October’s bruising derby may have shaped champions’ season and Ancelotti is wary as Everton face wounded foes at Anfield
Everton should fear Liverpool. Their abysmal record in the Merseyside derby would suggest that is a given but, surprisingly, it was Carlo Ancelotti who called for Everton to approach Anfield with trepidation as he discussed overcoming the mental block that has contributed to the club’s failure to win there for 22 years or win any derby in any competition since Roy Hodgson managed Liverpool in 2010.
“A derby is a special game,” said the veteran of local spats in Milan, Madrid and now Merseyside. “If you think it is a normal game then you are wrong. Special games bring more pressure, and sometimes more fear. 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 my point. You can be worried, you can have fear, but you need to have motivation, concentration and also in this kind of game bravery. You have to show your quality. You don’t have to be scared.”
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