Source: Eurosport
Moyes Calls For Final Push
Everton manager David Moyes admits the club's Champions League chances are probably over but that will not stop him pushing his squad hard until the end of the season.[LNB]Defeat at Portsmouth a fortnight ago, coupled with an Arsenal win that weekend, means the gap between Everton and fourth place is now seven points.[LNB]Moyes accepts that may be too much for his side to overcome but there is still plenty to play for with an FA Cup semi-final coming up against Manchester United and European qualification still to secure.[LNB]"Losing at Portsmouth may well have made our Champions League qualification difficult with Arsenal winning but we will keep hanging on in there and hopefully try to catch them if we can," said Moyes.[LNB]"Those results make it doubly difficult but Arsenal still have Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea to play, that was why I was hoping to stay within four points of them.[LNB]"At the moment they are seven ahead so that is quite a gap."[LNB]Moyes, however, will urge his players to maintain the pressure just in case Arsene Wenger's side slip up.[LNB]"I don't know if I can say it is the final furlong yet because there is quite a way to go with the season going on until the end of May," he added.[LNB]"We want that final push if we can and we want the players to carry on doing what they have been doing because they have been very good up to now.[LNB]"We want that excitement to remain. The job is to keep it that way; that means getting to a cup final, hanging in there in the league and qualifying for Europe, because for me that is a big thing to do.[LNB]"If we can do that we can look back and decide whether it is a positive season or not."[LNB]The loss at Fratton Park was particularly frustrating for Moyes as the international break meant he could not work on specific issues.[LNB]However, on a more positive note it seems so long ago that he has already consigned the result to history.[LNB]"When the players shoot away right after the game and you don't see them for nearly two weeks it can become a bit of a hindrance to you," added the Scot, whose side face Wigan at Goodison Park on Sunday.[LNB]"You have a lot of thoughts in your head you want to get out but we are over it now and we have to move on.[LNB]"We have had two defeats in 18 games and some of the performances from the players have been fabulous in the circumstances and we can't fault them for what they have put in."[LNB]Moyes will make a late decision on the fitness of Tim Cahill as the midfielder has not yet returned from international duty.[LNB]The Australian has spent the last week in Sydney recovering from a calf injury and did not play any part in the Socceroos' 2-0 win over Uzbekistan on Wednesday but is not due to link up with the club until Saturday.[LNB]American goalkeeper Tim Howard is the only other player yet to make it back after the internationals but that is unlikely to cause a problem for Sunday.[LNB]
