Everton manager David Moyes on the injury to James Tarkowski, securing Premier League safety and the challenge of facing Chelsea
Finch Farm, Liverpool, UK
Finch Farm, Liverpool, UK
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00:01Good afternoon.
00:13Yeah.
00:15I don't need them, that's the thing.
00:20Good afternoon everyone, welcome to our pre-match press conference
00:22to preview our game against Chelsea.
00:24We'll start off with Vinny from Tegalli.
00:26Happy birthday, David.
00:27Thank you very much, Vinny.
00:28Anything nice, or was the present, the best present,
00:31the fact that you're mathematically safe?
00:32No, I think the wife was pleased that I wasn't at home today,
00:35so I was out, you know, didn't need to bother too much about me.
00:38Well again, mathematically safe, I suppose,
00:41it's not necessarily a relief because we felt you were going to be safe anyway,
00:44but now that it's confirmed, how does it feel?
00:47Well, it's a feeling that's where I'm glad I didn't have that feeling
00:51of what it's like being in the relegation battle right to the end.
00:54I think for the club they'll know more about it in recent years
00:57where it's been going to the last day, for example.
00:59And when I came in, I was really worried.
01:01I'm looking, I'm saying, this could really go to the last couple of games,
01:04you know, maybe having to win at home.
01:06But I have to say the players have done such a good job,
01:09got the job done early, and got myself in a pretty strong position,
01:13which we want to build on, we want to try and finish the season well.
01:17But we shouldn't be celebrating avoiding relegation.
01:21That's far from it.
01:22And I think the position we're in, it may be worth that.
01:26But the truth is, we've got to try and aim for much bigger and much better than that.
01:30What job are you facing to build on that now?
01:32Given we've spoken before about the number of players who are out of contract.
01:35Obviously, you've got loanees as well, who could possibly be going back to their parent clubs as well.
01:40Yeah, we've got those decisions to make coming up in the coming weeks.
01:45And, you know, we've got several players out of contract.
01:48We have got a few players on loan.
01:50So a lot of it will be with the new owners to help us see what we can do, what we can't do,
01:55where we can go with the budget towards next season.
01:58So there's a lot of things got to come into line before we can sort of make definitive decisions.
02:04But, you know, we'll get an idea of what we want to do,
02:06and we'll get an idea of what we're going to have to do.
02:08Have you got a timeframe as to when you want that sorted out?
02:11I'd like to sort it out quite quickly for the players.
02:13But, you know, we've got to be careful.
02:15The players are all under contract probably till the end of June, I think it is.
02:18So, in truth, we don't need to come to MD, we don't need to say.
02:21And quite often, Vinny, it's the media who want it more than MD else.
02:25But the fact of the matter is, we'll try and give the players, we'll certainly respect them as always,
02:32but we'll try and give them information when we're ready to do so.
02:35I'm just thinking as well, it just impacts on recruitment.
02:37So, in terms of refreshing the squad and building on what you've already got here,
02:41I'd imagine you want to get business done in that respect pretty quickly as well.
02:44Yeah, we'd like to get business done.
02:46I'm blowing my cheeks out here because I'm thinking that, you know,
02:51I don't think we're a country who naturally do our business too early.
02:56It's not like some of the other countries.
02:58And if you can get business done early, I think it's good.
03:01But in the same breath, quite often a lot of the stuff doesn't happen till later on.
03:06What are you thinking though of the foundations that you've got here to be able to bring players in now and enhance what you've already got?
03:12Well, I think the biggest compliment I could give the players is I think their form probably since around January is up around the top seven or eight.
03:19And we've probably at this present time gone through the worst run of games we could probably envisage really.
03:25And we've actually done okay.
03:26We've got a really tough game tomorrow against Chelsea.
03:28But you'd have to say at this point we're really happy with where we've been and how the players have performed.
03:33The results they've got have given us, you know, a real sort of a feeling of comfort that we're not going to have that pressure or relegation from early on.
03:42So, look, we need to keep working at it and hope they get better.
03:45I know you spoke last week about visiting the new stadium.
03:48Do you have to come up with a program now?
03:50Would there be more training there through preseason than you would do normally just to get people used to that environment?
03:54Yeah, absolutely, Vinny.
03:56Actually, my plan was that we would go to the stadium and maybe two or three training sessions as well.
04:00But I've gone and dug the pitch up.
04:03So, I think we've just grown it.
04:04We've gone and dug the pitch up there.
04:05So, it looks as if I'm not going to get down to the new stadium at all at the moment,
04:09which I'm pretty disappointed in because that was my plan, hopefully, to do it.
04:14But I wasn't going to take the team down there until I really thought that we were safe
04:19and it was rightly going to be our home for a Premier League season.
