Moyes prepares for key to Toffees' season
David Moyes says he believes the approaching holiday period could be the key to whether they clinch a Champions League spot.
Moyes has always feared that when injuries and suspensions take a toll on his squad, Everton will suffer more than the richer clubs they are competing with at the head of the Barclays Premiership.
With only what boss Moyes describes as a “small, competitive squad” at his disposal, the pressure will increase on Everton during their four games in 10 days, while their main rivals have much bigger squads to rotate.
The Goodison Park chief insists that due to the small pool of players he has available it is pivotal to keep them all fit over the festive season.
“They are in good condition and we will need to keep them that way,” he said.
Everton’s players are fully aware of the extra demands that will be placed on them in the coming weeks, while Italian defender Alessandro Pistone believes they will be under even greater pressure due to their current third place in the Premiership.
He says: “Teams will want to beat us because we are doing so well. Everybody who will face us will try to beat us because we are there now. It is a great position to be in.
“This is definitely the toughest period in the season because there are so many games with not much time to recover. We have a small squad so we just have to concentrate and be a bit lucky in terms of not having any injuries.”
