SOCCER NEWS:EVERTON MANAGER David Moyes believes the FA Cup represents the club's best chance of a trophy – and a passage into Europe – this season. Although the club are into the knockout phase of the Europa League Moyes thinks that particular competition is not far advanced enough for their odds of winning to have reduced considerably.
But with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool – two teams Everton beat on their run to the final last season – already out the FA Cup looks a better bet, especially if they can get past fellow Premier League side Birmingham today.
Qualification for Europe looks an outside prospect for Moyes’s side as they are 10 points behind seventh-placed Aston Villa. “The Europa League has got a longer way to go and I think it is really tough for anyone to win it because you have got game after game, home and away,” he said.
“If you get the FA Cup draws at home it could be much easier. Possibly at the moment the FA Cup (is the easier one to win) but there are a lot of good teams still in it.
“The first job is to beat Birmingham because if we don’t do that we don’t go any further but if we do then you start looking at who we have got next. I am driven to go far in all competitions because we’ve not won anything (in his managerial reign). If we can make Europe it is good for us. It has been great for Everton in the last few years and it is good for us at this present time.”
Moyes admits last year’s run to the FA Cup final, where they lost to Chelsea, has given him a good feeling about the competition. And with his side unbeaten in their last six league matches after a shaky start to the season the Scot believes it is time to transfer that form to the cup.
“The run we had in the FA Cup was tremendous and I still feel that in my blood so it would be nice to do that again,” he said. “We probably had the hardest draw we could have had last season with Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester United and then Chelsea in the final. But we have become a better team in the Premier League so it is about time we had some runs in the cup.”
With Mikel Arteta, Victor Anichebe, Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell all close to returns after injury and their improved league form Moyes said the mood in the squad was completely different from a few weeks ago. “I want to build on it but I have to keep a lid on it at times,” he said, after the team followed up a 2-2 draw at Arsenal with a 2-0 victory over Manchester City last weekend.
“Some of the training this week has been on the verge of overflowing because the players are feeling really good about themselves. It is all about confidence and self-belief and we have shown that in the last couple of games. The incentive for us is to continue in the form we are in. We have not played anything near like our form in the season so far and now is the chance to turn it around.”
With injuries easing Moyes may well rein in his plans for loan deals in the transfer window, having brought in United States international Landon Donovan from Los Angeles Galaxy for a two-month spell. He confirmed he was in talks to sign Slovakia goalkeeper Jan Mucha from Polish club Legia Warsaw, although that is likely to be for the summer when the player is out of contract.
Having off-loaded on-loan striker Jo back to Manchester City for another breach of discipline this week Moyes may look to bring in another forward before the end of the month.
