I played over 200 Premier League games under Moyes. The way it asks you to play can be a fun style, but also very demanding.
Against Spurs, I thought some Everton players had more difficult roles than others.
Jesper Lindstrom, in particular, was almost asked to do two jobs on the right – a winger when they had possession, a right-back without it – but that freed up Iliman Ndiaye to stay further up the pitch on the left, which It certainly benefited Everton in the final third.
If you’re going to play regularly for Moyes, that’s exactly what you need to do. Like Lindstrom, I found out pretty quickly that some days you’re going to have to grind and work hard in the games and you won’t get any of the individual plaudits.
Although that’s how it should be. Under Moyes we were at our best when everyone bought into his approach and believed in the end product the team was striving for.
He was brilliant at preparing us for a game, whoever the opponent was. He would relay the tactical information, wind us up, and send us outside; we would be in the tunnel shouting ‘come on’.
Part of that confidence comes from hard work on the training pitch and time spent together as a team, building together.
Moyes has only just taken charge so the process is just beginning, but there is another area where he has an advantage: understanding Goodison Park.
He has managed more Premier League games there than any other Everton manager, so he understands what the crowd is like, what they expect and respond to, and also when they can best help the team.
If you quickly get out of the traps, aggressively pressure the opposition and force them to make mistakes, then the crowd will react to that. That’s exactly what happened against Spurs and got more out of the players.
Everton won the tactical battle from the start, but also outplayed Tottenham. It was only when they tired towards the end that Spurs were able to find momentum.