Everton boss David Moyes on Man City still being a challenge to face, recent form and player contracts
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00:00Afternoon David, last week's victory thoroughly deserved, I think most people went down that
00:07route as well.
00:08Do you see that as the most complete performance from your team since you've returned to the
00:12club?
00:13Yes, I think it's up there with some of our best results since I've come back.
00:18I think the players have done a really good job in getting themselves in a strong position
00:22and last week's performance was very good.
00:25The away form has been something that many managers over recent years have been striving
00:29to improve.
00:30You seem to have found the right formula since you've returned to three victories, two draws
00:33and one would say an unlucky defeat at Liverpool.
00:36Yes, but don't get carried away with it because in management we really enjoy it and we appreciate
00:43the nice comments but we're also always wary, there's always another opponent just around
00:48the corner so we've had some really good results away from home.
00:51It was great for the fans at the end of the game.
00:53Fabulous for the supporters, it was great and we're beginning to build that relationship
00:58back up with the supporters again which was fabulous.
01:01Again, you're up against another top team in Manchester City tomorrow, have you been
01:06surprised by their results this season?
01:09Football changes, every time there's somebody at the top, everybody else is trying to catch
01:14them or beat them.
01:16I think that was the case over the years with Manchester United as well, I think that when
01:19you're the top team there's always someone out there trying to become better.
01:23I think there's been really good competition in recent years whether it be Arsenal or Liverpool,
01:30Chelsea, whoever it's been over the recent years have been the big competition for Man City.
01:34But they've been an incredible football team and still are and it's always a difficult
01:41game here.
01:42We've not got a great record against them so we have to try and turn that round.
01:46It's been a big one but a measure of maybe how far you have come.
01:51The other thing is you always get another chance in football and we're getting another
01:55chance to try and win that game.
01:57We talked last week about players being out of contract at the end of the season.
02:02Are some doing themselves justice in trying to earn another contract?
02:07Talking about Abdoulaye Ducoury in particular with his cheeky little goal celebration last
02:11week.
02:12Well I think we've got a few.
02:14As you all know we're coming out of contract but we're still in a situation that we want
02:17to make sure we keep everybody right.
02:20We'll not wait to the last minute before we do it but we'll certainly do it when we're
02:24ready.
02:25It won't be dictated by the players.
02:26They're under contract at the moment and the club will decide at the right time when
02:31we're going to make decisions on the players.
02:34Players can influence things on the pitch of course.
02:36Of course they can.
02:37Their job is to influence it isn't it?
02:39Their job is to make it easy for the decision to go in their favour obviously.
02:44Dwight McNeil has been on the pitch late on in the last couple of games.
02:48Is he ready to start do you feel?
02:50I think he's getting much more ready now.
02:52He's in another couple of weeks training under his belt.
02:55He's beginning to get short periods of games but I think that he's getting up to the intensity
03:01a bit better.
03:02You've got to remember he has been out for a long time.
03:05He's really important to us.
03:06We need him for set piece deliveries.
03:08We need him for all sorts of things.
03:11I have to say that I'm glad to get him back.
03:14Whether he's just quite ready yet I don't know but we'd be happy to involve him if required.
03:21Just finally from me and away from Everton really David, it's been confirmed today that Virgil van Dijk has signed a new contract at Liverpool and extension for a couple of years along with Mo Salah.
03:30Not necessarily good for opposing teams in the Premier League but do you see that as good for the Premier League in retaining this top talent?
03:37No.
03:38It looks a bad signing for me if you ask me.
03:43I can't see how that player is going to work at all.
03:46Maybe a rhetorical question.
03:52I can't see how that's going to work at all to be honest.
03:58You'll be up against him next season.
04:00Yes, we certainly will and he's been a terrific player for Celtic and he's certainly been a terrific player for Liverpool.
04:09Thanks very much.
04:10Good luck to you.
04:11Cheers, thank you.
04:12Hi Sal, we'll go to Alan at Premier League Productions.
04:14Hi David.
04:15Hi there.
04:16Before the last two months or so, I'm sure this run of fixtures that the club's in would have caused a fair bit of anxiety, maybe fear amongst the fans.
04:23But you faced first, second and third, taking four points, being competitive in each game.
04:29I feel there's a bit of excitement about going into these big games now.
04:33How important was it to change that mindset amongst the fan base?
04:38Well, I hope that the fan base are believing we've got a chance in all the games now.
04:41I think that the ones who've been away from home have seen some really good victories.
04:45But you're right, this period was a real difficult run of games for us.
04:49And I think that when I came in and I looked at the fixtures, even at the start, I thought,
04:53I don't know where there's too many wins there.
04:55And this period certainly looked really difficult.
04:57But thankfully the early results has made this period a little bit easier.
05:02In as much as we're not getting into it with as much pressure, we're not under as much pressure as we were certainly at the start.
05:09And it's also given us a chance to see how we can play against them.
05:12I think we've done very well against the top teams at the moment.
05:16We'll try and do that against Manchester City as well.
05:18We have Chelsea to follow that up as well, which, you know, when you look back,
05:22it looks a real humdinger of a group of teams.
05:25But we've coped quite well with it.
05:27And I think the players are in good fair too.
05:29We've got a bit of confidence with us now and we look as if we can score.
05:33So let's hope we can keep that going.
05:36Looking slightly ahead to Chelsea, Armando Breuer can't start against Chelsea.
