‘Shock to the system’: Everton defender reacts to injury crisis as Leicester City vote cast

“I think that with the performances that the girls have had to do on the field, we have had to go deeper because we are even thinner in numbers than what we were. Obviously, we don’t have that big bench that we can rely on, so all the players are putting everything they can into the games.”

After back-to-back defeats against Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, Everton overcame an early setback of the season by holding Arsenal to a goalless draw at the Emirates earlier this month. It still wasn’t the three points Brian Sorensen’s side desperately wanted but, after a difficult few weeks, a draw almost felt like a win.

“Against United, we won, but we left the pitch with such a positive feeling,” says Hope. “These games are won and lost by such good margins and I think against United it was an individual error that essentially cost us the points.

“We went into this Arsenal game very much the underdogs and obviously it was at the Emirates so it was difficult but to get the point was very important for us. Every point is a prisoner in this league. Not now there are easy games.”

That sentiment was certainly echoed a week later when Everton found themselves a goal down for strugglers West Ham United at Walton Hall Park. Despite dominating the game, the Blues were behind for nearly an hour thanks to Anouk Denton’s opener, before a Camila Sáez own goal restored parity 18 minutes from time, ensuring the spoils were shared in Merseyside.

“Against West Ham, we felt we dominated that game so to go 1-0 down was very disappointing,” admits Hope. “Certainly the difference between not getting a win against Man United and drawing the West Ham game was huge.

“Even though United beat us, we felt very different emotionally after West Ham because we know they are a team that is in and around us and we should get points. Sometimes when you look back at the end of the season, those are the games that really matter. We were happy to get a point, but we probably should have got all three.”

Indeed, it’s fair to say that Everton’s performances this season have not always been fairly rewarded. It continues a trend from last season, when the Blues often struggled to convert possession into points, particularly as injuries continued to mount at Finch Farm.

Having joined the club from Bristol City in 2019, Hope is one of the most experienced players in Sorensen’s squad and admits she often feels an extra responsibility to keep spirits up within the group, until and everything when things don’t go to plan in the field. .

“I’m part of the leadership group, so we talk a lot and hold a lot of meetings together to make sure we’re all going in the right direction,” he says.

“If someone feels they are struggling, they can talk to us privately, but I think it’s important for the core of the team to use that experience. At Everton, we never seem to have it easy, so we try to draw from some of the experiences we’ve had over the last few years and probably now we’re a bit more aware of the things we’re doing.

“I think Brian and his staff have adapted to that as well. This is not a league where you can just play gung-ho football. There has to be structure in defense and attack because the other teams have a lot of quality.” .

While it hasn’t been the easiest start to the campaign for Everton, there is confidence within the camp that they have all the ingredients to turn their season around. And Hope believes it is the resilience and tenacity of the group that will help them climb the table.

“One win in this league can take you from 12th to fifth in the table, which is crazy,” he says. “I think a lot in this league now comes down to goal difference. As much as we haven’t scored many goals, we haven’t conceded too much apart from that first game. As much as scoring goals is very important, keeping the sheets nets will also be very important for us.”