Marco: My youngsters need time
MARCO SILVA has asked Everton fans to be patient as he beds in the youngest side in the Premier League.
The Toffees have frequently fielded a team at least a year younger on average than their rivals this season and they are the least experienced of the big clubs.
That has led to inconsistency and, after a 6-2 drubbing by Spurs was followed by a 5-1 win at Burnley, Silva believes it will take time for the team to mature together.
“It’s clear for me,” he said. “We have a new team, a young team and there are no simple answers. We have to face work with quality, with character, with personality.
“We have played well this season. We have had some very good performances against the best teams and we have dropped points to them too. But it isn’t just the top teams that we have dropped points against.
“It is not just the top six where we have lost points and that shows we are still learning. But we have to be patient. This is a good team but a young team with new players. It is about working hard with them on the training ground.
“You can see there was a response after the Spurs game, so we know we can move forward.”
Everton today face Brighton where Dutch midfielder Davy Propper has a double New Year’s resolution – to push the Seagulls into the top 10 and to beat England.
Holland have been drawn to face the Three Lions in the semi-finals of the Nations League in Portugal next June, meaning a match against Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane could be a scouting mission.
“It helps being in the Premier League,” said Propper. “I can see how the English players are doing and I play against them regularly.
“It wasn’t our best game when we lost 1-0 at home earlier in the year to [England] but we learned from that and we have grown.
“So we’ll be better in Portugal. We can win, why not? We beat Germany and France to get there. So I think we are ready.”