|
Post by Everton News. on Dec 18, 2023 10:25:38 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Everton News. on Dec 26, 2023 14:35:40 GMT
Sean Dyche says Abdoulaye Doucoure is set to miss Everton’s Premier League clash with Manchester City at Goodison Park on Wednesday (8.15pm GMT), while Idrissa Gana Gueye could also be a doubt for the game.
Doucoure - the Blues’ top scorer this season - is still recovering from a hamstring injury picked up at Burnley earlier this month. Meanwhile, Gana was substituted during the first half of Everton’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, after the midfielder appeared in discomfort from an early challenge.
Dyche, explaining his team news after that game, updated the media at his pre-match press conference for Wednesday’s visit of Manchester City.
Asked about Doucoure’s availability, he responded: “No, I don’t think for City. I think that’s a bit close. He’s making good progress and we’re hoping he gets back on the grass in the next few days - not straight away with us, but just in his return to fitness.
“We have to be careful because we keep getting players back fit, but then we start running out again.
“Idrissa has got an injury which doesn’t look that promising on the first showing. We’ll find out more in the coming days. We’re trying to balance the games programme against the squad, and against the injuries, and the risk and reward of players coming in.
“Even with Andre [Gomes] it wasn’t ideal for him to come on so early in the game [at Spurs]. I thought he handled it very well physically. I had plans to put him in the game later, but needs must at the moment.”
Everton are enjoying a strong run at Goodison Park, winning their past two Premier League home games in victories over Newcastle United and Chelsea.
However, Dyche recognises that a tough challenge awaits on Wednesday. Last season’s treble winners and the recently-crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions Manchester City have taken on a busy schedule of late - a fixture list which has included travel to Saudi Arabia for the mid-season tournament.
Nevertheless, Dyche insists his side are preparing for the best version of Pep Guardiola’s team.
“With all the travelling and things they’ve won, I’m not saying they’re used to everything, and this is probably slightly different,” said the Everton manager. “But at the end of the day, I don’t think they’ll be travelling in economy. I think they’ll be well-looked after. So, I’m not going to over-egg the physical side of it.
“They’ve got so many good players, they’ll still put out a very strong side. If it does help, then great. We’ll take all the help we can get, but the focus will be on us performing.
“In my experience with Man City, whenever you think you have moments like that, they put out a side and deliver a performance. I’ll certainly be making sure the players are forgetting all of that - the noise and the news. Trust me, when you’re on the pitch with them, they’re a very strong side - even when they make changes and they’re stretched. They seem to find a strong side and a strong way of playing.”
Looking forward to a return to Goodison Park after the resilient showing at Tottenham, Dyche added: “We like the feeling we’re getting at Goodison, and we have done for a long time. Early season, I thought we were playing well. I thought the fans respected that. We couldn’t find the wins - even though the performances were dominant.
“More recently, we have found the wins. We’re creating that feeling at home and I think that’s the thing we’ve been searching for.
“I’m beginning to know about the Evertonians. When they see their side wear the shirt with pride like [they did against Tottenham], then that word will spread. We want to continue that story.”
Everton FC
|
|
|
Post by rugbytoffee on Dec 27, 2023 10:30:53 GMT
My waters are telling me we will win this 2-1
|
|
|
Post by Everton News. on Dec 27, 2023 19:51:05 GMT
Good evening and welcome to Goodison Park for our final home match of 2023.
I hope you all had a great Christmas and, like us, are raring to go again.
Due to print deadlines, I am writing these notes before our trip to Tottenham Hotspur, but speaking generally about our recent fixtures, I have been pleased with the progress we are making and the strong signs we are seeing consistently in our performances.
I’ve spoken constantly about the mentality of this group and the growth within it - I talk about it because I strongly believe in its value. Having a strong mentality will get you through when things are going against you, when you’re struggling to find moments of quality or, as we have been in recent weeks, stretched for numbers with injuries and suspensions.
The ideal blend, of course, is to combine that mentality with match-winning contributions and I have always believed in the obvious talent we have in our group. Ahead of our trip to Spurs, we displayed our ability to do exactly that with four consecutive league victories without conceding a goal, a very satisfying run given the highly-competitive nature of the Premier League, and a platform for us to build on as we head into the second half of the season.
We were naturally disappointed to exit the Carabao Cup in the quarter-finals, particularly with the manner of losing out on a penalty shootout. You are in the lap of the gods when it comes to that but games have to be decided one way or another. Performance-wise, it was very encouraging to once again see the adaptability of the players and their willingness to take the game on and keep battling after going behind to an unfortunate own goal.
We asked Jarrad Branthwaite to play a new position at left-back and, no questions asked, he got on with the task in hand and delivered another excellent performance, Jimmy Garner - again - played in a different, more advanced role than what he has been playing recently also took on what we wanted from him and gave it everything. That kind of attitude goes through the whole squad, and we also saw the substitutes coming on and being desperate to make an impact in the second half which is extremely important for us moving forward.
You, the supporters, are joining in with the task of changing our story as well. You are playing your part, without a shadow of a doubt, and we really appreciate it. We are a group having to change things but we are still delivering performance levels that are high and I believe that will pay us back if we maintain it over the course of a full season.
Tonight we welcome Pep Guardiola, his players, staff and everyone connected to Manchester City.
Pep’s record speaks for itself. The number of fine teams he has built and trophies he has won - at Manchester City and previously with Barcelona and Bayern Munich - is incredibly impressive.
Tonight’s challenge is a big one but, as we have shown many times already this season, we will face it head on and we genuinely believe, when we get everything right and tap into Goodison’s unique atmosphere, we are more than a match for anybody.
Finally, tonight, ahead of kick-off, we will take a moment to honour Evertonians we lost during 2023, including our Chairman, Bill Kenwright CBE, whose memorial service the squad and I had the privilege of attending at Liverpool Cathedral last week to remember a hugely- respected son of this city.
The family feeling of this club is something that became apparent to me very quickly and I know it will be a poignant moment for many of us tonight as we honour those who cared so much for Everton.
Enjoy the game.
Sean
Everton FC
|
|
|
Post by Everton News. on Dec 27, 2023 19:53:27 GMT
|
|