McLeish saw the reunited Cameron Jerome-Christian Benitez partnership impress during the 2-0 midweek win at Portsmouth which lifted City up to eighth spot in the Premier League. He concedes Saturday's visitors, Everton, remain favourites to overhaul them despite City drawing 1-1 at Goodison Park and also knocking them out of the FA Cup. But McLeish believes "anything is possible" if the likes of Jerome, Benitez, James McFadden and veteran Kevin Phillips are in form during the final two months of the campaign. McLeish said: "Can you qualify for the Europa League? Well, if Cameron continues to score goals and we keep winning, then it's possible. "If Christian and the other strikers can keep getting us goals - the four front guys we trust to get into these positions and do well - then it's possible. "We know it's possible. Anything is possible. Everton would still be favourites to catch us in this particular campaign and Fulham are also there and thereabouts. "But we have got ourselves in a marvellous position of strength - and it's up to the players and ourselves to keep driving and going for it." McLeish added: "If we can beat Everton at home, it would help and we fancy ourselves at St Andrew's. "But Everton are a great club, they were brilliant last week (against Hull), and they will be coming with a lot of confidence. "We've got to show the same type of spirit we've shown at St Andrew's since day one this season. "We have to make sure Everton are going back up the motorway to Liverpool thinking 'That is the last place we wanted to go today"'. McLeish made several changes for win at Fratton Park and feels he is now starting to have genuine competition for places in his squad. The likes of Craig Gardner, Michel and the recalled Benitez all created a favourable impression and will now be vying with the rested Stephen Carr, Sebastian Larsson, James McFadden and fit-again Lee Bowyer for a place. McLeish said: "The ones who came into the side certainly did enough. They have given me a (selection) problem and that's all I can ask of players who come into the team. "You've now got a situation where the players who do get picked on a Saturday - whether it's the same guys we picked the other night or whether we bring Bowyer, Carr, Larsson and McFadden back - know that they have got to play well. "We have got Michel and Gardner who both played really well, Benitez came back in and did well while Jerome answered some criticism with two cracking goals and a cracking performance. "That is the type of competition I want at this club. The only thing I was ever really scared of when I played professional football was the guy breathing down my neck wanting to take my place. "That's what drove me forward, not Sir Alex Ferguson giving me a hard time (at Aberdeen). It was the fact that I had competition there and my place could be taken at any minute." McLeish is a massive fan of Everton playmaker Mikel Arteta whom he signed when manager of Rangers. He said: "I taught him everything he knows! Seriously, He's a wonderful talent. He had a brilliant first season at Rangers. The second season was tougher because we lost a lot of key players and were rebuilding again. "We had to ship him out anyway for financial reasons and he went back to Spain and decided when he came back to England, he was going to be ready for the physical side of things. "I take my hat off to him, he has been sensational. Arteta is a huge, huge talent, someone I admire, and hopefully my players don't stand back and admire him at the weekend."
