Mirallas: A point isn’t good enough against Chelsea, we need 3 points
Super Kevin Mirallas is delighted to be facing his really good mate Eden Hazard today but is hoping that Seamus Coleman can keep the talented midfielder in his pocket as his Everton side look to get 3 points from the table topping Londoners.
The return of the special one Jose Mourinho has seen Hazard touted as one of the best players in the Premier League, but Mirallas is confident that his Everton team can take all 3 points off Chelsea and thinks that their position in the league means that they can’t afford not to.
“At the start of the season I had a lot of ambition to do well but maybe didn’t realise how much my team-mates, manager, coaches and fans were counting on me to be more consistent rather than performing in one or two games,” he says. “I realised if I wanted to achieve my targets – which this season are getting a trophy or at least qualifying for one of the European competitions – I’d have to be good all the time.
“My dad [José] came over in December and we had a long, frank talk. I have never doubted my ability but something I realised throughout my career was that I had a problem reproducing that quality match by match. So my dad sat me down and we had a good chat.
“We decided I had to be more consistent, doing everything I possibly could to show my quality in every game. Sometimes I would start a game trying really, really hard but would leave a little more in my shell. I think over the last two months I have been performing in every match and helping my team-mates more in that respect.”
“A few weeks ago I might have said a point would be enough going to Chelsea,” he says, “whereas now, and without wanting to put too much pressure on ourselves against a good team that has not lost at home in the league this season, we have to try and get three points given where we are in the league.”
Stopping Hazard, however, will not be easy. “I think Seamus [Coleman] is the best right back in the league at the moment along with [Chelsea’s] Branislav Ivanovic,” Mirallas adds. “Hopefully Seamus can put him in his pocket.
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OK game over and probably not lucky to have got at least a point out of it. I thought everybody played OK,but don’t know if OK is good enough. Silvain was excellent.Pienaar seemed back on song.Macca was good and so was Gareth.Jags,Ossie and Seamus all had good matches. Tim didn’t really put a foot wrong.Kevin and Nais ran their socks off for very little reward.So why am I hacked off?I can’t get my head around Ross’ loss of form,if he’s still not right leave him at Finch Farm and leave Ossie or Steven on the pitch.If he’s got to play through it,then start him and give him the time he needs against the next few opponents. But what is really grating is watching week after week where supposedly top class officials keep punishing us for challenges that they wave through when made by the opposition. If we had the rep that the likes of Stoke have I could understand it.But Carsley,Graveson and Horne are all long gone and we haven’t been an overly physical side for years. Shame we, the watching public don’t get a vote on their performance,isn’t it? Clattenberg would be reffing Pub league stuff along with one or two of his colleagues. Kevin Friend was generally alright,buthe certainly erred on the side of Chelsea today. Home team Bias? Scared of ‘the special one’?