Everton can't lose: David Moyes admits Tuesday's trip to Arsenal is vital for his team's top-four hopes

15 Apr 2013 22:30

Champions League-chasing Toffees have never won away at Gunners under the Scot but are boosted by the fact they top the Prem's form table

History boys: Will Moyes get his first league away win over Arsenal?

David Moyes has told his Everton players they must end their big-game hoodoo if they are going to make the Champions League.
Everton visit top-four-race rivals Arsenal on Tuesday night, with Moyes warning defeat would end their dream of a return to European football's top table.
The Toffees have never beaten the Gunners, nor Liverpool or Chelsea - who they must also visit on in the run-in - away in the Premier League under Moyes.
And the Scot knows that has to change if they are going to finish in the Champions League places.
“I’ve said to the players that we’re going to have to win away from home, and for the Champions League it might have to be more than one,” said the Everton boss.
“It’s us trying to break new ground in a lot of ways.”
Although that unhappy record has prompted Everton’s mental strength to be questioned, Moyes is adamant they have no hang-ups about playing at the top grounds - especially when their form is the best in the league.
“I don’t think the players consider that, but it’s a tough place for anyone to go,” he said. “We play good teams and when they play Everton they know they’re going to have a game as well.
“You get less complacency from the bigger sides when they play Everton.”

Winner takes all? Tuesday's match could decide who'll finish fourth

Laurence Griffiths / Getty

 Moyes looked quietly confident of bucking the trend as he spoke, rating Everton’s Champions League chances at “15 per cent”.
He admits that figure will be reduced to zero if they lose to Arsenal, allowing the Gunners to open up a seven-point lead over them.
“We’ve got an opportunity and we’ll try to take it,” said the Glaswegian. “The players know this is a chance and because of that there’s not a great deal that needs to be said.
“And it is a small chance, about 15 per cent. There are only five or six teams that can say they’ve got a chance so we’re happy to be in this position.
“The problem we’ve got is every game we lose, people are probably going to say, ‘That’s you out of it’.
If we win this one, we’ll be in with an opportunity. If we lose, our chance will probably go.”
“Meanwhile, Everton centre-back Phil Jagielka claims the riches of the Champions League would transform the Toffees.

Phil yer boots! Jagielka knows how Champions League football would boost Everton

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 “If you look at the potential of the club, it could be doubled, tripled or quadrupled if we were to get into the Champions League,” said the England intenational.
“We knew at the start of the season that if we were able to compete with the top four and then get in the group stage of the Champions League, it would put us on more of a level playing field in terms of transfers, keeping players and potentially even keeping the manager.”

The Prem's five-game form table

                       P   W   D   L   F   A   GD   Pts
1 Everton        5   4   1   0   10   3   7    13
2 Arsenal        5   4   0   1   12   5   7    12
3 Man Utd       5   4   0   1     9   2   7    12
4 Man City       5   4   0   1    9   3   6    12
5 Soton           5   3   2   0    8   3    5    11
6 Aston Villa   5   3   1   1   10   7   3    10
7 Wigan           5   3   1   1    7   6   1    10

Who's ur final top four? pls let us know. Thank you...