Carlo Ancelotti has told his Everton players to embrace any “fear” as they look to end the club’s 21-year wait for a victory at Anfield. And the Blues boss hinted Tom Davies – who will be the only local player in the squad at Anfield – will play because his passion for the derby will be “important”. Asked about teams suffering with mental blocks against certain opposition,
Carlo Ancelotti said: “But fear is not a bad thing in my opinion because if you don’t have fear then you are going in front of the lion thinking it is a cat. But it is not a cat it is a lion, so fear is important to have.”
Everton have not won at Anfield since September 1999 and Ancelotti was in charge when the Blues lost to a much-changed Liverpool team in the third round of the FA Cup last season. But the Italian, who welcomes back Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Allan for the game, has been speaking with quiet confidence ahead of the 238th derby.
Carlo Ancelotti said: “I had derbies in Milan, Madrid, everywhere. A derby is a special game. It is not a normal game if you think it is a normal game you are wrong. And special games bring more pressure, more fear sometimes. But fear is not a bad thing in my opinion because if you don’t have fear then you are going in front of the lion thinking it is a cat. But it is not a cat it is a lion, so fear is important to have. It can help you to be more focused. This is the point. You can be worried, you can have fear but you need to have motivation, concentration and also in this kind of game brave. You have to show your quality. You don’t have to be scared.”
And Ancelotti says that because the 22-year-old will be emotionally invested in the game like no other Everton player, he is in his thoughts to start again.
Carlo Ancelotti added: “This is a good point. Personally I think the passion and motivation, the sense of belonging it will be important in this kind of game.”
