Ronald Koeman: Medicine of confidence can help Everton win
Thursday 21 September 2017 16:10, UK
Ronald Koeman hopes Everton's "medicine of confidence" will kick in when the Toffees host Bournemouth on Saturday.
Everton go into the game on the back of a first win in seven after Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice in a 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Sunderland.
However, Koeman was reluctant to paint Wednesday's success as any more than a "first step" and challenged his side to hit a run of form in the league.
"Now we need to see we're still strong," said Koeman. "I'm confident in what I saw yesterday - that's always the best medicine, to get the confidence you need for good performances. Good performances normally mean winning games."
Koeman revisited his weekend spat with Jose Mourinho over the Manchester United boss' claim that Everton should be challenging for the top four after a summer of spending.
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"Ridiculous," was the Everton manager's verdict four days on as he pointed to the "six or seven boys of under twenty-one" he fielded against Sunderland.
Koeman insisted he remains "one person in football with a lot of ambition", though, and there was effusive praise for one of those youngsters - developing striker Calvert-Lewin.
"In most aspects of football he needs to improve - in holding the ball and in his movements - but if you look into other strikers of his age then he's really a big talent," Koeman said.
"He's strong he's fast and he showed yesterday he can score goals, but he can be more clinical and that's normal - nobody at that age is totally in every aspect good.
"He's really disciplined, hard-working and likes to improve. He's listening. he tries to show his commitment, he can play different positions - No 9, 11, 7, he can play with two strikers.
"There's a lot of possibilities with Dominic in the team. He's making big steps from last season."
Koeman added that Oumar Niasse, Everton's other goalscorer on Wednesday night, is in contention for the weekend but James McCarthy is not due back in training until next week.
Koeman also played down suggestions Seamus Coleman and Yannick Bolasie could return form injury before November.
