The Blues boss said Everton would do 'everything we can' across the final nine games of the campaign
David Moyes during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
David Moyes during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
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David Moyes has vowed to keep his team pushing to the end of a season that could yet end with qualification for Europe.
The Blues boss has maintained throughout the campaign that he wants to see his side progress as much as possible.
And while there have been setbacks along the way, the serious injury to Jack Grealish among the most significant, the club will approach the final nine games with a genuine shot at finishing in the European spots.
Moyes has repeatedly stated he would like to see Everton competing in Europe again, though achieving that as early as next season appeared unlikely given the recent struggles the club had endured.
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Yet with two months of the season to go, Everton sit in eighth position - which could end up being high enough to reach the Europa Conference League depending on the outcome of various competitions.
With something still to play for, Moyes is determined to draw as much from his players as possible when they return to Premier League action at the weekend, starting with an away trip to title-chasing Arsenal.
In comments released by the club during the 11 day break created by the club’s early FA Cup exit, he said: “Nine games to go now, and we need to try to keep ourselves pushing, and try to keep going. We’ll not take our foot off the pedal. We’ll try to get the players in the best condition and do everything we can for those games coming up.”
The players will head to the Emirates after a warm weather training camp in Portugal. They left off the back of successive wins over Newcastle United and Burnley. Moyes was pleased with the displays of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye in those games, believing they were the first appearances in which they looked back to their best since all three missed seven games over the new year - Dewsbury-Hall through injury and Gueye and Ndiaye as they won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Addressing the loss of Grealish, who has had surgery on a stress fracture to his foot, he suggested the form of his forwards could be the difference over the coming weeks.
Moyes said: “We’re seeing a much-improved Ili and Gana after coming back from the Africa Cup of Nations. And also, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s improving greatly because he’s just beginning to get back to where he was before the hamstring injury.
“I think getting those players back on form is helping us play better and helping us get a bit better rhythm.
“We’ve been lacking a little bit of balance since Jack Grealish went out of the team. We’re still pushing the centre-forwards to try to get us goals - we need those boys, both [Thierno] Barry and Beto to get us goals.”