Season › 2013-14 › News McCarthy ready to take charge of the midfield , 28c December, 0comments | Jump to most recent Gareth Barry will be suspended for the Southampton game With Gareth Barry suspended for tomorrow's clash against Southampton after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the defeat to Sunderland, Everton's midfield dynamo James McCarthy says he has been learning "wee things here and there" from his more experienced midfield sidekick. “He's a different class to be honest," the Irish international is quoted by the Daily Star. "You can see on the pitch and off it. He's brilliant. Gareth's so good to talk to and learn from. He's played at the top all his days and it's a real bonus to work with such a player of his calibre. I've really enjoyed working with him and learning wee things here and there from him.” McCarthy remains in upbeat mood despite the setback against Sunderland, though. “It's still been a good start for the club," he continues. "We don't want to get carried away but you want to get Champions League football. Things are really positive here.” Teammate Sylvain Distin was similarly pragmatic about the Boxing Day defeat. “For the goal it was a mistake and they happen,” the Frenchman says in the Echo. “It's happened to me in the past and it will happen to other players, especially when you're starting from the back; sooner or later, you're going to get caught. So many times we get the ball out properly, that if once in a while you come unstuck you have to accept it. It's part of the way we play. “It took a long time for the mistake to come," he goes on. "Of course we'd rather it didn't happen at all but if you look where we are in the table it's a sign for people who might now say maybe we should start to play long. “If you look at the stats they say a lot. We went unbeaten at Goodison for a year, we've got the best defence in the league and we're usually very consistent. “People need to look at all that, not just one goal. It's very easy when the mistakes happen to turn around and say ‘you should have done this or that', but we're here to build something for the long term and I think we're doing amazing.” About these ads © ToffeeWeb