Toffees star believes in his team-mates to turn it around KEEP THE FAITH
BEN GODFREY has a message for his Everton team-mates as they look to end a six-game winless streak at Brentford today: Don’t panic!
The Toffees have picked up just one point from a possible 15 since a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on October 2 to move from the Champions League spots into the bottom half of the table under Rafael Benitez (right).
But Godfrey remains confident that the tide will turn soon.
He said: “I’ve talked amongst players. Nothing to get excited about, nothing dramatic.
“At this stage of the season, you win a couple of games and you find yourself climbing up that table again. That’s why there is nothing too much to panic about.
“If we’d won our last five games and then gone on a bad run, we’d soon find ourselves dropping down the table again.
“It’s swings and roundabouts. As players, we know we’ve been on a bad run, but you can soon be back in the mix if you stay relaxed, keep working hard and do everything you can to get those three points.
“If you do
that, then your luck will start changing.”
Godfrey’s role in that forgettable run has led to questions over his form and whether he is over the Covid infection that kept him out of the first four games of this season.
But the York-born defender added: “If I was to play exactly the same way but score a header from a corner, the feelings would be different.
“It’s football, as I keep saying. I was just more concerned, from my own point of view, and
desperate to get back to
We’ve been on a bad run but you can soon be back in the mix if you stay relaxed and work hard
my best to help the lads, and help towards getting the results we wanted.”
The 23-year-old’s season could have been further derailed by the summer disappointment of failing to make the final England squad for Euro 2020 after being part of Gareth Southgate’s provisional selection.
However, Godfrey said: “It’s always a dream for a young lad to represent their country, it was a proud moment for me and my family.
“I can’t thank them enough for that opportunity over the summer.
“It’s something that I’ll never, ever forget.
“But getting so close to the squad and being told you’re going home, you’ve got a couple of options: to let it affect you in a good way or a bad way.
“I can only [take it] as a learning curve, it’s shown me the level that I need to get to.
“I’m sure in the long run of my career I will look at that moment and think it probably helped me kick on and I learnt so much from it.”
The two friendly caps he earned during that brief dalliance with the Three Lions are on display in his house as a motivating tool.
“They aren’t so much a reminder of what I’ve achieved,” he said.
“It’s more a case of reminding me of what I want more of in the future.
“When you’re going through spells like this, looking at your England caps are a reminder of where you are and where you need to get to.
“They are nice to
BRENTFORD look at and then help me mentally to kick on.”
So, does the defender harbour hopes of booking a place in Southgate’s squad for Qatar 2022?
He added: “I am sure it is on every English lad’s mind to be on that plane for the World Cup.
“It would be wrong for me to say no, wouldn’t it?
“All I can do is keep moving forward and hopefully put some consistent, good performances in for Everton, and the international side will take care of itself.”