Moyes previews Everton's FA Cup tie with Bournemouth
07/02/2025
Finch Farm training centre, Liverpool, UK
07/02/2025
Finch Farm training centre, Liverpool, UK
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00:00Good afternoon everyone, welcome to our pre-match press conference to preview our Cup tie with
00:07Bournemouth. We'll start off with Vinnie from Sky.
00:09David, ultimately how satisfactory was the end to the transfer window for you?
00:14It could have been much better but I think everybody who's connected with Everton are
00:18pretty much aware of our situation. But no, we're feeling much better. We think that in
00:24the future there's a greater chance where we'll be able to be more competitive in the
00:28transfer market. We'd have liked to have done a bit more if we could have but either prices
00:34or availability etc all those things played its part which it probably did for a lot of
00:39clubs as well.
00:40Carlos Alcaraz you did get in, how ready is he to go straight into things against Bournemouth
00:44if needed?
00:45I think he's ready to play. I think he looks max fit. I think the biggest thing is just
00:51getting him used to the group of players and just coming in and not putting him under too
00:55much pressure. He's got Premier League experience so the speed of the game and what's expected
01:00here shouldn't shock him too much. I think it's more just getting him adapted and settled
01:07into us really.
01:08When he does what do you think he'll bring for you?
01:11Well if you've seen him play his energy will always be something which he's known for.
01:17I think his youthfulness at the moment is still important. It's a young player. I think
01:22it'll give him an opportunity to see if he can step up to this level again and we'll
01:27get him the chance to do so in the coming weeks and games we've got now. I'm quite pleased
01:34to get him because it just gives us a chance to have a look at him and see how it goes.
01:39It's not something which has to be guaranteed at the moment but if he hits the criteria
01:47then obviously we'd be in a situation where we'd bring him to the club.
01:51Just thinking of things you've got to weigh up when it comes to team selection, given
01:54the momentum that you've picked up, how much of a temptation is it to go same again but
01:59at the same time as well? How much of an importance is there to rest players with the Merseyside
02:03derby to come midweek?
02:04I think every manager probably gets nearly similar questions Vinny because of what becomes
02:12more important. Let's be fair and not kid MD on, here at Everton the biggest important
02:16for us is to be a Premier League club, that is important. But every Everton supporter
02:21wants another trip to Wembley and hopefully a chance to win a trophy so we have to give
02:25the supporters that as well, like most managers do at any club. But for our position in the
02:31league it would always be the overriding thing which we have to make sure we retain our premiership
02:36status.
02:37The fact that you've opened up a nine point gap though, does that make that weigh in a
02:41little bit more difficult?
02:43I've actually heard a lot of people sitting back and thinking that this is a lot easier
02:47than it looks but I'm seeing it as we're nowhere near getting the job done yet, we've got a
02:52lot of games to play, we have to really focus and keep continuing to pick up points. We've
02:57had a great little run at the moment, we've got to try and keep it going as long as we
03:01can.
03:02It does feel like a big turnaround though in a very short space of time, how does it
03:05feel to you?
03:06It feels great that we've won three games, it really does and I can sense it in the building,
03:12I can sense it in the training with the players, gaining confidence, a lot more self-belief.
03:19But here's the buts coming, but the buts are we've got to keep it going, we've got a long
03:24way to go, we're a long way off being the team I would hope we would have in the future
03:29but at the moment we've got to make sure that the team we've got just now gives us everything
03:33and continues to do as well as it's done in recent weeks.
03:35What's the biggest change though that you feel that you've made yourself?
03:41I don't feel as if it would be me personally that's made the change, I think the players
03:45change in how they've probably perceived themselves a wee bit now. A lot of them are really good
03:52players, they're talented footballers and I think they've shown it, I think the recent
03:57games they've played really well in the games, they've passed it well, they've controlled
04:00games at times, they've been resilient when they've needed to do so. Probably one of the
04:07questions you were asking a lot about was how many chances, who's going to score the
04:11goals? Quickly in the games we've started to look as if we're a bit more lethal, look
04:16as if we're going to score, created a few more chances. All those things I think the
04:20players have to get the credits for because they're the ones who are putting themselves
04:24in the position to win the games now.
04:26Ahead of this game against Bournemouth I'm guessing you'll probably look back at the
04:29two league games that Everton have faced this season which obviously you weren't a part
04:33of. I just wonder what you've been able to learn from seeing those games and on top of
04:39that as well, is there a sense among the players that they want to put things right for what's
04:44happening, particularly that game at Goodison Park?
04:46Well I think the first thing that everybody's learnt is that Bournemouth and their manager
04:49are doing a brilliant job. I think their team have played so, so well this season and to
04:54be fair, parts of last season as well they were beginning to show signs when I was playing
04:58against them a year or so ago. We've got to hope that we can get a result. The two games
05:08this season have not gone our way, so let's see if we can try and do it in the Cup. It's
05:14a tough game, Bournemouth are playing really well. Great side at the moment, good energy,
05:20doing a lot of good things so we have to try and improve our game and see if we can get
05:24a good win.
05:26Thanks Vinnie, we'll go to Julia.
05:31The desire to get a trophy here at the club is quite obvious, it's something the fans
05:36really want. The closest was when you were here previously. Do you still feel that around
05:41the club, that's something that everybody wants, is to get a trophy here at Everton?
05:45Well every club I've been to, everybody says the same about it. Everybody wants a trophy.
