David Moyes eyes ‘crucial’ spell for top four for Everton

Jan 30 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

DAVID MOYES believes Everton are entering a “crucial month” in their quest for Champions League qualification.

The Goodison Park outfit entertain Tottenham this evening hoping to continue the excellent Premier League form that has propelled them into the top four.

Everton have won nine and drawn two of their last 13 top-flight games, with the only defeats coming against title-chasing duo Manchester United and Arsenal.

After tonight’s game against an improving Spurs, Moyes’s side travel to fellow European hopefuls Blackburn Rovers before entertaining Reading and visiting top-four rivals Manchester City.

And still unable to call upon his Africa Cup of Nations contingent of Joseph Yobo, Yakubu and Steven Pienaar, the Goodison Park manager acknowledges the importance of gaining results in the trio’s absence.

“We’re up against a very good Tottenham team but we have been playing very well too,” said Moyes. “We’ve improved a lot since the start of the season and I’m looking forward to this one.

“We know this is a crucial month coming up, that’s why I was so pleased to beat City, Boro and Wigan because, with the exception of Boro, we’ve been without the lads at the African Nations Cup.

“They should be back after the Blackburn game, so from that point of view we’ll have had four league games without them, and we’ve already won two.”

Moyes’s hopes that Yakubu and Yobo could return in time for the Blackburn game on Saturday were dashed last night when Nigeria won through to the quarter-finals.

Of tonight’s game, he added: “Spurs are very good attacking wise, but we have very good attacking players too and hopefully we will be able to exploit that.

“At the moment our defenders are playing very well, and the form of Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott has been really good.

“But where we are now means nothing because it’s only January, but we need to stay there so we can put ourselves in a position to do well come May.”

Lescott’s form has led to reported interest from both United and Arsenal, but Moyes insists there is no rush for the centre-back to sign a proposed improved contract.

“Joleon has two-and-a-half years to go on his contract, so we’re not desperate about his situation,” he said. “We’ll be speaking again to him over the next month but it won’t be a problem.”

Moyes facing a selection headache in midfield this evening with doubts over Leon Osman (calf and groin) and Thomas Gravesen (knee) and Tim Cahill serving a one-match suspension.

However, Moyes has revealed that Cahill would have missed the game anyway with a hamstring problem.

And that injury could rule the Australian out of his country’s World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Melbourne next Wednesday.

“Tim’s got a bit of a problem with his hamstring so we will see,” said Moyes. “I’m sure he’d like to go and play for his country, but he wouldn’t be playing against Tottenham even if he wasn’t banned because of it, and he’d be a doubt for the next couple of weeks.

“I think it’s ridiculous that there’s a game in the middle of two Premier League ones. But it’s a qualifier and he has to be able to go if they want him.”

Tony Hibbert also serves a one-match suspension this evening, although Leighton Baines is in the squad despite recurring problems with his ankle injury.

EVERTON’S 19-year-old Icelandic midfielder Bjarni Vidarsson has moved to Dutch Eredivisie side FC Twente on loan until the summer.

Vidarsson’s current deal at Everton runs out this summer and the move may be made permanent.