What The Papers Say - February 19

The views on this page are taken from the local and national media and do not necessarily reflect the views of Everton.

PHIL JAGIELKA believes he will emerge a better player for Everton after his testing time in Seville last week.

The centre-back’s outstanding form this season at Goodison earned him a deserved first international start during England’s friendly in Spain.

Jagielka was at fault for David Villa’s opener as Fabio Capello’s men slipped to a 2-0 defeat against the European champions but the 26-year-old is convinced the experience can only further his continued progress of the past two years.

“It was a little bit nerve-wracking playing against Spain, the European champions, but it’s character building.

“A lot of people are saying it will be a big learning curve for me.

“Hopefully I’ll get more chances, but if I don’t, then nobody can take my caps away from me.

“I thought I played quite well. But obviously it was my mistake that led to the goal. It was nice though – I got my first start for my country and it was a fantastic honour.

“Friendly games are normally a bit easier, but it’s nice to be tested against the best players, and I will always look back on that with great pride.”

Jagielka and his Everton team-mates aim for a fourth successive win when they travel to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday and the defender believes the squad has received a fillip from the form of youngsters Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling and the arrival of Brazilian striker Jo on loan from Manchester City.

“The young lads are giving us the extra impetus to perform – that extra buzz,” said Jagielka.

“The new lad Jo has come in and performed and so maybe we are a bit more ruthless. When we get our chances, we take them and we’re back to getting clean sheets as well.

“Hopefully we can go up to Newcastle, put a good performance in like we have been recently and come away with all three points.”

Meanwhile, Australian A-League side Perth Glory have confirmed they have held talks to host Everton in a pre-season friendly this summer.

But the Goodison outfit will only travel Down Under if they can arrange a second fixture for the proposed tour.

“We’re hopeful it will (happen),” said Perth Glory owner Tony Sage. “We met every term Everton put to us, so we’ve signed on to the deal, subject to them getting another game.

“We had a couple of emails and again, the sticking point seems to be the teams on the eastern side of Australia.

“It’s not financially viable for Everton to come just to Perth. They made that clear to everyone, so we’re just waiting on that fixture to be set up.”

Everton’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against either Middlesbrough or West Ham United will take place on Sunday, March 8. The game will kick-off at 4pm and will be shown live on Setanta.

An enduring image of the Everton team last season was of Joleon Lescott popping up in the penalty area and scoring goals. Ten of them, to be exact, which is nigh on an avalanche for a defender. It led to a similar cascade of trophies when the Merseyside club’s annual awards were handed out.

With a peak, though, a trough inevitably follows. Everton won only two of their first 12 fixtures this season, were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Blackburn Rovers and the Uefa Cup by Standard Liège, and Lescott, amid a series of high-profile errors, failed to recapture his form. Only after a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart with the coaches at Goodison Park did the Lescott of old reappear. Everton have recovered their poise, too, and have lost only one of their past 13 matches in all competitions. The 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday took them into the FA Cup quarter-finals.

“I was very disappointed with my form at the start of the season,” Lescott said. “You always believe you can play well, but it wasn’t to be. I had to get back to basics, work harder in training and doing little extra things. It’s paying off and I’m pleased with the way I’m playing, but I still want to improve.

“It’s not nice when your form goes like that, when you are losing and you’re making mistakes. It was hard to take and I needed to take a long look at myself and the mistakes I was making. It was going wrong in a few games, not just one. I sat down with the coaches and we talked about it. They told me to concentrate more and it’s paid off.”

The turning point for Lescott — and his team-mates — came in the 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in late November. Everton have lost only twice since. “That was a great result,” Lescott said. “I took a lot more confidence from that and it’s built up from there.”

Everton’s resurgence played a large part in Phil Jagielka earning his second cap — and first start — for England in the 2-0 defeat against Spain, the European champions, in the friendly in Seville last week. Although Jagielka was at fault for the opening goal, scored by David Villa, he believes that he will benefit from the experience.

“It was a little bit nerve-racking, but it’s character-building,” Jagielka said. “It was obviously my mistake that led to the goal, but I thought I played quite well. It’s nice to be tested against the best. Hopefully, I’ll get more chances, but if I don’t, then nobody can take my caps away from me. I will always look back on that with great pride.”