'We had a meeting' - Dwight McNeil shares blunt…

'We had a meeting' - Dwight McNeil shares blunt message Sean Dyche sent to Everton squad

Dwight McNeil has revealed Everton's players were reminded of their talent and potential during a team meeting with Sean Dyche in the build-up to their win over Arsenal.

New Blues boss Dyche oversaw only Everton’s second league win in 13 matches, and their first since October, as James Tarkowski’s first goal for the club handed them a 1-0 win over the Gunners at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

Dyche was full of praise for a relentless performance post-match, with McNeil one of a number of players who impressed. The winger returned to his side’s starting line-up in place of Demarai Gray.

And speaking post-match, McNeil opened up on the importance of the meeting with Dyche and his staff in the build-up to the game, in which his side were reminded about how good they are.

"We've got amazing talent here. There are some amazing players,” he told evertontv. “We had a meeting about that - about how good we are individually and how good we can be as a team.

"That spurred us on a little bit this week as well in training and it's shown out there on the pitch. It's definitely [the blueprint moving forwards]. Work hard individually and collectively.

"That's what's required to play under this manager. We did that today and I think we created the better chances.

"It's a credit to the manager and staff because they've only had a week to get to know everyone and credit to to the lads for taking onboard what the gaffer requires and the way he likes to play.

"We've shown that today but the most important thing now is to build on it and get more points on the board, starting with a big derby coming up."

McNeil joined Everton on a five-year contract back in July for a fee that could reach £20m. A product of Burnley’s academy, the winger played 134 Premier League games for the Clarets and was twice a top-flight ever present.

The winger kicked off his Everton career with a brace against Dynamo Kyiv in the club's final pre-season fixture before the start of the season . But since then, McNeil, who admitted in the summer his confidence deteriorated in tandem with Burnley’s toils, has struggled to nail down a place in his side’s starting line-up.

But now he is determined to build on an impressive individual display on Saturday and admits he viewed the game as a 'fresh start' after suffering with a lack of confidence since his arrival at Goodison.

He said: "It was amazing. I thought we were on the front foot right from the start and we knew they were going to be a good team, obviously they're top of the league and doing well.

"We know we've been on a difficult run and we just wanted to have a fresh start and we did that for the fans and for each other.

"[The key messages beforehand] were about working together, working as a team, everyone knowing their jobs individually and collectively and credit to all of the lads today because we did that.

"We showed it out there on the pitch and we got the result that we needed and we deserved. I knew so far this season I hadn't been at my best and low on confidence, but with the new manager coming and still half a season to go, I saw it as a fresh start.

"[It is about] getting back to basics and building from there - my confidence came from there. It was a good team performance as well.

"I definitely want to build on this now, especially having played like that against a team as good as Arsenal. Now we need to focus on the big game that's coming up with the derby. We have to be ready as a team..

And reflecting on his side's goal, McNeil said: "It was just written, wasn't it?! I'm buzzing for Tarky to get his first goal for the Club and I'm happy that I was the one to assist him. It's a good day all-round."

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