We haven’t overly deserved to be better than where we are
Marco Silva’s Everton took all three points today with a comprehensive 5-1 Turf Moor win against us and it left him enthusing after the game which followed their 6-2 home defeat against Spurs.
“The way our fans supported our team was really important,” Silva said. “They deserved the three points and this win, and so did our players. The fans applauded our team as we came onto the pitch. I know they always do because they are always supporting us, but it was tough result to take last time.
“We blocked them in those moments and competed for those second balls as well. In some moments we played good football, too, and it is important if you can score early. This afternoon we were really effective in the first 25 minutes.”
He added: “I told the players many, many things. One of the biggest things, though, when I spoke to them and we did our analysis was that inside of them was the same guy of three weeks ago, and that I was proud of them. I said that I was the same coach, who still believed in them, and that we never give up as a team.
“When we have a bad result, the best thing for us a team and as a football club is to play as quickly as we can. The players proved themselves with an important win and a good result. Our last result was tough but we didn’t have any doubts about our qualities and our team. We had a bad afternoon but we answered it well. The players proved it on the pitch, not just with their quality but with their commitment as well.”
I wondered what Sean Dyche would have to say about that mess and he admitted: “We’re conceding too many loose, soft goals and not had enough details in both boxes, so there’s a number of things, but there’s no excuses. We are where we are and we haven’t overly deserved to be better than where we are. We are in a results industry and results bring belief and the extra tiny details that can matter, and importantly that free-mindedness.
“Players think less about it and the game flows, whereas when results aren’t going your way you get tight and more concerned about doing your own job. That mentality has to be clear now because we’ve got some absolutely massive games coming up now. You can play them down, but the next four are so, so important and there’s only us can work it out and sort it.”
Everton were 3-0 up with a quarter of the game gone and Dyche conceded: “Quite obviously Everton started the brighter of the two sides, but we shot ourselves in the foot right at the very beginning of the game. We changed the personnel because we’re just trying to look for that edge, but it never got a chance to work. You can’t judge something in the first 20 minutes when you are already three down. So much happened so early, and you can’t always decide whether that is key, individual moments. Strangely, they hadn’t had that many chances, but we’ve given three goals away.
“We’ve ended up conceding from effectively three set pieces and the penalty for the third one is a hard one for me because I think Ben has challenged with his arm up, for sure, but his arm comes up off their lad’s shoulder. But don’t get me wrong, that’s not an excuse. They were the better side and deserved to win.
“In the last 10 minutes of the first half we tried to get back in it and got more on the front foot and got the goal. The next goal then became even more vital and there was a massive chance for Tarky early in the second half that, if he’d scored, who knows? They might have got a bit nervous after what happened against Spurs the other day. Not that we deserved it, but you never know.”
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