Everton boss Sean Dyche has praised Ipswich Town for reaching the Premier League, describing them as a side that's 'full of endeavour and full of belief'.
The two sides will meet for the first time since February 2002 in what'll be the maiden clash between Dyche and Town boss Kieran McKenna.
Both sides currently sit towards the bottom end of the table, with the Toffees currently one point and one place above the Blues in 16th. That being said, Dyche seems optimistic that they'll get better as the season goes on, with disappointing results and performances giving them the platform to learn and improve.
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“First of all, I think they did terrific last season," he said in his pre-match press conference. "They bought a lot of different players in, added to it financially, which isn’t an easy choice for a club coming up.
“I know the guys there pretty well and I think they’re good operators. They’re learning as they go.
“Last time out [v West Ham] was a tough one. That can happen in the Premier League.
“It’s hard to get a handle on it. In some games, you think you’ve got a handle on it and it goes away from you.
“It’ll be a learning curve for them, every game will be a learning curve. From what I’ve seen so far, they’re full of endeavour and full of belief to take it on.
“That’s what we’ve got to be ready for.”
Dyche is fully aware of how tough the game could be for them, even if their upcoming run of games against Ipswich, Fulham and Southampton looks to be easier than what they'll face down the line.
While he agrees that it's an opportunity to get points on the board, he knows that there's no easy games in the Premier League, that Town have spent 'a recognised fortune' in order to fulfil their aims of consolidating at this level, making them a tough opponent.
“Every game is an opportunity," he explained. "The league doesn’t lie, it’s there for a reason.
“It can have its anomalies, but at the moment, we feel that we are an anomaly because we’ve been in the driving seat a couple of times and let those situations change. That’s been down to us and me.
“We’re somewhat correcting that at the moment and we need to correct it further, but you can’t take teams for granted.
“Ipswich are full of endeavour, especially when they’ve spent a recognised fortune at this level of football for a club that’s just come up. They’re obviously intent on being in the division.”
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