Everton manager David Moyes discussed the club's European ambitions ahead of the crucial Premier League match at Brentford
David Moyes speaks at his Everton press conference on Friday
David Moyes speaks at his Everton press conference on Friday
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David Moyes says the prospect of Everton qualifying for the Champions League so early in their journey of progress makes him “shake a wee bit”.
The Blues’ fortunes have been transformed over the 14 months since Moyes' arrival and a club bearing the scars of recent relegation fights is now on the cusp of qualifying for Europe.
With seven games to go, Everton sit in eighth spot - a position that could offer a route into the Europa Conference League.
But the win over Chelsea before the international break moved the club to within three points of the Champions League places, meaning Europe’s elite competition is within reach.
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Asked what he made of the club’s proximity to those Champions League spots, which currently extend down to fifth but could drop further depending on how the remaining English sides fare in Europe, Moyes said ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brentford: “It is probably the best chance we have had for a long time.
“But the words Champions League, that makes me shake a wee bit. I have been fortunate enough to play in the other competitions quite recently and I know that if we were able to get there we would be able to hold our own at certain levels of it.
“I think the Champions League is a completely different thing to talk about.”
Everton’s match at Brentford could be a defining fixture in the battle for Europe.
The Bees, who won the reverse fixture at Hill Dickinson Stadium 4-2, are currently ahead of the Blues only on goal difference
Moyes, who said he was “absolutely loving” his second stint at Everton, continued: “Look, Europe - if you had said Europe, any competition, if it was the tiddlywinks European competition we got in, we’d be excited about it because Evertonians know we want to get back in amongst it, we want to start getting talked about again.
“We have got a lot of good things going on now, the stadium, we’ve got one or two England international players who are getting talked about through the media more, so I hope that we can keep it going and if we can [get into the Champions League] it will be a brilliant achievement.
“But whatever competition we make, I would still see it as a real positive.”