Strong start will set the right tone for Everton

What you need to know:

  • To think I have played 289 games for the club is incredible and it is something which makes me immensely proud.
  • If I am honest, though, I don’t want supporters to talk about me in future as someone who did well for Everton and played loads of games.

The Premier League is back after the summer break and we firmly believe at Everton that we are starting this new season from a position of strength.

It is our second season with Marco Silva in charge and we have developed a clear understanding of what he expects from us – in terms of focus and commitment every day on the training pitch and how we go about our business in matches.

We have added some excellent players to our squad – seven internationals all capable of coming straight into the team – and we will not shy away from saying that it is our ambition to break into the Premier League’s top six.

Equally, we appreciate how difficult it will be to displace any of the teams who finished in those positions last season.

They are all excellent sides and, by and large, consistent over long periods.

We are conscious, too, that it’s not only us wanting to chase down those teams. Wolves and Leicester, for example, are both ambitious and hungry for success.

If it is going to be us who gets among the leading pack then we must sustain the level of consistency we reached towards the end of last season.

We won six and drew three of our final 11 games. The effect that period had on our dressing room ran deeper than the results.

It demonstrated how we were applying the manager’s strategy and enjoying what we were doing.

Our performances were full of energy and we felt we were really stamping our style on matches.

What we were producing was good enough to beat Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United – and gave us an appreciation of our capability.

For our strong finish to really count for something, though, we need to carry that form and confidence into this season.

Starting positively sets the right tone for the following nine months. For us that means coming out on top from a very hard opening game at Crystal Palace.

However much of a cliché it sounds, it is a fact that every match in this league is extremely demanding.

The Premier League is even tougher than it was when I came to Everton more than 10 years ago.

It is harder than ever as a defender because every team seems to have so many top-quality attackers.

Our first home game is against Watford next week and they have just signed two international forwards in Danny Welbeck and Ismaila Sarr to add to the quality already there.

Palace’s forward line is renowned for being packed with pace and power.

But looking around our dressing room fills me with confidence. We have competition in every position and the quality of our signings points to this being a club which can attract seriously good players.

New striker Moise Kean is only 19 and already an Italy international. He has so much potential. At the other end of the experience range, Fabian Delph has won two Premier League titles with Manchester City and knows exactly what it takes to regularly win matches, to dig out results on the days when things aren’t going your way.

On a personal note, this is going to be my 11th full season at Everton. I have loved every minute and get the same buzz when I pull on the blue shirt as I did when I was 21 and everything was new.

To think I have played 289 games for the club is incredible and it is something which makes me immensely proud.

If I am honest, though, I don’t want supporters to talk about me in future as someone who did well for Everton and played loads of games.

Coleman plays for English Premier League club Everton