We’re on track to get more points on the table
Burnley travel to Goodison Park today for a repeat of Carlo Ancelotti’s first game as Everton manager which they won 1-0 on Boxing Day 2019.
Speaking at his press conference, Ancelotti said: “Patience will be important but also to play with intensity and focus on the game. We have to try to have good control of the game and find solutions in front.
“In the last game (at Chelsea) we didn’t have a lot of opportunities and we want to be more creative. We don’t have to change the style of play but play forward more and press higher. Chelsea was really difficult, for the next game we can press farther forward and keep our defensive line higher. From this we can have more opportunities.
Referring to that first game in charge, he said: “That is a good memory. We won, Dominic (Calvert-Lewin) scored a fantastic goal and the reception I had was one of the best moments of my career.”
Sean Dyche, whilst pleased with the recent draw, would like more wins on the board. “As manager’s we’re all greedy,” he said. “We all want more and that’s part of what we do, pushing and striving for more from ourselves, our staff and our players.
“There is a balanced view. What are the challenges? How are we coming through that and what’s the mentality of the players? I think ours has been very good. The work ethic has been right. Some of the detail hasn’t always gone right but there’s certainly a foundation of work there and belief in what we do.”
He added: “We often throw around a couple of wins as if it’s an easy task. If you look at the win value over a season of teams in the bottom half of the table, a couple of wins is vital. It’s not an easy task but we’re in reasonable shape.
“We’ve not really eased that much with injuries, but the performance levels have improved and the consistency of performance. We’ve got to keep that going, of course. There’s certainly a place where we’re looking for more but, equally, on balance of the season, the lads have certainly put in a shift and we’re going to have to continue to do that with the games coming up.
“Usually, people speak about that kind of 38-40 mark. Historically, that’s an important marker. Certainly the 40 is an important marker. We’re on track, certainly with performances, to get more points on the table.”
Having been in opposition for that first game for the Everton manager, Dyche said of him: “They have a class act in their manager and a very experienced manager. Look at the players they’ve got and they’re a good outfit anyway. The manager has added to that, quite obviously.
““They’ve had a couple of blips, but often teams do in the Premier League, even the top teams. They are a good outfit, so I think nothing other than it will be a tough ask going to Everton to win the game. But we’re used to going to these places, so we take it on. Going to these clubs is never an easy task, but we’ve certainly been involved with these games and done well out of them and we’ll have to do that again.”
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