Silva hails the extra pressure on his Toffees
Everton boss Marco Silva has told his players to brace themselves for the bigtime after earning plaudits for their fine start to the new Premier League season.
Silva takes his side to Bournemouth today after an international break which drew praise from England coach Gareth Southgate and increasing recognition of recent developments at Goodison Park.
Michael Keane is among those who have stepped up into Southgate’s firstteam plans, and Silva believes there is no reason why others cannot also achieve their ambitions for both club and country.
Silva said: “The players understand what we are doing here is developing them and getting them better every day.
“Giving them the conditions to play international games and at a high level is one of the main aims for me.
“Having that pressure of approaching all the matches to win is something which has to be natural. If you have extra pressure it means you are in a good position in the table. We have to keep working with the players to make sure it is something natural for them.”
It is a mark of Everton’s promising start to the campaign that Keane expressed disappointment over two goals conceded against Wolves last time out – despite a win which propelled his side into the top six.
And Silva expects his side’s bid for their first away win of the season will be sorely tested by a combative Bournemouth side at the Vitality Stadium.
Silva added: “It will be a good challenge for us and one more moment for us to prove our quality – not just the back-line, the whole team.
“We go to Bournemouth to win, respecting them and knowing that they haven’t won at home, but we haven’t won away. We have to be really solid because they have quality.”
Cherries boss Eddie Howe has challenged his squad to start firing after an inconsistent start to the season.
They return to action looking to recover from successive 3-1 league defeats before the international break.
“We are looking to draw a line under the previous four games and start again with a fresh mindset,” admitted Howe.
“I expect us to get stronger throughout the season.”