It is impossible to ignore the excitement around Sunday’s Merseyside derby and our thoughts turned to the game as soon as we came off the field at Cardiff on Tuesday.
As players we understand the intensity of the rivalry between Everton and Liverpool and know all about the fixture’s rich history.
I grew up not far away in Manchester so I was always aware how much the derby means to people in this city.
Playing in it is something else altogether, though, and it is very important not to get carried away by the atmosphere in the stadium.
The fans are brilliant and generate an incredible noise and these are the games you look forward to from the start of the season.
You can be excited – you should be excited – but must remain in control of your emotions. It would not make sense to be going around flying into tackles – you have to treat it like any other game, while accepting it has a bit of an edge.
If you bump into supporters in the lead up to the match it is all they want to talk about.
A lot of people who work at the club are diehard Evertonians, too, so it’s an important game for everyone involved.
But I try to remain focused and treat it like a normal match.
From a football perspective, we showed at Anfield in December we can compete with Liverpool and cause them problems.
They didn’t create much against us – Liverpool had only three shots on target – and we must be equally disciplined in our defending this weekend.
But we won’t sit back, we are at home and want to impose ourselves on Liverpool and take the game to them.
🎥 LIVE! Derby day is approaching and it’s time to hear Marco Silva’s pre-match thoughts! #EFC https://t.co/mVFLnmsQul
— Everton (@Everton) March 1, 2019
We have the belief and quality in our side to do that – and our confidence is climbing after an important win and good display against Cardiff City.
We went 17 days without a match before that game and used the time to analyse our performances and address a few small things we wanted to change.
The size and volume of our support in Cardiff was incredible – it is a 400-mile round trip and every seat in the away section was filled on a week night – and gave us even more incentive to perform.
We played with a lot of freedom in the second half and could feel ourselves returning to the standards we set earlier in the season.
On a personal note, I am quite happy with my form right now. We have a brilliant manager in Marco Silva and he has been fantastic for me. My confidence is growing all the time and I want to continue improving and finish the season strongly.
Being at Everton is always exciting because of the club’s ambition and where it wants to go.
But I have also really enjoyed getting involved with Everton in the Community [EitC]. The club has a very close connection with its supporters and the people in its city.
EitC operates a number of life-changing programmes and all the players love getting out and meeting people and, hopefully, brightening their days.
I went with my teammate Jonjoe Kenny last year to a project which helps forces veterans. We were there to plant trees in memory of the Everton players who died in World War I. It was a very humbling experience, to be honest, and great to learn from Jonjoe, who is from Liverpool, about the tight-knit community around our Goodison Park home.
EitC hosted a showcase event at our USM Finch Farm training ground back in October. All the staff and players mixed in, playing games with participants from various programmes. It was great fun but it also deepened the players’ understanding of what this club means to the community and why it’s such a privilege to wear this badge.
