Source: Team_Talk
Baines glad to have monkey off back
eighton Baines insists confidence is high in the Everton camp ahead of Sunday's Merseyside derby with Liverpool.[LNB] The Toffees defender has confirmed David Moyes' side are in buoyant mood after their first win of the season against Birmingham City last time out.[LNB]The 2-0 win at St Andrews saw Everton snatch Blues' 18-match unbeaten record on home soil, giving the Merseysiders a timely boost heading into this weekend's derby tussle.[LNB]And England international Baines believes victory over their arch-rivals would be the perfect way to lay down a marker for the rest of their season.[LNB]"It would have been unbearable to go into the break without a win so at least we can say we have got that monkey off our back and have got that first win," Baines told Everton's official website.[LNB]"Now we want to go on and really do ourselves justice.[LNB]"The derby is obviously the biggest game for us and the one we always look for first and getting a good result at Birmingham going into it has given us extra confidence."[LNB]"The work in training will be intensive," he added. "The lads will come back from their internationals and everything will be geared towards that game. Everyone is looking forward to it and focused on it.[LNB]"We won our first game of the season and obviously once that happens you are looking to get on a roll so it is important for us to build on it and get another result this Sunday."[LNB]Baines has enjoyed an impressive start to the season with his good form of huge benefit to the team both defensively and going forward.[LNB]With an assist in the 3-3 draw against Manchester United, Baines capped a sterling performance in the win at Birmingham with a superb cross for Tim Cahill's late clincher.[LNB]And the Toffees left-back says he has a good understanding with his Aussie team-mate and is determined to carry on providing goals for his fellow professionals.[LNB]He said: "Tim is one of those players who if you put it in the right sort of area he can make something happen whether that is score a goal with his head or tee someone up.[LNB]"I am definitely conscious of trying to find him in good areas and if you do that more often than not he will make something of it. He has that natural instinct and is a tough customer for most of the centre halves because he is very elusive in the box. [LNB]"We do a lot of work on the crossing," Baines added. "We work on it as a team towards the end of the week and that puts everyone on the same page and helps me to provide assists which is enough for me.[LNB]"When you help Tim or a striker to get a goal it is big for them. They need that for their confidence and it is nice to provide that. I take a bit of confidence from setting it up and it is another goal for the team and that is the main thing."
