Everton beat Sunderland 2-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.
Sunderland manager David Moyes
Sunderland boss David Moyes has told the Liverpool Echo that former club Everton need time to break into the top four, claiming it’s a ‘big leap’ for the Toffees.
Moyes returned to Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon having spent 11 years in charge of the club between 2002 and 2013, with his Sunderland side in desperate need of points in their battle again relegation.
A trip to take on an Everton side who were unbeaten in eight games looked daunting, and it proved to be the case as goals from Idrissa Gueye and Romelu Lukaku handed Everton all three points and a ninth unbeaten game in the Premier League.
Ronald Koeman’s men haven’t been beaten in the league since the 19th of December, and have now closed the gap to sixth-placed Manchester United to just four points, and now lie just six points off the top four.
European qualification is now a very real possibility for Everton after Southampton’s EFL Cup defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, and whilst the Europa League is a good start for Koeman in his first season in charge, the Toffees will want more.
Shareholder Farhad Moshiri is overseeing an ambitious spell at Goodison Park, as he landed Koeman as his manager and backed him with new signings, with more bound to arrive at the end of the season as Everton look to become a Champions League club.
Just once have Everton qualified for the Champions League, and that came under Moyes as they were beaten in 4-2 on aggregate by Spanish side Villarreal in the qualifying rounds way back in 2005.
Now, Moyes has told the Liverpool Echo that he thinks it would take time for Everton to build themselves into top four regulars, suggesting that it’s a ‘big leap’ for the club right now.
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye celebrates scoring against Sunderland
The Scot added that there has been a change in atmosphere at Goodison Park, believing that fans are expecting a lot more due to the added investment, but thinks Everton are heading in the right direction with their current regime, after two 11th placed finishes under Roberto Martinez.
“I don’t think it’s easy and I think it takes time to do it as well,” said Moyes. “I think a lot of clubs have been trying to be in the top four for year after year. I think Everton are making a big leap now to try and get there and it takes a bit of time. Yes, it might happen once but it is something that grows over time and I think Everton might need a bit of growing time for that chapter to come around.”
“I think there’s a change, a change of atmosphere of what’s expected here. The expectation will have risen among the crowd and the players. But, you know, we regularly finished seventh, eighth, sixth, fifth, fourth once so we did that quite well. So Everton will be hoping to make that better but the way they are going about their business at the moment is suggesting they are going to try and make it much better,” he added.
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