Ahead of Sunday's visit of Nottingham Forest, Ben Godfrey took part in a wide-ranging Q&A, discussing Monday's tough defeat at Chelsea and how the group have responded. The Everton defender also detailed why the Club aren't thinking about "what could have been" concerning the points deductions received this season, and instead explained why the focus remains on picking up as many points as possible - starting this weekend... 

Q. What’s it been like for you and the group as a whole after Monday night’s defeat?

BG: “This is part of football. There are bad nights and good nights. We try not to get too high with the good ones and too low with the bad ones. There’s always an opportunity in football, the next game, to turn it around. Monday night has gone as we look forward to the weekend now."

Q. What has been said about the result, how has it been analysed?

BG: “We always have a meeting at Finch Farm and a regroup, whether things go well or not. We just followed the normal routine as far as that is concerned. Obviously, we know and spoke about the fact that Monday wasn’t good enough. We have a choice to either learn about it and move on, or dwell on it. This weekend is a perfect opportunity to put things right."

Have you been able to pinpoint how it went so wrong?

BG: “When football games don’t go well, there are obviously so many things that go against you. I think this season, through the majority of games, we have done so many things well. We have got to use that as confidence for this weekend. We had a game plan on Monday, but it never went to plan. We will set out this weekend as normal, give it our all and hopefully pick up three points."

It’s easy to look at the negative news around the Club and the points deduction and say that is beginning to have an impact on the players. Is that the case? 

BG: “The points deduction is what it is. [The response] is a credit to the manager and players, plus everyone around the Club. We have good characters. It was a setback last time, but we got over it and did what we needed to do. It’s the same mindset this time around. It is what it is - there is no point talking about ifs, buts and maybes. We have a big game this weekend and that’s all we are focusing on."

Q. Without the points deduction, the team would be 14th and pretty much safe. Is there an element of frustration that you are in a situation that isn’t of your own making? 

BG: “There is yes but also, what can we do? We talk about the ifs, buts and maybes or we face up to the challenges we can control. That first one is this weekend.”

Q. Does the fact you could have been as high as that in the table show the solid job the group has done this year? 

BG: “Yes definitely. As I said, there have been numerous things this season that we have done well, but there are always things you can work on. The league table tells a different story in terms of not being in an ideal situation. But there are definitely games that we can take confidence from, other than Monday which, as I said, has been put to bed. We have got to approach the game this weekend believing in ourselves and the plan we have put in place."

Q. How tough has the season been as a whole, not just because of the points mentioned but also because of things now like injuries hitting the squad? 

BG: “Again it’s the challenge of football. There are always going to be periods in the season where you have got players that are injured - it’s just part of the game. It’s important as a squad that we have the depth to fill in the gaps if players are missing. It’s a talented group, and those players are already ready when selected."

Q. How ready are you to go again, given you might be needed at centre-back or even right-back, depending on how the likes of Seamus Coleman and Jarrad Branthwaite are this weekend? 

BG: “I am ready to go as always - so is everyone in the squad. We have good characters that keep themselves ready even when they have not been selected for a few weeks. As far as me personally, I am always ready."

Q. What’s the season been like for you personally? 

BG: “I am made to play games, so it is always difficult when you have periods where you aren’t playing. It would be a strange thing for a player to accept easily, but obviously I just try to get myself ready and be a good influence on the players around me - be a good player to be around. Ultimately I am part of a team, I have got the choice to either worry about it and sulk or be positive and be ready to go."

Q. There are six games to go, what pressure is there going into this game against Forest?

BG: “It’s about controlling the controllable. It’s why we play football, big games, albeit these are at the wrong end of the table. It’s a challenge that we are involved in now so we have to look forward to it.”

Q. How does this season’s battle at the bottom compare to previous seasons?

BG: “In previous seasons we haven’t had the talk of points deductions or things like that, but the outcome is still the same. If we are not above that line at the end of the season then the inevitable would happen. It’s the same, we have to win as many games as we can and that is our focus.”