Everton FC News: Everton FC can still finish in the top five of the Premier League again says Jo

Nov 27 2009 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

Everton FC News: BRAZILIAN striker Jo believes Everton are still capable of a third straight top five finish despite their current woes.

The Goodison Park outfit go into Sunday’s derby with just one win from their last 10 games.

Injury-hit Everton’s alarming slump leaves them languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table and closer to the relegation zone than a European place.

However, Jo, whose prolific goalscoring in the second half of last season, helped Everton pip Aston Villa for a top five slot, insists his team-mates are still capable of a repeat performance this term.

He said: “We’ve obviously not started this season as well and results haven’t been too good of late but we have the same qualities we had last season and we’ve still got enough about us to finish fifth again.”

Two second half goals at the KC Stadium on Wednesday weren’t enough for Everton to complete a comeback against Hull who had raced into a 3-0 lead within the first half an hour and Jo admits that there must now be a response from the side against their city rivals.

He said: “We’ve got to react – absolutely. We’ve got to go into the derby with our heads in the right place.

“We’ve really got to respond after the defeat to Hull and we know it’s a massive game.”

The loss was a major turnaround from Everton’s last visit to East Yorkshire when they cantered to a 4-0 success against Phil Brown’s side in the Carling Cup, complete with Jo’s last goal in a royal blue jersey to date.

The Brazilian said: “That’s football. These things happen in the game. It’s almost unexplainable.

“We went there a few weeks ago and battered them 4-0 and then there was a 3-2 reverse this week. It’s hard to put your finger on it.”

With Louis Saha already in double figures for the campaign and Ayegbeni Yakubu back from injury, the forward line is one of the few areas of the side that Moyes has options in.

Subsequently, Jo has struggled to get a regular striking berth in recent weeks but he welcomes the battle for places.

He said: “I think it’s good. I like the competition, it’s a positive thing.

“The team can’t survive with 11 players alone. Most squads have, like we have now, three or four who are vying for those two positions or one position up front.

“If you want to get anywhere and have a quality side you must have that choice.”

If Jo features at Goodison Park on Sunday it will be his first Merseyside derby but he has already played for teams with big city rivalries both in his native Brazil with Corinthians from his home town of Sao Paulo and in Russia with CSKA Moscow.

He said: “I knew all about the rivalry when I came here.

“Obviously you chat and hear things about it but I’m well aware that it’s a massive, massive, derby game.

“My aim is to feature and be involved in some way.”

Jo added: “Palmeiras versus Corinthians was the big game for me in Brazil.

“I’m not saying that this isn’t a massive game, I’ve emphasised that already but over there is probably even more tension and more surrounding the whole occasion.

“From that point of view I believe it has prepared me well for this game.

“I’ve got good experience from those matches that can help me with the intensity of the Merseyside derby.

“Wherever you go in the world, if you’ve got two or more teams in a city there’s always going to be a good rivalry.”