Everton manager David Moyes said today he wants to see his side “challenge for the positions higher up the league”.
The Toffees sit eighth following their 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth last time out, and are seven points adrift of the European places.
They welcome Manchester United to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night (February 23rd).
Everton have had an extended break after being knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties, something Moyes admitted has disrupted momentum.
“We are getting breaks when we don’t want them and don’t need them,” he said.
“We’ve only got ourselves to blame as we got knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties.”
Jake O’Brien’s red card in the defeat to Bournemouth means changes are expected at the back, but Moyes confirmed Seamus Coleman is fit and available.
“He got sent off, these things happen,” Moyes added. “Seamus is fit and available; we’ve got people we can choose.”
Manchester United arrive on Merseyside unbeaten in four league games under Michael Carrick and currently sit in the top four following a draw at West Ham.
Moyes had praise for his counterpart: “I think Michael has come in and done a brilliant job.
“He’s freshened up the players and certainly freshened up the support as well, he’s gone about the job very well.”
Despite their league position, Everton’s home form has caused concern. They have won just four of their 13 matches at Hill Dickinson this season.
“At home it’s felt difficult, for whatever reason that may be,” Moyes admitted.
“The people who make football clubs are the supporters, and inside the stadium they’re the ones who make the big difference.
“If they can help make a difference on Monday night, that would be very much appreciated.”
In their last clash with Manchester United
Moyes pointed to his side’s previous away victory, with just 10 men, at Old Trafford as evidence of their competitiveness against the league’s elite.
“The big thing I wanted us to do here was make sure we’re competitive with the so-called bigger teams in the league,” he said.
“On that night we showed resilience and it was a huge win for us at the time.”
The fight for Europe
With the race for Europe tightening, Moyes believes consistency against the division’s strongest sides will be key: “There’s very little between the teams in the league,
“There are a lot of teams showing good form and they’re very hard to beat.
“If we want to challenge the teams in Europe, we’re going to have to win some big games in the run-in.”
(Featured image by image by Kea Gerike)
