This Everton squad is the best since they were champions, says former Toffee and Gunners defender Keown

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• More Premier League news club by club

Manager David Moyes has guided the team to sixth in the Barclays Premier League with fewer resources than the clubs immediately above and below them Manchester City and Portsmouth.

He has also engineered progression to the final knockout phase of the UEFA Cup having built a compact but effective squad which has enough top-quality players to make them a threat to most opponents.

Dangerman: Everton's goalscoring midfielder Tim Cahill

"They have got real quality with Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill arriving from deep, and Ayegbeni Yakubu has an outstanding record," Keown said.

"They work their socks off. This side has got more quality than any Everton team have seen since they were the champions way back when.

"It is a very strong Everton squad and them and Manchester City, along with Portsmouth probably, have been the most improved throughout this season."

What has equally impressed Keown is the way they have not allowed their European adventures to distract them from their domestic form, which not only has them just three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool but has also taken them into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.

"I feel the way they have managed to play in the UEFA Cup on a Thursday and still do well in the league is nothing short of a miracle," added the ex-Arsenal and England centre-back, who played for Everton between 1989 and 1993.

"They have been playing Sunday football for months on end and they have used that as a springboard.

"I get the impression David Moyes seems to have cracked Europe now and he has given them confidence in themselves."

Tomorrow evening Everton will be able to gauge exactly how far they have come this season as Arsenal are the visitors to Goodison Park, where Moyes' side have not been beaten for two months.

A victory over Arsene Wenger's side would raise real hopes the Merseysiders could finally be in a position to break the stranglehold on the top four places exerted by the Gunners, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

"The potential is there," added Keown. "Goodison Park is a difficult place to go. It is not unlike the Highbury of old. The fans generate a fantastic atmosphere there."

• Martin Keown was talking ahead of the Everton v Arsenal match on Setanta Sports 1, kick off 5.15pm. Setanta will be launching their latest channel, Arsenal TV, on January 14.