After an encouraging performance at Chelsea in midweek, we head to Leicester this weekend believing we can get the win that will reignite our season.
Although we ultimately lost our Carabao Cup tie 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, there were many positives to take from the team’s performance, particularly in the second-half when we really took the game to our opponents.
Now we need to show the same mentality and spirit in the Premier League as we go in search of the points we need to climb the table.
It may be tempting to think it will be easier to play Leicester than Chelsea, but we know every game at this level is tough so we will need to fight for every ball, and give nothing less than 100 per cent, if we are to overcome a Leicester side that will be eager to impress their new manager, Claude Puel.
David Unsworth has been put in temporary charge of the team following the departure of Ronald Koeman.
We all know he is an Evertonian, a man with a deep affection and long history with the Club, an Academy graduate who went on to win the FA Cup with his boyhood club. As players, there is no time to dwell, we have to focus on the next game and then the game after and that is what we are concentrated on.
Being a former Everton player, David Unsworth knows the club and he demands that everything is 100 per cent in training. He has worked with the younger players in the team who have come through our Academy and Under 23s and he is instilling confidence which, hopefully, we can take out on the pitch.
When you go through a difficult run of results, as we have, of course you can lose your confidence but you get that back through training and working hard.
It’s important to think positively and when I see and train with my team-mates, I have real belief in this team.
Vlasic scored his first goal for the club against Apollon Limassol in the Europa League.
Of course, we are disappointed with our current league position but I do not believe it is reflective of the real situation. We have the potential to be a very good team and if we continue to keep working hard then I am sure the results will follow.
Despite some of the difficulties we have experienced, I am really enjoying my time at Everton.
It’s always hard moving away from home. I grew up in Split – it is my town and I was at Hajduk all my life. But in professional football, sometimes you get the chance to move somewhere else.
The Premier League is the best league in Europe so I wanted to see how I could handle it. When we played Brighton recently, even though the game didn’t go quite how we wanted, we fought hard and it was incredible to be involved in the battle.
When I signed for the club, I did not expect to get my chance immediately – I thought it would take one or two months or maybe even longer.
Now I am in the team, I want to stay there. I have big expectations for myself and I hope I will go on to fulfil them.
But, ultimately, football is not about personal achievements, it’s about the team, and we need to show our fans what we can do, starting this weekend.
