Friday 10 February 2017 11:32, UK
Everton manager Ronald Koeman has not ruled his side out of finishing in the top four of the Premier League this season.
Last week the Dutchman targeted catching sixth-placed Manchester United but, following last weekend's results, Arsenal in fourth are just seven points away.
Koeman rallied previous club Southampton into sixth place and a Europa League spot at the end of last season, taking them on a run of 23 points from their final 10 matches, finishing just three points outside the Champions League spots.
Following the 6-3 win over Bournemouth last weekend and having claimed 17 points from 21, Koeman says Everton could achieve "something special" this season.
"You have changed your opinion now," Koeman said when asked whether Champions League qualification was a possibility.
"You were always speaking about top six and now you're saying we need to talk about the first four.
"Everything is possible because everybody knows the Premier League is so tough, and it's not about the opponent you play.
"I did not change my mind [on this season's aim], it's step by step. If we don't win this Saturday, we'll talk about maybe the first eight. We need to be realistic.
"You can't compare Everton with Southampton. Yes, normally, my teams are always in a good state until the end of the season.
"That's what we try to plan: you have more possibilities to win the game if the team is really fit.
"With Southampton, we won seven of the last eight - if we keep that at Everton then, yes, maybe something special will be possible this season."
Having pushed Bournemouth into the relegation battle, Everton take on relegation-threatened Middlesbrough on Saturday who have not won since mid-December.
The Toffees go into the fixture with the Premier League's top scorer Romelu Lukaku on red-hot form after bagging four goals against Bournemouth, but Koeman is taking nothing for granted.
"It's not about the fixtures. Sometimes I prefer to play Arsenal at home than Middlesbrough at home," he said.
"Every game is difficult and maybe our game for this Saturday is more difficult than Tottenham away, it's all about yourself.
"It's a difficult one because they fight for the points, they fight to stay in the Premier League, and we know that can be really tough.
"Don't make those mistakes. My experience in the Premier League is sometimes you get more points against the top six than the teams fighting relegation. They fight for their lives."
