Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag knows Everton’s players and fans will be angry about the 10-point penalty imposed on the club and has challenged his team to meet fire with fire on Sunday.
United make the short trip to Goodison Park this weekend to face a Toffees team fuelled by a sense of injustice after an independent commission imposed the sanction on the club a week ago for a breach of Premier League profitability and sustainability rules.
For the United, it is the first of three challenging away games in the space of six days.
On Wednesday they travel to Turkey to face Galatasaray knowing a defeat will end their hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16, before a trip to take on Newcastle a week on Saturday.
Ten Hag is expecting Goodison Park to be a bearpit on Sunday but is determined his players will not be outmuscled.
“It’s always about us, I can see the opposition and I can see they are mad, but then finally it’s about us,” he said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
“If they are mad and that’s their fuel, we have to match those standards. When we match the standards we have a very good chance to win the game.”
Man Utd team news: Shaw available
Luke Shaw is available for selection
United head into the game in good Premier League form, having won four out of their last five matches.
They are boosted by the return of England international Luke Shaw from a thigh strain which has sidelined him since August.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana has overcome a knock suffered on international duty with Cameroon, but a decision will be taken on Saturday about whether Rasmus Hojlund can feature.
The Dane suffered a muscle strain in the second half of the win over Luton just before the November international break.
Dyche ‘shocked’ by disproportionate sanction
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Everton manager Sean Dyche says that the focus of his players remains the same despite having been handed a ten point deduction by the Premier League
Sean Dyche has admitted he was shocked by the severity of the 10-point penalty imposed on Everton but insisted it will not change his focus even after they were plunged back into the relegation zone.
Dyche had a break during the international window interrupted by news that Everton had been handed an unprecedented sanction for breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules – a punishment that Everton will appeal against.
“I think like everyone, certainly in these parts, I was shocked and seemingly from the wave of noise after that, most people in football are shocked by the enormity of it,” said Dyche, as he addressed the matter for the first time publicly.
“Disproportionate is a word used by the club. Obviously we feel a bit aggrieved by that, but on the other hand it doesn’t change the focus. The focus since I got here is sorting things out on the pitch, getting the team to win.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Everton
“I think we were on the right lines, delivering strong performances. This has just given us a push backwards to come forwards again. The job hasn’t changed. It’s just made it more difficult under the current circumstances until the appeal.”
Everton had been showing encouraging signs before the penalty, winning six out of nine in all competitions to climb up the table, but have now dropped to second bottom – level on four points with basement boys Burnley.
“I spoke to the group and said, ‘look, the league table is one thing but I don’t change my story very often and I believe the final league table is the truth of the season, and I’m not going to change now’,” he said.
“For sure, it changes the viewpoint but it doesn’t change what we’re doing. In fact it enhances what we’re doing. We need to go harder, stronger. This is what it is. It’s been about refocus as much as anything.
“The group have been very good in themselves. With the characters we’ve got – Seamus (Coleman) is a good voice, (Ashley) Young, ‘Tarky’ (James Tarkowski), Jordan (Pickford) and many others by the way – Gana (Idrissa Gueye) with his experience.
“All the senior boys particularly are rallying. It is what it is. Let’s get on with it.”
