Sean Dyche is ready for Everton to put last season's challenges behind them by making a positive start to the Premier League against Brighton on Saturday.
Everton had to contend with two points deductions last season, but an impressive run of results at the end of the campaign ensured they comfortably avoided relegation.
While they did not make the best start to pre-season, going winless in their first three games, they finished on a positive note, with a win against Preston North End and a draw with Roma.
Though they will be without key players for their opener, including Jarrad Branthwaite, Dyche is optimistic about what the season will bring.
"You get the sense that, after last season's challenges and the positive end, I think there is more calmness and positivity," Dyche said in his press conference.
"The reality of knowing the truth of what the situation is helps. But generally, being up and around people there is a better feeling.
"We have been trying to bring in players who fit into the club. We have worked hard collectively with the scouts to get the right players. The only balance to that is that they don't have much Premier League experience, so it is how quick they can be effective and adapt."
Meanwhile, Brighton are preparing for their first campaign under new manager Fabian Hurzeler.
They won all four of their pre-season games, scoring 14 goals and conceding just three, and James Milner believes the German has already started to make his mark.
"There is a good mix of the last manager [Roberto De Zerbi], who was build-up orientated, but maybe a bit of Jurgen Klopp thrown in," Milner told Sky Sports.
"The manager has been very clear about what he wants from us as a team and individuals. He has put his own stamp and intensity on things, he wants us to play front foot with and without the ball."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Everton – Jordan Pickford
Everton have lost their opening Premier League match in each of the last two seasons – both 1-0 at home – to Chelsea (2022-23) and Fulham (2023-24).
If they are to avoid starting their campaign with a defeat for a third year in a row for the first time since a run of four between 2008 and 2011, Jordan Pickford could be the key by leading from the back.
Brighton – Evan Ferguson
Evan Ferguson, then aged 18, scored in Brighton's 4-1 win against Luton Town on the opening weekend of the Premier League last season.
The only teenager to score on MD1 in more than one campaign is Michael Owen (1997-98 and 1998-99).
MATCH PREDICTION: EVERTON WIN
Everton won their first four home Premier League games against Brighton but are since winless in their last three against them at Goodison Park (drawing one, losing two).
However, Dyche's side have won five of their last eight Premier League games (drawn one, lost two), having been winless in their previous 13 (drawn six, lost seven). Indeed, since the first victory in that run on April 6, only four teams have won more Premier League points than the Toffees (16).
Meanwhile, Brighton lost their first match in three of their first four Premier League campaigns but have begun their last three seasons with victory. The Seagulls are looking to win their opening league game in four consecutive seasons for the first time ever.
They struggled at the end of last season though, losing their final two games to Chelsea and Manchester United, while they have not lost three consecutive league games since a run of six between February and March 2022.
The team scoring first has never lost a Premier League meeting between Everton and Brighton (won 10, drawn three), although the Toffees went 1-0 up in both games last season and both ended 1-1.
New manager Hurzeler will be hoping to get off to a winning start for his first game in charge. Born in February 1993, he will be the first manager to take charge of a Premier League game who was born after the competition started.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Everton – 40.4%
Draw – 26.6%
Brighton – 33%
Guardiola has 'not decided anything' amid England job speculation
Pep Guardiola has played down expectations that he has decided to take over as the next permanent England manager.
The 53-year-old would be a popular choice for the job, given the success that has followed him at every club since becoming a manager.
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles at City, including each of the last four, while he won three league titles each with Bayern Munich and Barcelona. He is also a three-time Champions League winner and 10-time domestic cup winner as a manager.
But when asked about the England job amid reports claiming his next step had been decided, he was not drawn on any speculation.
"It's not true. I'm Manchester City manager," he told Che Tempo Che Fa, as per transfer football expert Fabrizio Romano.
But despite his dismissive comments, Guardiola stopped short of shutting down the rumours that he could be considering becoming the next England manager.
"I've not decided anything, everything can happen. So I don't know," he said.
"Let's see on my future. I still need to reflect and decide what I want to do."
Guardiola's contract at City is up at the end of the 2024-25 season, with the Spaniard yet to make a decision on his future at the club.
Alongside any potential sanctions that City might face in their long-running battle with the Premier League, speculation about their manager's future has been rife in recent months.
