Moyes fired up for milestone match

Everton manager David Moyes says he wants his players to have ‘fire in their bellies’ after a disappointing start to the season.

Everton are in the wrong half of the table, two points out of the relegation zone.

Last week they suffered a humiliating 4-1 beating by West Brom and a trip to Chelsea on Saturday poses a tough task for the Scotsman’s 400th game in charge.

“Sometimes you get knocks,” he said. “I started this season thinking it was my best-ever chance – even better than the year we finished in the Champions League places – of being in the top four positions.”

“At the moment it is not working out that way so I have to change and make sure I get a team that at least gets back to showing they have got a bit of fire in their bellies.”

Moyes’ rallying cry comes after eight years at the club but his personal motivation comes from other people’s perception of what is achievable in the blue section of Merseyside.

“I really want to be successful with Everton,” he said. “That has been my goal and I am driven. So many people said when I took the job ‘You’ll never turn Everton around’ and it drove me on.”

“It has been my inspiration to say ‘I will prove you wrong and I will show you’.”

A trip to Chelsea is a stern test at the best of times but Moyes will be visiting west London with one of his key players missing making the task even harder.

Moyes is struggling for defenders to line up against Chelsea’s potent three-pronged attack.

“Tony Hibbert will definitely miss the game,” he said. “I don’t think many people realise but he suffered a really bad cut to his ankle early in the West Brom game and had to be stitched up at half-time.”

“He did really well to carry on for us but he won’t make it tomorrow.”

“We also have a bit of a doubt over Phil Jagielka and we will have to see how he is,” he said.

Mikel Arteta is suspended after his red card against West Brom but Marouane Fellaini is back having served a ban.

Leon Osman (ankle) and captain Phil Neville (knee) will under go late fitness tests but Ross Barkley is a long-term absentee as he recovers from a broken leg.