David Moyes navigates Everton's challenges with optimism and caution

David Moyes cuts a familiar figure right now: quietly satisfied, faintly frustrated, and juggling more problems than he’d like to admit.

Everton are unbeaten, the table looks respectable enough, and the mood around Finch Farm is lighter than in some recent seasons. Yet the manager knows how thin the margins are. His squad is small, his key summer gamble is still nowhere near the pitch, and a dangerous opponent arrives at the weekend still searching for their first league goal.

Injury setback tempers early optimism

Moyes did not hide his disappointment over the prolonged absence of his unnamed injured signing, whose recovery has dragged on far longer than the club anticipated.

“I don't think we expected his recovery to take this long when we signed him,” he admitted. “We are looking forward to gaining his experience, but we haven't even had him on the grass yet. It is disappointing - for us and for him - but hopefully it won't be too long.”

That last line carries the optimism of a manager who needs the player, not just wants him. Experience was a key part of Everton’s summer planning. Right now, it exists only on the treatment table.

Grealish on the brink

If the medical bulletin has been gloomy, the prospect of Jack Grealish starting again offers a jolt of electricity.

Grealish, described by Moyes as “a boy who needs football matches more than he needs training”, is pushing for his first start since January. This is not a player to be eased in gently, the manager suggests; this is someone who comes alive when the whistle blows.

“It will be incredibly exciting to have him in our starting line-up,” Moyes said. “If he gives us what he gave us at the start of last season, we will be thrilled.”

That early-season form he refers to still lingers in the memory: Grealish drifting between the lines, drawing fouls, dragging his team up the pitch. Everton have functioned without that kind of spark so far. With it, they could look very different.

Unbeaten, but not fully satisfied

On paper, an unbeaten start is something to cling to. Moyes, though, has never been one for paper victories.

He called it “pleasing in some aspects”, then immediately pointed to what’s missing. “I would have liked to get another win rather than a draw somewhere along the way,” he admitted, before making sure to credit his squad for doing “a really good job”.

That tension – between satisfaction and standards – runs through everything he says. Everton are solid, competitive, and organised. He wants them to be ruthless.

Small squad, tight bond

Moyes has long believed that a lean group can build a stronger spirit, and he reached for one of the Premier League’s great modern examples to make his point.

“You only have to look at Leicester City's title-winning squad to see how their small group of players thrived,” he said. A tight core, clear roles, and a dressing room that polices itself – it is a model that appeals to him.

But the calendar has changed. The volume of fixtures has exploded. “It's the amount of games which means you need the extra players,” he acknowledged, before noting one crucial difference in Everton’s case: “We don't have European football this year so maybe we can find a way of getting through with what we've got.”

Even so, if he had his way, “more numbers” would already be through the door. His ideal is “21 outfield players”. Right now, he has 18.

That gap is not theoretical. It’s three injuries. It’s one bad international break. It’s the difference between rotating and simply surviving.

Searching the free-agent market

To close that gap, Everton have turned to one of the hardest markets to get right: free agents.

Moyes confirmed the club are actively exploring options, aware that one clever addition could tilt their season, but also that the margin for error at this level is brutal.

“It isn't easy to find a player who could make a difference” in the Premier League, he warned.

The message is clear: they are looking, but they will not sign for the sake of it. Any arrival must improve the XI, not just fill a space on the bench.

Tottenham test and a familiar struggle

Next up come Tottenham, still without a league goal or a win. On the surface, it looks like a kind fixture. Moyes doesn’t buy that idea for a second.

“It wasn't too long ago that we were in those situations as a club,” he reminded everyone. He knows the desperation of chasing that first win, the way a team can suddenly snap into life once it arrives.

“We know we can only look after ourselves,” he said. “We didn't quite make it over the line there a couple of months ago, so hopefully we do it this time.”

There’s a score to settle, and he knows it.

International break looming like a threat

Just as Everton start to find a rhythm, the season pauses. The looming two-week international break offers no comfort to a manager with a small squad and several players likely to rack up heavy minutes.

Moyes called it “difficult for everybody to manage”, then spelled out why. “There will be a lot of players who will end up playing a lot more minutes than others and injuries could be a problem as well.”

He is hoping for balance, not miracles. “We've got to hope that our boys do play a bit, but maybe not all of the games.”

For now, the equation is simple. Keep the unbeaten run going, get Grealish firing, nurse the injured back, and find one or two free agents who can actually move the needle.

If Everton manage all that with just 18 outfield players, the story of their season will write itself.