Coleman: New boys bring great quality

EVERTON may be on the rise – but Seamus Coleman insists heads will not be in the sky.

Two wins in as many league games and two man- of- the- match displays from James Rodriguez, below, have hopes high on the blue half of Merseyside.

But Toffees skipper Coleman said: “We need to make sure our heads are not in the sky, that we are ready to work again, fight in training.”

Coleman was not shy to criticise his team when levels nosedived after a 3- 0 defeat by Wolves in July.

“We are all aware that our standards dropped last season,” he said. “There are ways of losing but I thought the fight wasn’t there in some of the games, and I wanted to make sure the lads understand what it means to play for the football club.

“We have a top- class manager in Carlo Ancelotti who won’t accept anything less.”

There are signs of a stronger mentality, the summer arrivals of James, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure having helped. “There was a sense of calm, these top players bring that,” said Coleman after Dominic CalvertLewin’s hat- trick and a strike apiece from Rodriguez and Michael Keane won a sevengoal thriller at Goodison Park.

“James will have been there and done that at such a hig high level so, as y you’ve seen, he is quite calm picking o out these p passes in the fin final third and h he’s not forcing it.

“These boys have brought great quality and new faces. The competition for places is very high, which in turn means the standards in training sessions are very high. I thought we showed great character.”

Pickford 6; Coleman 7, Mina 6, Keane 7, Digne 7; Allan 7; Rodriguez 8 ( Kean 78), Doucoure 7 ( Sigurdsson 65, 7), Gomes 7, Richarlison 7; Calvert- Lewin 8 ( Iwobi 71). Calvert- Lewin 31, 62, 66, Rodriguez 45, Keane 54.

Johnstone 6; Furlong 5, Ajayi 5, Bartley 6, O’Shea 5, Gibbs 4; Pereira 7 ( Phillips 71), Livermore 6, Sawyers 6 ( Field 75), Diangana 7 ( Edwards 71); Robinson 6. Diangana 10, Pereira 47.

Gibbs 45.