Everton defender Ashley Williams is confident that the club can break into the top six next season as long as they improve their results away from home.
The Toffees endured a tough campaign on the road last season, losing nine matches and only picking up 18 points.
Everton secured a seventh place last season but they failed to mount a serious challenge for the Champions League places as they finished 15 points adrift of the top four.
The Merseyside club are set for a very difficult start to the 2017-18 Premier League campaign as they face Chelsea, Tottenham and both Manchester clubs within the first five matches.
Speaking to the Sun, the Welsh central defender remains upbeat about the upcoming campaign despite the tricky start and he is looking to achieve a higher finish in the league table.
“It could be good to get them out of the way early,” he said.
“But hopefully people look at us and think that’s going to be difficult. The next aim for us is to get into the top six.
“It was a really good season last year. We had great home form, winning the majority of the games and only losing two, which is good in a strong league.
“We need to sort out our away form. If we picked up more points then we might have squeezed in anyway.”
Williams enjoyed an impressive debut season at Goodison Park, making a total of 36 Premier League appearances and securing 13 clean sheets.
The 32-year-old contributed with three assists in all competitions and his first and only goal of the campaign was the winner in Everton’s late 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Goodison Park.
The Welshman is set to compete in Europe for the second time in his club career as the Toffees prepare for Europa League football next season.