05:50There's certain clubs in this country who are serial winners and it's very hard to overtake
05:55them in some cases. But we were talking about it, me and Andy here, before we came in and
06:00we were thinking we had a semi-final against Liverpool which we lost, we had a final against
06:04Chelsea. What ideally I want is to have an Everton team which is getting to semi-finals
06:10and finals and trying to be more competitive. We had a quarter-final I think in Europe here
06:20as well. So we had a little bit of a run, maybe not good enough, but I think you've
06:26got to first of all start trying to take those steps which get you closer to it. So what
06:31we need to do is try and beat Bournemouth to try and get a step closer in this round
06:34if we can, in this year's competition and see where it goes. But look, every club wants
06:41to win a trophy, I've learnt that over recent years.
06:45You mentioned there about the chances being created now and the goals seem to be coming.
06:50The possession stats that Everton have played, particularly this season, have always been
06:55below 50% and in some cases quite low in the 20s. You've been in the 30s or 47 against
07:01Leicester. I'm just wondering in a cup game, is possession something you're concerned about
07:06in order to get a result or does it not matter as long as you're getting the other stats?
07:10Yeah, look, possession was always seen as relatively important. I think if you look
07:14at even the teams, I worked quite a bit for UEFA during the summer and possession wasn't
07:19the main thing that got teams results. It's beginning to go away a little bit from that.
07:23Ultimately you'd rather have the ball than not have the ball. You'd rather pass it more
07:27than give it away. But I do think we've passed it really well in the games. I think we've
07:32improved on it, as you rightly said and thank you for that. Our numbers have got better.
07:39But again, I've said many times, we're not going to change things completely. I think
07:45the players, what they've done, they've adapted to being a bit better with the ball if we
07:49can, trying to control it a bit better. But in saying that, how are we going to make more
07:53chances, which you'd mentioned there, and how are we going to score more goals? We've
07:57just started to show that we've done that a bit better. Let's hope we can keep improving
08:02and yeah, if I can get the possession up better. But ultimately the only thing I want to do
08:07is win. If that means higher possession, great. If it doesn't, then I'm not that bothered.
08:13Jake O'Brien is helping with some of that passing and some of those stats. He's had
08:16his role changed to this right-back position. How are you judging how quickly he's picking
08:21this up and how well he's contributing to the side?
08:26I can only make reference to what I know. Sometimes when you're a young centre-back,
08:30and I think as young centre-backs quite often get into the team as full-backs, that's how
08:35you break in because you might not quite have the physicality or the experience. Quite
08:39often I was a young player and I had to do that route myself and many do. I think at
08:46the moment Jake will go on to be a centre-back in time. I think he's doing a good job. He's
08:50got attributes which fill that position. I think it was a role where we had a few injuries
08:56there and we're chopping and changing how we're going to get it. We also think that
09:01Jake's a little bit more competent on the ball as well at times and he's given us that
09:06a little bit more composure. We're hoping that we can use him there but ultimately I'm
09:10sure his future will be as more of an out-and-out central defender. I think for him to get the
09:15games at the moment has been really important.
09:18Harrison Armstrong went out on loan after signing a long-term deal as well. Do you see
09:22him as the future of Everson and how important is it that loan spell to get him those regular
09:28games?
09:29When I was here before we used to bring in so many young boys and I don't even know where
09:33I would start, what ones would top. But not all of them went on to have the top careers
09:37but a lot of them went on to have great careers and still are just now. Boys in their thirties
09:41now who've had long careers at other clubs. Part of the job at a football club is to develop
09:45players and make them into footballers. You might not always get them to be playing your
09:50first team. But I remember Ozzie went out on loan to Derby County, Carlisle and Derby
09:55County. Harrison's now gone to Derby County. Liam Osmond came back from Derby ready to
10:02go on to the first team. He'd been a talented young player. I remember watching him in the
10:07games when he played up front quite often at that time. He ended up having to find positions
10:13wide before he could get roles in midfield and he went on to be a great player, Liam
10:17Osmond, for us here. I hope Harrison is on a similar journey and goes on to become a
10:23great player for us. It's just the start for him and if we can hope that he gets the
10:27best part of 10, 12 games then hopefully by the summer we'll see how he's looking then.
10:32Finally from me, just a word on the fans. I know they've done a lot of displays in the
10:35last couple of games at Goodison since you've returned and there's an FA Cup display being
10:41planned by the 1878s. I just wondered what your reaction to that is in making Goodison
10:47that fortress again? Well I mentioned last week that I hope we'll get more games at Goodison
10:52because we've got more FA Cup ties but we've probably only got eight or nine games left
10:57at Goodison forever. So quite rightly so, they should enjoy it, embrace it, keep celebrating
11:05it. The way they supported last week was incredible support. You got the feeling that the supporters
11:14and the players were beginning to get a connection back together which for a couple of hours
11:19we said the people's club. So to be part of that then you need the players and the
11:24supporters all to be working together. Let's hope we can do it to the end of the season.
11:28Thanks Julia, we'll go to Carl at the Press Association. Hi David, because of what you
11:35said about the importance of Premier League status and because it's a one-off game, does
11:39it offer you and probably more importantly the players a little bit more freedom? More
11:46freedom? Less pressure? Less pressure. I think they're all, I'm thinking about it only because
11:57I'm saying undoubtedly I've sort of said we would always, I think you're always judged
12:05maybe more on your, how you do over a season. So we play 36, 38 games. We play 38 games
12:15so to be judged over the season is probably a bigger thing than to be maybe a cup winning
12:19team but the cup in this country is so vital to everybody that winning trophies is something
12:25which everybody wants to do. I think that you're right in some ways. I think that sometimes
12:32these games give you the feeling that it's not got the same pressure and maybe gives
12:36you the feeling of having a bit more freedom because you feel that way. So I think your
12:41question is a good one and I think both those answers are probably yes in some ways. Sorry
12:47that took me a while to get to that.