Plaudits for Coady keep rolling in after Everton win

Less than 24 hours after leading Everton to their second straight victory and scoring his first goal for the club, Conor Coady has sat down to reflect on the win and plot a path forward for the team.

In an interview with Everton’s website, Coady understands that these are early days in the season but there is definitely something to build on moving forward. The comeback victory over Southampton is another step forward and shows the increasing resilience of the team.

“To come back like we did is really pleasing but you can see the togetherness of the boys, the supporters and the feeling around the place. We’re trying to have possession more, we’re trying to keep hold of the ball a little bit more and I think you saw that at times.”

“We want to go again - we want to get better. The gaffer has spoken about this being the start not the end of where we want to get to and I think that’s the best way to look at it. We’re trying to get better and the manager is improving us. We need to keep listening to him every day because he’s a brilliant manager.”

After almost opening his scoring account in the Merseyside Derby, Coady got that all important goal just two minutes after Joe Aribo had put Southampton into the lead. His maturity keeps his focus on the team but the goal brought out his personal excitement.

“My eyes lit up, I’ll be honest, when big Ama headed it down for me. I knew I was behind him, so I knew this one was definitely onside.

“It’s the greatest feeling ever... I want to do anything to help the team, whether it’s a block on the line, a tackle, a goal at the other end... It’s a real special feeling.”

The plaudits for his performance were delivered far and wide including a special shout out from Alan Shearer on Match of the Day.

“You know what you’re going to get from him. He’s a leader, he’s an organiser, he’s a talker,”

“It’s been an area of weakness that centre-half position where they’ve had problems with Mina, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey.

“They hadn’t really found that key combination but with him and Tarkowski alongside him they look solid.”

Former England player and current analyst Danny Mills also believes that Coady’s form needs to be recognized when the national team prepares for the World Cup. Mills told TalkSPORT -

“I think Coady is next on the list. You know what you’re going to get, he’s got a few caps, he’s solid, he’s steady, he’s a good lad. He’s a good pro, he’s not going to cause issues if he’s not in the team.

Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images

It is that relationship with James Tarkowski that Coady sees as critical to the success of the team. After Manchester City let in three goals against United, Everton now have the fewest goals conceded this year in the Premier League. Last year the team ended the season with the fifth worst goals against record with an average of 1.7 goals per game allowed. Currently, Everton are allowing less than one goal a game, which is a huge improvement, and a lot of it goes to the partnership he’s building with Tarkowski.

“He’s an incredible person [on Tarkowski]. More than being a fantastic football player, he’s a fantastic person. You can see what he does when he plays, see the type of character he is. He’s exactly the same off the pitch as well.

“I think he’s a fantastic footballer and he’s a real, real good friend of mine. I’m loving playing with him.”

Congratulations Conor on an incredible match and long may the success continue.