He is far and away City's most successful manager of all time, maintaining a win percentage of over 70% after 483 matches in charge, while he is second to Alex Ferguson as the manager with the most Premier League titles.
Mbappe free to do what he wants, says Deschamps after nightclub controversy
France manager Didier Deschamps believes Kylian Mbappe should be allowed to do what he wants, playing down rumours of a rift between the two.
The comments came after Mbappe was spotted in a nightclub in Sweden on Thursday, the same night France beat Israel 4-1, having been left out of the squad by Deschamps to recover from an injury.
Mbappe had suffered a muscle injury with Real Madrid last month and was given the international break to rest by the France manager.
But Deschamps was both unconcerned and unaware of the striker's excursion.
"I don't follow the news of players who are not here," he said. "Kylian is following a programme with Real Madrid. I don't know if he was away or not."
The controversy stems from rumours that Mbappe had asked Deschamps to only play him in 'important' international matches, as he prioritises winning the Ballon d'Or.
Given that Mbappe had returned from injury for Real Madrid, coming off the bench against Lille in the Champions League earlier this month and starting the 2-0 victory over Villarreal in LaLiga a few days later, the decision to leave Mbappe out raised questions.
Deschamps, though, was quick to give a logical explanation for the absence of their biggest player, who is just nine goals behind Olivier Giroud (57) as France's all-time top scorer.
"Like any player for his club, he follows a programme. If players have days off, they are free to do what they want," added Deschamps.
France face Belgium on Monday without Mbappe, having beaten them 2-0 at home in the reverse fixture last month.
The striker only made a 23-minute cameo off the bench in that game, though he had the joint-most shots in the game (four) and the second-most touches in the box (five) among his team-mates.
Deschamps' side are, in fact, unbeaten in their last five matches without their captain in the starting XI. They are a point behind group-leaders Italy at the halfway point.
Carsley 'definitely not' ruling himself out of permanent England job
Interim England manager Lee Carsley is adamant that he has not ruled himself out of the job on a permanent basis after hinting that he was not yet the world-class coach needed.
England responded to their shock 2-1 defeat at home to Greece on Thursday with a 3-1 victory in Finland on Sunday.
While the Three Lions were still not at their brilliant best, it was a marked improvement on their last match. However, conversation was dominated by Carsley's future and questions over who will take the role after the match.
"Definitely not," Carsley said after being asked in the post-match press conference whether he felt it was too soon for him to become the senior manager.
"I tried to make it as clear as I could. My remit was for three camps. The point I was trying to make is it is one of the top jobs in the world.
"I'm not part of the process, but it deserves a top coach. The players we have available, we've got a real chance of winning. That was the point I was making."
Plenty had assumed that the 50-year-old's comments about still being on the path to becoming a world-class coach were effectively him putting himself out of the running for the job.
Among a volley of questions about the future of the job, he was asked directly if that was an incorrect conclusion to draw from those remarks.
"Yeah, definitely. Like I say, it's important that I do the best that I can," he said.
"It's a privilege to do this job. I feel well trusted, it's a great job and, you know, whoever gets it will be fully deserving."
Regardless of his comments in Helsinki though, Carsley does have a track record of being non-committal when asked about the potential of getting the job permanently.
That is, according to him, because he has been deliberately trying to keep an open mind about things after learning from previous experiences.
"I'm definitely reluctant [to say whether I want the job] because in the past, when I've done this caretaker/interim role, I've gone so far down the 'I don’t want the job' [route] that I've actually not done the job," he said.
"One of the things I spoke about when I was asked to take temporary charge is that it's important I keep an open mind because in that case, I’m not being reckless with my decisions.
"I'm thinking thoroughly about how the team should play, the squad I should pick, which is a challenge because squad selection is very difficult.
"The amount of players we have to leave out and what we've got available for us, and I've got another camp to do. It's just a shame we can't play Greece next week."
England's away game in Greece will be their most important in deciding their Nations League fate, with their upcoming hosts top of the group with a three-point buffer to second.
Carsley's side will need to win and then better Greece's result at Wembley if they are to have any chance of returning to the top division in the competition. But the interim manager was ultimately pleased with what he saw on Sunday.
"We won the game, scored three good goals," he added. "It was a shame we couldn't keep a clean sheet.
"I still don't know the players that well yet in terms of the way the team reacts to a defeat and a setback, so I was thrilled with the way they responded."
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