Everton may have suffered a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Oldham Athletic, but the Toffees are in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and level on points with fourth-placed Liverpool in the Premier League.Their encouraging Premiership campaign bodes well for the future, but captain Phil Neville believes his side must become more clinical if they are to bridge the gap between successful side and near misses.
Results Business
"The first half of the season is all about getting confidence and playing good football but the second half is purely about results," said Neville, who knows all about successful Premiership campaigns from his time with Manchester United.
"It really doesn't matter how you play," he continued. "After Christmas the weather is poor, the pitches are heavy and they aren't conducive to producing good football. That's how it will be at Wigan on Sunday.
"Every game at the minute is like a cup final and it is a fantastic period to be a part of. The teams around us are putting pressure on us so we know that we have got to keep winning and we have got to believe that we are good enough to be where we are."
Ends And Means
And whilst Neville admits that fans always love to see attractive football, he hopes a successful streak of results would be a case of ends justifying means, especially if the club could snatch a Champions League spot.
"There was a bit of anxiety in the crowd at times last weekend (in the 1-0 victory over Manchester City) but that wasn't a game to play free-flowing football," he told the Liverpool Echo. "We had to dig in and you could see at the end how much the win meant to us.
"For me, beating Manchester City was the best result we have had so far this season, more pleasing than the wins against Sunderland and West Ham. Now we have to make sure we continue that way."
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