David Moyes has completely changed the fortunes of Everton since returning to the club in January.
When David Moyes replaced Sean Dyche, Everton were staring down the barrel of a possible relegation to the Championship.
However, the Scotsman was able to get a tune out of a number of underperformers and ended up guiding the Toffees to a 13th-place finish, 23 points clear of the drop zone.
Moyes’ side have started this season brightly, too, winning two of their opening three Premier League games.
With that said, James Garner has now revealed what Moyes wants the squad to achieve this season.
Everton manager David Moyes.
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The goal David Moyes has instilled in his Everton players
Speaking to the official Everton website, Garner revealed the goal Moyes has instilled in the dressing room.
“He said to us on day one that he’s not come here to take over a team that’s fighting against relegation – he said it again on day one of pre-season,” the Toffees midfielder explained.
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“He sets high standards and we know where we want to be. We’ve got a few more faces in over the summer and with the quality we have in the squad now, we all agree with the manager – if you want to achieve big things, then you’ve got to set your standards and your goals high.
James Garner is the subject of our main feature in this weekend's Official Matchday Programme, where he talks that Brighton goal, mentality and much more. 📘
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“I think you can see it in us. There is a mentality shift. We’re playing with more confidence, going into games thinking how we are going to take all three points, it’s not just surviving. We’ve done that in these first few games. Obviously, the first game [against Leeds] felt like a blip, I don’t think we played well, but we’ve responded and now the aim is to keep building momentum.
“We want to keep winning and keep that winning mentality – that was the message in the changing room amongst all of us after the Wolves game.”
David Moyes wants to get Everton in Europe
After beating Wolves just before the international break, Moyes was asked what Everton can achieve this season.
The 62-year-old made no secret in his aim to return the Toffees to Europe, having been out of it since the 2017/18 season.
“I think a club like Everton, we always want to be challenging for Europe.
“Don’t know if we are good enough to do that, we haven’t been over recent years, but there is no point in me coming on here and saying we want to avoid relegation.”
This weekend’s clash against Aston Villa will be a really good indicator of where they’re at, considering Unai Emery’s side finished sixth last term, thus qualifying for the Europa League.