Phil Jagielka determined Everton will secure top four place

Phil Jagielka determined Everton will secure top four place this season

The defender says the Blues are finding their feet after difficult start



After just missing out on a Champions League spot last season despite a club record Premier League points haul, Phil Jagielka is determined to go one better this term.

Everton could of course still qualify for European football’s elite competition by winning the Europa League but securing a top four place remains the most straightforward route.

He said: “Trying to get into the top four is definitely the club’s goal.

“We came close last year. It seems to be the story of our seasons, but we hope and feel like we’re progressing.

“We know we could have had a better start but we could have had a worse one and been even further behind so the league has been kind to us in that respect and it’s up to us now to get this momentum going and put some pressure on the boys above us.”

Jagielka added: “It’s been a difficult start to the season, we’ve had some really tough games and we’ve been a bit unfortunate in a few but we seem to be finding our feet and getting a bit of form.

“Obviously it helps when we don’t make as many individual errors and we’re not chasing the game for as long.

“We’ve proven that if we’re able to go ahead and get the second goal we’re able to control the game from home.”

The unorthodox nature of the fledgling Premier League season, which has seen the likes of Southampton and West Ham emerge as early pacesetters, has also enabled the Blues to dramatically climb the table following their recent upturn in form after languishing fourth from bottom less than a month ago.

Jagielka said: “It’s been a funny old league all the way round. Chelsea are the ones who have taken the biggest advantage of everyone else dropping points, but it’s a long season.

“We dropped points throughout the season last year. It probably means we haven’t got as many points to play with going forward but we’re really happy with the squad we’ve got.

“We’ve picked up a few injuries along the way but at the moment we’re able to deal with them.”

Echo