They missed out only just on a Europa League finish despite losing only 9 matches – two more than former champions Manchester United, two less than rivals Liverpool, and just as much as 3rd placed Arsenal. The Toffees, who finished 5th in 2008 and in 2009, are confident that the English Premier League standings will present more positives than negatives for them come the end of the season in 2011.
Australia’s Tim Cahill, who suffered a red card during his country's poor 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa, talked about the issue of confidence at Everton.
“Everyone can see our potential. It is important to keep our form going from last season,” the attacking midfielder stated before explaining the difference between his side and the English Premier League’s big spenders such as Manchester City.
“The only reason why people are talking about Manchester City and Tottenham is because they are the ones spending the money. We are not spending anything, and it’s the same thing every year.
“If we were spending that sort of money, people would talk about us. But we’re breeding some great talent here, and the manager [David Moyes] has picked up some very shrewd buys.
“I’m really optimistic about our chances of doing well, and finishing higher in the league.”
Coach David Moyes, who recently distanced himself from any possible move away from Everton to fill in Martin O’Neil’s vacated place, is also confident about Everton’s upcoming English Premier League season. He declared to the media:
“It is a really good club, and this year, we have a really good team and we have a good chance of doing well.”
Everton have also received a boost at the news that star defender Phil Jagielka has returned to form following injury problems which disrupted his football career last season. The player earned his first cap for England against Hungary on Wednesday night as he scored an own goal before Captain Steven Gerrard secured a 2-1 victory for the Three Lions.
In spite of this, Phil Jagielka has insisted that this incident has not affected his confidence as he is set to help Everton take on Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday.
Everton’s first English Premier League match of the season is scheduled to come on at 10:00 EST – Saturday, August 14. Visit the Blackburn Rovers vs Everton Live Streaming and TV Schedule match page for further details.