04:24That's a big consideration, I suppose, getting the lads used to that environment when it comes to preseason.
04:28Absolutely.
04:29I mean, I do think that the modern player nowadays does play.
04:33You know, we've been in Europe for the last few years.
04:35A lot of them are international players.
04:36They play at stadiums all over.
04:37It shouldn't be something which is completely strange to them going to a new stadium.
04:42But the point is to turn it into your home and feel comfortable and know your surroundings.
04:47I think it's really important.
04:49So, I would have liked to have had a couple of training sessions on it,
04:51but it looks like that's been kiboshed.
04:53Check on the squad for now.
04:55James Tarkowski, how is he?
04:57Tarki's out.
04:59He's going to be out for the rest of the season.
05:01He'll have an operation in his hamstring.
05:03So, it's a big blow to us because Tarki plays such a huge part of what we've done
05:11and how we've done so well in this period.
05:13Should he be back for the start of preseason?
05:15I think he'll be back, but it could start to eat into that as well, possibly.
05:20How tempted then, this weekend, are you to play Jake O'Brien at centre-half and see how he goes?
05:26Well, I think Jake is at centre-half, so I don't think it would be...
05:28It shouldn't be anything which we're saying is, you know, we shouldn't be that...
05:33I'm not worried about doing it, that's for sure.
05:35It's trying to get the right balance for the team, which we think he's done a brilliant job playing at full-back.
05:40So, sometimes you'll get the decision to make, you know, do they change two positions or do they change one position?
05:46So, we've got Michael Keane available as well, so we've got options
05:51and we'll look to play the options between now and the end of the season
05:55and find out which works best for us.
05:57Dominic's still a little bit away?
05:59Dom's very close to coming back into training.
06:02He's not training with the first team yet, he's doing plenty of work on the grass, but yeah, close now.
06:07And, just to kind of touch on another tough game against Chelsea, how do you assess the kind of challenge that you are facing?
06:13Because they've been a little bit up and down after they got off to a really good start and were challenging them.
06:17Yeah, well, their home record's good and actually we've not got a great record going to Stamford Bridge over the years either.
06:22So, from that point of view, we know that we're up for a tough game.
06:26But I actually think that the way we've conducted ourselves in the games against Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool,
06:32I think we've done very well.
06:34And this period of games has been a difficult one, which I think we've done well.
06:38So, I go in there with real confidence and belief that we can go in and try to make something happen again.
06:44Good luck. Cheers.
06:45Thanks, Vinny. We'll go to Stuart at Premier League Productions.
06:48Hi, David. Hi, Stuart.
06:49First time, probably in a few years, with five games to go, Everton fans can relax and not stress that with a relegation battle.
06:56Yeah. They can relax, but I'm sure you don't want to relax.
06:59What do you want from these final five games? What do you want to see?
07:03Well, I remember when I first came to Everton, I used to think that Everton got safe around about Easter time and then knocked off.
07:09That was always in my head.
07:11I remember you probably see me, I probably said it years ago.
07:14So, I'm hoping it's not the case again.
07:16It shouldn't be because this group of players have probably had the best period they've had.
07:21If they've not enjoyed it, then I don't know what else they could do because they've been winning, they've been drawing big games.
07:27A lot of them are getting spoken in really high terms at the moment.
07:31So, from that point of view, they need to keep it up.
07:34You know, we've got to finish the season well.
07:37And, by the way, I've got no reason to criticise them.
07:40They played so well against Man City last week.
07:42And, you know, you think they just said Arsenal was the week before.
07:46Now we're Nottingham Forest, I should say.
07:48So, now we've got Chelsea.
07:51The talks about possible recruitment or players you might leave or might be coming in.
07:57Has that been going on for four weeks?
07:59I'm sure it doesn't just happen now.
08:01No, it's been going on.
08:03I've been asked nearly in every press conference every week about people's contracts.
08:07Let's be fair, I think a lot of deals have been done which have meant that I think it would be very strange.
08:13I think we've got 11 or 12 out of contract.
08:16No.
08:17So, if you think about that numbers, you would say, well, that shouldn't be the case.
08:21But I think it's been the case because of other situations.
08:24So, we're picking up on the end of that.
08:27We have to find the right way to deal with that.
08:29How we can keep the team going well.
08:32While some of them might not even be here next year.
08:36So, we have to find a way of making sure we do that to the end of the season.
08:41Hi, Julie.
08:46Hiya.
08:47We started a few weeks ago this run of these five games against the top.
08:51I know you've just said that you feel you've done okay in them.
08:54It's a win, a draw, and two defeats so far.
08:57How do you assess, though, coming up against those teams that are around the top of the table?
09:02How have you assessed your Everton players?
09:04Far better than I expected, I've got to say.
