Rafa Benitez says the “desire, unity and team spirit” in Everton’s dressing room provide sound starting points for a profitable season – but there remains abundant scope for improvement following a pair of encouraging displays to begin the campaign.
Everton fought fire with fire in a fast-and-furious contest with hard-running Leeds United on Saturday, emerging from Elland Road with one point to add to an opening-day victory over Southampton.
Benitez, appointed Everton manager in June, drew satisfaction from the way his side steadily exerted control over Leeds – where manager Marcelo Bielsa has been weaving his patterns for more than three years.
Everton, preparing for a Carabao Cup tie at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday, were twice pegged back by Leeds but finished the stronger of the two teams and created a handful of opportunities to claim all three points.
“You always you want to improve and do things a little bit better and it is too early [to see training ground work fully reflected on the pitch],” Benitez told evertontv.
“But I like the team spirit and mentality of the players, their desire and unity.
“You can feel the fans appreciate that.
“I said we did nothing just winning one game [Southampton victory], now we’ve had a good performance.
“But still it is too early, because we have done nothing.
“I am happy we did it but I want to be sure we continue with the same intensity and way of approaching the games, to be sure we can compete and have chances to win games.
“To have these kinds of games [Leeds] is important for us, the next game at home, if we can do well in the next one away, the fans will appreciate what the players are doing and be behind the team.”
Everton make a speedy return to Yorkshire, visiting Championship side Huddersfield with the aim of booking a spot in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup third-round draw.
Benitez takes his team to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, targeting a third unbeaten Premier League game prior to a fortnight’s international break.
Everton could have travelled south looking for a third straight league win had a couple of chances gone in after Demarai Gray put Everton 2-1 in front at Leeds.
Home goalkeeper Illan Meslier twice made close-range stops from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot.
Gray’s goal was his first for the Club following a transfer from Bayer Leverkusen and crowned a thrilling individual display.
“It [Gray’s goal and performance] is an indication we have a player trying to do his best,” said Benitez.
“At the same time, he is pushing the players around him, because the competition is good in each position.
“He has to improve, he knows he has to improve.
“But he can give us something different, like [Andros] Townsend gives us something different. And [Alex] Iwobi is working very hard for the team and being a threat.
“Gray and Townsend are giving us competition in the wide areas and that will only be positive for the team and the strikers.”
Everton stemmed an initial Leeds surge at the weekend, increasingly carving out the clearer chances and not suffering by comparison with the hosts’ turbo-charged approach.
“It is not easy to match them, they are used to playing this kind of football,” added Benitez.
“Our idea was to control them a little bit.
“At the beginning, we struggled a bit with the movements.
“But, little-by-little, we were adjusting and controlling and more dangerous on the counter-attack.
“It was a question of time for us to understand the atmosphere and intensity and pressure they were applying.
“Later on, we were much better.
“I have been here six weeks, Bielsa has been there three years, when you need to adjust patterns and the way you want to play, they had an advantage.
“I am really happy because the players were working hard and… understanding what we had to do to try to win the game.
“We had 17 attempts away from home, that is something positive.
“We had chances to score a third goal and that would have changed everything.
“It was a difficult battle but we were fighting until the last minute.”