05:39Could he be in contention to start again against Manchester City because of that?
05:43Yeah, I think that he's certainly in contention with everybody else.
05:47Beto as well, Yusuf.
05:50Yusuf will be around it as well.
05:52But I mean it's mainly been Beto or Brozier who we've chosen.
05:57So let's see how it goes.
05:59And with Breuer, he's been regularly deployed out wide for his national team.
06:04Where do you see his best?
06:06Who's that?
06:07Armando Breuer.
06:08Yeah.
06:09I think, has he not been playing through the middle for his national team?
06:12He has gone out wide as well.
06:14Has he?
06:15Yeah.
06:16I don't think I've really seen him playing out wide.
06:18Certainly, I didn't think I've seen him played out wide much for Chelsea at all
06:22or it appears he was out and low at Southampton.
06:24He was played through the middle.
06:26My understanding is that he's always played as a centre-forward.
06:29But I might be correct or wrong.
06:31You might know better than me.
06:33Do you see that as his best position?
06:35Yeah.
06:36Do you be open to experimenting?
06:37Yeah.
06:38I don't know if I'm open to experiment.
06:40I actually see him as a centre-forward.
06:41That's what I see him as.
06:44Thanks, Alan.
06:45We'll go to Julia right on there.
06:47How are you doing?
06:48How are you doing?
06:49I'm alright, thank you.
06:50How are you?
06:51I'll let you have your tea first.
06:52Very good, thank you.
06:53Very good to you.
06:54Nice weather out there today for a change.
06:55It is.
06:56Yesterday was like winter.
06:57Yesterday was atrocious.
06:58It was ridiculous.
06:59Yeah.
07:00Against Forest you had possession 57.6% extra, 1.3%.
07:04Possession has been something we were all sat in here throughout the season, even before
07:08you were here talking about a low possession figure.
07:11I just wondered with it being high and getting the result, is that showing you players are
07:15making the right decisions on the pitch?
07:17Is it that form is coming into play now?
07:20I'm only paying attention to that possession because we were high.
07:25Normally when I don't have it then it doesn't bother me too much and it hasn't really because
07:29I think people are going away from possession being a stat which justifies results.
07:35But I accept that we're trying to become better on the ball, we're trying to pass it
07:40better, we're trying to have a bit more control in the games and because of that I'm
07:43pleased that we had a higher possession number than recently.
07:49I thought the players done it really well.
07:51A little bit of Nottingham Forest play, a little bit set off the ball a bit in counterattacks
07:56so maybe that was the reason why we got a bit more possession than normal.
07:59But more importantly it was a really good performance and most of the time when we had the ball
08:04we've done a lot of good things.
08:05You go into this game, 17 points off the bottom three, 17 points off Manchester City.
08:11I just wondered, do you have an aim now?
08:14Now the pressure's off around the bottom and especially, I don't know if you've seen
08:17this graphic this week from Match of the Day about 11th place could get Europe this time
08:22depending on the connotations.
08:23No, when I heard that it made me think, can I keep pushing for it and keep trying to get
08:28around those numbers?
08:29No, that would mean us probably having to, some way nearly go, probably try and win as
08:35many games as we can and go unbeaten as much as we can to the end of the season.
08:38It just happens we'll get Man City and Chelsea next and we'll still get the, got to go to Newcastle
08:43as well at the end of the season to name but three.
08:45So, look, if you said to me that we were avoiding relegation when I came in, I said thanks very much.
08:53That's the job I'm here to do at the moment.
08:56But it feels like I want to try and look up and I want to make the club feel better.
09:01I want us all to start to feel better.
09:04It's been magnificent with the supporters at the moment because they're joining in, they're helping us.
09:09But I think the team's given them something to shout about at the moment as well.
09:14Would you have a squad, if it happened, Europe, to cope or would that mean a lot of extra work for you this summer?
09:21Well, if you were really giving me that really, it still feels a bit sort of pie in the sky.
09:27But if you were giving me it, I would soon find a squad which gave us a chance.
09:31Can I just ask about Harrison Armstrong as well?
09:33I know you've been keeping a close eye on him at Derby.
09:35He's starting every game there. I know they love him.
09:39What's your assessment of him and is he someone that could potentially walk into Everson's first team come August?
09:46Walk into the first team is a big statement.
09:48To be part of the squad and be around it is probably something which is more likely.
09:54So that's where the decision comes.
09:56Is he young enough, will we need him to get more games yet?
09:59So that we get more experience before he's coming in.
10:02I'll assess that in the pre-season. I'll bring him back in.
10:05Hopefully he'll get some playing time in the games in pre-season.
10:09We'll see how he does and we'll decide then if we think that he needs another loan or if we need to keep him.
10:14But we like him.
10:15We like him so it's not as if we're doing anything with him or we're not selling him or anything like that.
10:19We like him and we want him around.
10:22But again, we might look at it and think that him getting another 30-40 games.
10:28And to get a young player games in the championship is not as easy as you think.
10:32The championship is a tough league and it's credit to him that he's going in there and got himself a steady position.
10:39Can I just check on Seamus? I don't think he was on the bench at the weekend.
10:43No, he wasn't.
10:44I just chose not to. We had three right backs who could play there or people we'd cover.
10:50So I didn't need three right backs and I'll probably have a similar decision this week.
10:54I may change and do something different this week.
10:56Good luck.
10:58Thanks, Julia.
10:59Any further questions in the open section before we move on?
11:03No?