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Ronald Koeman has challenged creative duo Gerard Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas to up their work-rate if they are to remain a central part of his Everton plans.

Koeman’s Goodison reign began with a 1-1 draw against Tottenham on Saturday – a game which reflected both the progress being made under the new manager, and the improvements still required.

Everton were strong in the first half, energetic and purposeful, and led through Ross Barkley’s early goal.

But, as their manager had predicted pre-match, their levels dipped sharply after the break, and after Erik Lamela’s equaliser they were grateful to goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg for two late saves to preserve a point.

Afterwards, Koeman declared himself satisfied with the performance. He did, however, have a warning for attacking duo Deulofeu and Mirallas, both of whom were replaced during the second half of the game.

“You see with Gerard, it is still not for 90 minutes,” he said. “With Gerard, with Kevin... I like the players, but they need to run more. They need to do more, they need to press more.

“It’s all about the work rate of the player. Sometimes it’s difficult because for that creative player, sometimes you’re a little bit more sloppy in that aspect of football.

“But we will work on it, and you saw Ross in the second half working hard for the team. It is not a question of how good his technique is or how good his first touch is, it’s about him needing to take more responsibility for the team and to do a job defending also. That makes the team stronger.

“We will learn that, no problem.”

Koeman pinpointed a missed chance by Deulofeu on the stroke of half-time, which would have made it 2-0, as a key moment in the game.

“He needs to score,” he said. “With those kind of chances, you have to.”

The Dutchman confirmed on Friday that he was keen to bring in at least one new striker before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Nikola Kalinic, of Fiorentina, is the latest name linked.

With Romelu Lukaku sidelined with a heel injury – Koeman expects the Belgian to return for next weekend’s trip to West Brom – Deulofeu was given the nod to start up front, with Arouna Kone the only other striking option in the squad.

“Gerard showed through the whole of pre-season that he can play in that No.9 position,” Koeman said.

“Of course it’s for him a good challenge against teams like Tottenham, because they like to play with a high line defensively. So there’s a lot of space.

“And you saw with the really big opportunity before half time what can happen. We pressed really well on Rose the full back, and there was no other option but to play the ball back to the goalkeeper, and Gerard was between that.

“But he needs to score.”