Everton: David Moyes Plays Down Chances, but Says Top 4 Is Real Possibility

Following Everton's strong start to the 2012-13 English Premier League season, manager David Moyes was quick to praise his team's performances so far and has stated that, while they must not get ahead of themselves this year, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League is a real possibility for the Merseyside club.

The Toffees currently sit inside the top four on the Premier League ladder and are just one point off second-placed Manchester United, whom they have already beaten this season, leaving Moyes to state that his team has a genuine chance at qualifying for European football next season.

Per Everton's official website:

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With the quality of the Premier League it is really hard to qualify for the Champions League, but I wouldn't say we can't do it. It is possible and we have to aim for that.

The pleasing thing is that we tend not to start well, but we have won a few games. I do say it carefully as I see 10 games as a start and we are only six or seven in at the moment; we have to be careful how we view it.

The year we had a good start we qualified for the Champions League [2005] and we have been trying to get back to that...

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Few would dispute that the Toffees have been one of the surprise contenders this season—mixing it with the Premier League's big guns and, so far, walking away with good results to show for it.

David Moyes' men have only suffered one defeat through their opening seven fixtures, and have won two of their last three matches—with the third a 2-2 draw against Wigan Athletic which could have gone the way of the Merseyside club had they received some more favorable refereeing decisions.

However, what will be most important and exciting for the manager to see is their one performance against a club in the "big four" of the Premier League resulted in success—a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the opening round that they simply dominated from start to finish.

With a plethora of attacking talent and creativity in Marouane Fellaini, Kevin Mirallas, Leighton Baines, Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic, Everton will no doubt be a competitive force throughout the Premier League season and have shown, so far, that they have what it takes to sit at the top end of the table this year.

Whether they will have enough to see it through for the remainder of the season and clinch that top four spot still remains to be seen.

Do Everton have what it takes to finish in the top four this season?

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