Jean-Luc Vasseur is confident Everton Women can enter 2022 revitalised and climb up the Barclays FA Women’s Super League table despite a difficult end to the year.

The Blues suffered defeat in their final match of 2021 on Sunday with a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur.

Vasseur’s side started the game well and were the better side in the opening half, only to leave empty-handed when the hosts grabbed their winner six minutes after half-time.

He hopes the return of injured attacking stars can help Everton in the final third and get their just reward for dominance in games.

“It’s a difficult end to our year,” Vasseur told evertontv. “We played well in the first half; we controlled the game.

“The opportunities to score were there, but we didn’t take our chances.

“We didn’t start the second half the way we wanted.

“It was an outstanding goal we conceded but we didn’t have the capacity to react.

“Yes, we are frustrated but we have to be realistic about our situation.

“We have some important players injured in our forward line like Emslie, Dali, Sorensen and Gauvin.

“If I had these players on my bench then it gives us another option to add an attacker to the side and to go out to achieve a better result.”

Sunday’s match was the third for Everton within a week and Vasseur believes the winter break allows his players to receive a much-needed break.

“We are not in a good moment,” the Frenchman added.

“When you concede goals it’s difficult. 

“It’s important that we score the first goal in games as it boosts our confidence.

“It’s also our third game within a week with a reduced squad.

“It’s important now to have a break over Christmas to rest and hopefully we can see some of our injured players come back in the new year.

“We will start 2022 anew with a fresh squad that are ready for the second part of the season.

“This result is not good, but we will improve."

Vasseur assured his belief that his side have improved since his arrival at the end of October, but there is still plenty of work to do if Everton are to climb up the league table.

“It’s now half-time for us in the season," he added.

“We rest, recover and get ready to start again for the second part of the season.

“The team are improving but not enough because we aren’t getting the results.

“We have a lot of talent but it’s about playing together to get the best out of the team.

“It’s important that we play amazing football together.”

Everton Women return to action in the new year when they travel to face Aston Villa on Saturday 8 January (12.30pm GMT).