Defence the key, says Jagielka

Everton defender Phil Jagielka has vowed lift his own form to help turn around the club’s disappointing defensive record in the Premier League.

The Toffees have kept only one clean sheet during the current campaign and travel to Chelsea on Saturday on the back of consecutive defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Jagielka was named in the England squad to face Montenegro, but did not feature in the match, finding himself falling behind the likes of Phil Jones and Gary Cahill in the pecking order.

“Am I happy with my form? No, not really,” Jagielka told The Daily Mirror.

“I’d love to be standing here and saying, ‘Yes, I’m really, really happy’, but I analyse my own game and set pretty high standards.”

The former Sheffield United man hoped an improvement at the back would help Everton up from their current position of 13th on the Premier League table.

“We’ve only kept one clean sheet so far. I’ve given away a couple of penalties, which is very frustrating, but I suppose that’s what happens if you’re a defender,” he added.

“Hopefully in a month’s time we’ll have kept a few clean sheets and if you ask me the same question I’ll be a lot happier.”

Everton face a tough return from the international break with a trip to Chelsea awaiting them on Saturday.