Schneiderlin: Everyone needs to be on their toes for Europe

Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has challenged his team mates to remain focussed as they look to have the nice problem of European football on a Thursday followed by Premier League matches on a Sunday.

The France midfielder know that they could be playing in far flung places around Europe, but that the Everton squad need to keep focussed and do what they do best.

“I played in Europe before so I know what to expect,” he told evertonfc.com. “We need to get qualified and hopefully we will. After that we don’t know the teams we will get but we could find ourselves playing in Russia on the Thursday and then back home on the Sunday. It will be very demanding so we will need everyone to be ready and on their toes.

“I was very happy with my first six months and now I want to build on that. In football and in life, if you just keep doing the same things as before you will never progress.

“That’s my aim – I want to have a good pre-season, feel feel sharp and then push on to have a great season with very good performances. That’s individual but also collectively to win things – that’s my ambition. Hopefully I will do that and show even more.”

“The Tanzania trip was very short. Last week we had a longer trip, but especially this year we have a lot of new faces. Even for me, I’ve only been here six months. It’s this kind of situation which makes you talk with people and get to know them a little bit better.

“When you come to a new club, you always want to speak with your teammates and help them to adapt very well. You want them to feel 100 per cent on and off the pitch.”

“The ambition of the Club is one of the first reasons why I came here,” added Schneiderlin. “They want to bring in good players and win some trophies. That’s why I signed here.

“As you can see, they have kept their word by buying good players and making smart investments. Now we need to prove on the pitch that we will be able to play together, to find the best form and push for things.”

Are you looking forward to Europa League football?

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