We are lucky to have this opportunity so early in a new season to make progress towards one of our targets.

Everybody who is serious about football wants to create special moments and share in the incredible feelings when you win trophies.

We have players who have won big titles and when you have those experiences you want more.

Others are really motivated to try to win their first competitions.

Both mindsets are powerful, especially when we all have the belief we can achieve something important for Everton.

This competition can give you momentum and purpose very quickly in the season, more than is normal this year because of the schedule.

We would have only a short time to study our opponents for next week if we win but that is a problem we want.

It is crucial straight away to show we will be confident in our stadium this season.

We want teams to hate the 90 minutes on the field when they come to Goodison. Every successful side starts by being strong on its own ground.

We had 11 home Premier League games without any defeats until that run was stopped on the final day last season.

Now is our chance to begin a new period of positive results at Goodison.

We are all waiting for the day when you can come to matches again. Everybody suspected football would not be the same without the passion of fans in stadiums and now we know this is true.

It is in our heads and a big part of our motivation to make you happy watching from home.

We welcome Graham Alexander and the staff and players of Salford City.

Salford are in a lower division but it is a club that is used to winning.

The former players involved with Salford are very professional, with winning mentalities, and helping write an interesting story.

I know Phil Neville was a big Everton figure and, of course, in my teams in Milan and Paris I had David Beckham, a really focused, good guy.

Salford had four promotions in six seasons and this kind of success builds a culture where people think anything is possible.

Graham led the team on their step to the Football League. It can be difficult to work with expectation and he managed this really well.

Salford will be looking forward to coming to Goodison and we expect them to play with no fear.

I am writing these notes two days before our first Premier League fixture at Tottenham Hotspur but our schedule after that match is focused totally on Salford.

Although we had only two practice games, the weeks after we came back in August were very busy.

We are preparing for a shorter season than normal but with the same number of matches.

The physical preparations were complex and my staff planned sessions to give the players what they need to be ready for the demands on their bodies.

We want to be involved in a lot of games because it will mean we are meeting our objective to do well in the cups.

This was also the time to talk more to the players about my ideas for how we will play this season.

Some principles will always stay the same but in the tactical aspect we have to be flexible.

We are very fortunate to go to USM Finch Farm every day to do our work.

Honestly, I found a fantastic facility here. It has everything we need and is one of the best training centres in Europe.

The players are really serious, working hard and showing us everything we want to see.

It is a busy time in the market, too. Every transfer is hard, there are so many details and different parties to consider.

There were two big factors helping with the deals for Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

First, the players wanted to be at Everton.

They are top professionals and many other clubs were ready to take them but all three were clear from the beginning about their ambitions to play here.

Then, there was a huge effort from everybody at Everton to bring the players.

Marcel and the Board and many others worked really hard to make these transfers possible and it is fantastic to have this support from the Club.

Finally, the empty stands at football and other aspects of daily life are reminders coronavirus is still with us.

Please, take care, and I wish the best of health to you all.