against Stoke, the youngster is both for the future, and indeed the present, and could be key to Everton’s chances of qualifying for Europe this term.

Ashley Williams

Everton secured quite a coup by signing Ashley Williams from Swansea last summer, with the Swans’ struggles this term illustrating how integral he was to their side.

The Welsh captain had a terrific European Championships with his country last season and, although he wasn’t at his best in the early stages of his Toffees career, he is certainly improving alongside their recent run of good form.

The 32-year-old has appeared in all but one of their Premier League games this term, but has been particularly impressive in the last few months since Koeman has tweaked his system somewhat, either by playing a back three or switching to a 4-2-3-1.

Clearly, Williams is an excellent centre-back, and his form as the senior defender in the side will be crucial if Everton are to clinch a European spot come May.

Ramiro Funes Mori

Argentine international Ramiro Funes Mori has hardly been the most convincing defender since he moved to Everton in 2015, but his role alongside Williams is important to the Toffees.

The 25-year-old moved to Goodison Park as a relative unknown from River Plate 18 months ago, and has since made 47 Premier League appearances for the club, and 59 in all competitions.

Funes Mori is clearly ahead of Phil Jagielka in the pecking order, but arguably has a few too many off-games, and can sometimes be a liability at the back for the Toffees.

Nonetheless, the 25-year-old has looked more composed in recent weeks, and is likely to remain one of the first choice defenders between now and May.

Seamus Coleman

Seamus Coleman is one of the most reliable full-backs in the division, and has seamlessly adapted to the wing-back role Koeman has employed him in over the past few weeks.

The Republic of Ireland international has been excellent since breaking into the Toffees first team back in 2010, and has been a regular feature in Everton teams since then, making 202 Premier League appearances in his Toffees career.

And, with Koeman switching to a back three in recent weeks, it has brought the best out of Coleman’s attacking play, as he has scored once and laid on two assists in his last five league appearances from a more advanced role.

Obviously, Coleman is the first choice in the right-back slot, and his form up and down the flanks will be crucial if Everton are to challenge for the European spots over the coming months.

Morgan Schneiderlin

Everton made a shrewd move in signing Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United last month, and he’s already beginning to show his quality in the Toffees midfield.

The French international struggled for gametime under Jose Mourinho earlier in the campaign, making just three starts in all competitions for the Red Devils, so a move away in January was hardly a surprise.

And Everton will certainly benefit from the 27-year-old’s services, and his displays in his first three starts for the club suggest that he could go on and become the number one central midfielder in the near future.

Be it in the midfield two in front of the back four, or as part of a midfield three, Schneiderlin is a very adept midfielder, who can be the man in the middle for Everton for many years to come.

Idrissa Gueye

Bringing Morgan Schneiderlin in has certainly strengthened Everton’s midfield options, but Idrissa Gueye is one that will continue to start given his impressive first half of the campaign.

The 27-year-old, who was on African Cup of Nations duty for much of last month, moved to Goodison Park last summer after impressing in a woeful Aston Villa side last season, with only N’Golo Kante making more tackles and interceptions than the Senegalese international last term.

Yet, Gueye has usurped the French international on top of this season’s tackling charts, and is a key member of the Everton midfield in breaking up opposition attacks, as well as retaining possession and keeping things simple in the middle of the park.

Koeman has many options at his disposal, yet Gueye is one that will be integral in their quest for a European spot.

Leighton Baines

Left-back Leighton Baines is another one that has flourished in the wing-back role, although remains a very dependable left-back when in that role as well.

The England international, who didn’t play for his country at all last year, has started 19 of their 25 Premier League games this season, netting twice and laying on a further two assists.

The 32-year-old was excellent in the draw at Middlesbrough last weekend, and seems to have had a new lease of life after managing just 18 appearances in the league under Roberto Martinez last season.

At 32, Baines’ best years are probably behind him, but he remains a solid defender and one Koeman can certainly rely on over the coming months.

Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley started this season on fire with a goal and an assist in his first two games of the campaign, although things quickly went downhill for the England international.

The 23-year-old went nine games without a goal before netting against West Ham in October, although then struggled for form over November before grabbing an assist against Arsenal in December.

Since then, Barkley has been much-improved, netting two goals and laying on three assists in seven league matches, including two assists in the 4-0 victory over Manchester City last month.

Koeman has clearly found a system which brings the best out of Barkley, who will himself be looking for a first England call-up since Euro 2016 in the coming months.

More importantly, if the midfielder can continue his fine form, Everton won’t be far away from the European spots come May.

Ademola Lookman

Young starlet Ademola Lookman secured a big money move to Everton in the January transfer window, and has already made quite the impact since his arrival on Merseyside.

The 19-year-old came off the bench to score on his Toffees debut in the 4-0 win over Manchester City last month, before making his first Premier League start in their 6-3 victory over Bournemouth last week.

Koeman appears to have placed great faith in the youngster, who also started against Middlesbrough last time out, with his developing relationship with Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku one Everton fans can look forward to over the coming months.

Romelu Lukaku

He is Everton’s talisman, and the one they rely on to get the goals, yet Romelu Lukaku has shown no signs of feeling the pressure this season.

The Belgian international netted four in the 6-3 victory over Bournemouth last week to go to the top of the Premier League’s top-scoring charts, yet struggled to replicate that in the draw at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Nonetheless, the 23-year-old has scored seven goals in seven appearances in 2017, and looks set to lead the line for the rest of the campaign should he remain injury-free.

Obviously, his form, and indeed his goals, will be one of the biggest factors in whether or not Everton reach the European spots come May.