The new 2016/17 season gets underway this weekend and Tottenham kick off their campaign with a tricky trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton on Saturday afternoon.
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“I feel fit and ready to go”. He has a lot of experience, with the Champions League, with the French league, and I’m very happy to see him in the Premier League, because I know him well and I know that he wanted an experience outside of France.
And speaking to Everton’s official site after the game, Koeman stated that he was pleased for the trio in the 2016/17 Premier League curtain raiser. “And after the game, when you have played badly, you have played badly, and you need to be honest – I try to be honest”.
“We need the support and we will get it if we do our job and show our fans we are committed to Everton, and that spirit that you need to win the game”.
Phil Jagielka is in danger of losing his place in defence due to the arrival of new signing Ashley Williams, but he staked a claim for his spot this afternoon by clearing balls into the box and preventing an isolated Harry Kane from causing danger in the first half. You wish it went better and think about what you could have done better.
Mauricio Pochettino had spoken this week of wanting to kill his players for their late-season collapse last spring.
Tottenham, which challenged for the title last season, came close to victory and it took two superb late saves by Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg to deny substitute Vincent Janssen and Lamela. The Spaniard should have scored a second goal just before half-time when latching on to a wayward Danny Rose backpass. However, a 4-0 loss to already-relegated Newcastle on the final day of the season put paid to that, and they came home third in a two horse race. But they rallied after the break and equalised through Erik Lamela’s header.
However, the 23-year-old is confident Tottenham will recover. “This is very hard because we are almost on the top and we are sure that the competition will be tough. We know what we did wrong, we have to work on that for this season and hopefully we will do that and do well”.
“We want to be better and improve”.
“Our impression from the different teams is that it will be very hard but we trust in our possibility and our skills”. We are a team who have stuck together.
“We will try to improve and learn from the past”, he said.
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The Toffees limped to a disappointing 11th placed finish last season – and even that flattered them – in what proved to be Roberto Martínez’s least year in charge of the club.
