Everton forward Kevin Mirallas has admitted that the ambition of his squad has been tempered following last season's bottom-half finish.
Roberto Martinez's first season in charge saw the Blues narrowly miss out on a Champions League spot, but a disappointing campaign last term saw them eventually finish in 11th.
The Liverpool Echo quotes Mirallas as saying: "We've spoken a lot about how we can work better to try and achieve our objectives. It won't be easy though, as instead of there being a top four it's almost like we can talk about a top 10 [club] currently.
"I'm really confident that we are good enough to do well. Of course the first game didn't turn out how we'd wanted but it was the first game and there's a long way to go.
"We know there are some tough games in the first seven or eight fixtures, but they will give us a chance to see where we are in comparison to last season."
Martinez's men picked up their first victory of the season with a 3-0 win against Southampton on Saturday.
Paul Gorst
