Lucas digne - Everton
Lucas Digne has challenged himself and his teammates to show more action on the pitch and talk less away from it to improve on the disappointment of last season. Everton hit the ground running at the beginning of 2020/21 and entered the first international break of the campaign at the top of the fledgling Premier League table. However, things fell away by the end of the term and the Blues ended up finishing in tenth place under Carlo Ancelotti. Under new boss Rafa Benitez there seems to be a new attitude among the squad, and Digne wants to hear less talking and see more action on the pitch to prove that over the coming months.
Lucas Digne said: “Of course, we have to improve on last season. We have to show a new face of this team and grow as quickly as we can so that we can finish higher in the table. Last season, we spoke maybe a bit too much because we said we wanted to finish fifth or sixth. We have the quality; it’s now about showing that on the pitch and not talk as much. At the end of last season, all of the players spoke about how we need to work hard in the summer and in pre-season in the best way possible for the new season. We have to react, we have to do better. I think everyone is on the same page and are working together to improve.”
Digne spent the summer at the Euros with France, but was unavailable for their surprise exit from the competition due to a slight injury. The problem did not hamper the left-back for the start of the current club season, and he’s revealed that Benitez quickly made sure to introduce himself to his new player despite the defender being away.
Lucas Digne added: “The first time he [Benitez] called me was right after he signed for the club. We spoke together about my injury, how I feel after the Euros, if I’m tired or not. Then he asked when he thinks I’ll be back with the team. He is passionate. He loves his job and loves to do a lot of video tactical work on what we have to do to improve. I feel the team needed this so it’s perfect for us.”
Everton completed their second home comeback of the season in as many matches on Monday evening as they beat Burnley 3-1 at Goodison Park. Having also found themselves a goal down on the opening day of the campaign, Digne believes it shows a new strength that is starting to grow among the squad. And he thinks it could be a big difference already to last term.
Lucas Digne remarked: “Last season, no-one expected us to turn a game around if we went behind at half-time. This season, I think the team is more compact. However, we need to show that over the course of the season and not just in the beginning. Maybe last season we would have lost our first match of the campaign against Southampton at home after going a goal down. Instead, we stood up in the face of adversity and got a result. The boss is passionate and gives advice on the touchline which helps us from what he sees. He reads the game very well and if he can see something that we cannot then it can only help us.”