09:07I think they've done remarkable in the games.
09:10We really do.
09:11You have to remember, while we're getting out of the games,
09:14we're in a pressured situation of still trying to make sure that we avoided relegation.
09:18I think that they've done a brilliant job, the players.
09:22Those games we've had have been tough.
09:25We expect them to be tough, but I think that the players have done what they had to do
09:29and picked up really good results.
09:31Jake still sees himself as a centre-back going forward.
09:34I know he's done really well at right-back.
09:35Does that create a problem for you?
09:38Because he has done so well in that right-back position.
09:41He's scored as well from there.
09:43Does that mean it's trickier for you to want to move him?
09:47We might be weakening the right-back position if we move him,
09:52because he's a quick big boy.
09:55He's not got great heirs and graces, but he does a great job for the team there.
10:00I think that it does weaken us at the moment because when I came in,
10:06it was probably seen as a bit of a problem position.
10:09How are we going to solve it?
10:11We think we've done a pretty good job in getting Jake to go and play there.
10:14I call it a bit more of a hybrid role because we actually wanted him to tuck in quite a lot
10:19and give us a chance to sort of build at times with three defenders, not four.
10:25We've not really asked him to go and be joining in and be overlapping,
10:29but maybe I would hope for him a full-back.
10:31So we've asked him to play a slightly different role.
10:33I think he's done it well.
10:34It's helped the team.
10:35I wouldn't say it's made us more solid, but it's not made us any more open.
10:40And the team's had good performances as well.
10:43So to then move him can be a problem.
10:46But you rightly say we probably need to see how he plays at centre-half.
10:50My plan was probably to wait and do that in pre-season,
10:53but it looks as if somewhere along the line I'll get the opportunity to
10:56have a look at him in the coming weeks playing centre-half.
10:59Roman Dixon has had first-team opportunities earlier on this season.
11:04I'm just wondering where you see him fitting, or do you see him fitting going forward?
11:08I'll be honest, it's not someone which has been getting put forward to me
11:11mainly from the academy or from the youth departments.
11:14I've not been mentioning it too much.
11:16I think with us having Sheamus, Ashley, Pato,
11:20we've got people who can play in the role, along with Big Jake.
11:25So I think we're pretty well covered there.
11:28That would probably be the hardest reason why it's difficult to bring in
11:31somebody else to play it right back.
11:33I know you've said you don't want the flip-flops going on right now at all from the players.
11:37Is this a chance for you to maybe test some of the players that haven't had as many minutes though
11:42in these coming games now, safety is assured?
11:45Yeah, it sounds easy to say it's do it.
11:47Every game for a manager there's a level of pressure and you want to win.
11:51We're now in a situation where we're having some wins and you're talking about
11:55how to rest some players because it doesn't really matter.
11:58I see it the exact opposite.
12:00I see that it hugely matters here.
12:02I see we should be trying to finish the season with great wins,
12:06trying to win, performing well, seeing how we do.
12:09We're certainly not a club that can pick and choose how or when we're going to win.
12:13So I actually see it the opposite.
12:16So I want to give players opportunities to show what they can do and I will do.
12:20But ultimately I want to pick a team which I think can give me a chance of winning.
12:24Thank you, good luck.
12:25Cheers, thank you.
12:26Thanks, Julia.
12:27We'll go to Carl at Press.
12:29Is it just me or those lights?
12:31Is it right?
12:32Yeah, it's OK.
12:33Yeah.
12:34It's not a light.
12:35Just a quick one.
12:38Have you had the meeting with the owners yet about the expectations for next season
12:43in terms of what they want and in terms of what you want,
12:46especially in terms of squad strengthening and I'm not expecting to put the value on it,
12:52but have you had that meeting yet?
12:54We've had parts of meetings, but it changes all the time, you know,
12:58with how we're going to do this.
13:00There's bits we need to find out.
13:01I said that we've got to make sure that we're clearing all our PSR issues.
13:05So that's slightly involved in it as well, but they've been very good.
13:10They're letting me get on with the job.
13:12We've got people coming out of contracts, as we've already discussed.
13:17We'll need to see, you know, how deep the pockets are really when it comes in.
13:22Well, hopefully they'll be deep and give us a chance to make some signings
13:26and look to try and add some additions to the squad.
13:29Do you expect to have that discussion before the end of the season or when the season's over?
13:33We've had the discussions, but ultimately, you know, when it comes down to actually saying,
13:37can we buy a player X amount or X amount?
13:39That might be when it changes, you know, or can we afford their wages or what they've got to do?
13:43Those things are, I can only suggest the players who I'd like to bring if possible,
13:48and they have to be the ones who give it the go ahead.
13:51Thanks, Carl. Any further questions in the open section before we move on?
13:56No? Thank you.