IRELAND CAPTAIN SEAMUS Coleman says Everton players are fighting for their future under manager Carlo Ancelotti, with battles underway to see who will feature in the Italian’s long-term plans.
Donegal native Coleman starred for the Toffees in yesterday’s Merseyside derby, and was named man-of-the-match as they held Premier League champions-elect Liverpool to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park.
The Blues were unlucky not to take all three points late on and while disappointed not to come away with the win, skipper Coleman was pleased with his side’s showing after the Covid-19 enforced lay-off.
He believes creating a demanding dressing room culture is essential for Everton to achieve sustained success as Ancelotti is growing a team to challenge for major honours and compete at the top.
“The performance was better [than in the reverse fixture] but the players and fans are still craving that win against Liverpool,” Coleman told evertontv. “But I am sure if we can keep that mindset for a longer period of time, not just in little phases [it will come soon].
We have to realise at this club, we have a world-class manager and as players we are fighting for our futures.
“He is new to the job and I am sure he will want to be putting his stamp on things.
“I want this club to be successful, we all need to be pushing in the right direction and giving everything we have to be part of this team going forward.
“It [competing with the division’s strongest teams] can’t be something that just happens in periods. We need to build a culture, demanding from each other in training.
“We wanted to win and felt it was a good opportunity.
“We worked hard and had enough chances to win. The performance was good, defensively we did quite well – but it would have been good to get that win we have been craving for a while.”
Coleman led by example for the hosts in a truly disciplined — and at times, creative — individual display in which he made four of Everton’s 20 tackles on top of three clearances and two interceptions. Most importantly, he kept one of Liverpools key attacking threats in Sadi Mane quiet.
All in all, a good days work to kick off the new normal.
“We know the dangers they [Liverpool’s forwards] are, you have to be prepared for that ball in behind, Mane loves to run in behind,” Coleman added. “We were well drilled, we did our homework on them and I thought we handled them quite well.
🗨️ l “I see Mason Holgate growing as a leader every week. He has shown great leadership qualities and is turning into a real man. I have been very impressed with him."
— Everton (@Everton) June 22, 2020
Skipper @seamiecoleman23 on Holgate's progression and the culture needed at #EFC to succeed 👇
“Training has been good, we have been eased back in but it has been very hard with short, sharp games.
“It is testament to the players’ [dedication], keeping their professionalism… it was 10 weeks [off] and might have been very easy to get sucked into everyday life and not do what you were supposed to.
But the lads kept themselves fit, everyone came back in good shape and I am delighted with the performance, just disappointed we didn’t get the win.
“It was odd,” the 31-year-old added on playing with no crowd present, “but having watched the games from Wednesday, it was something you had to prepare for mentally. The Club did a good job with the flags.
“Training games are competitive, never mind Premier League games. We just have to deal with it. We know the fans will be at home supporting us and we will be happy to get them back in the stadium. But for now, we won’t be using that as an excuse.
I was fully prepared mentally for the game. It is about switching on your mind to be aware the fans might not be here but it is still a Premier League game.
Coleman was also full of praise for his fellow defenders, with 23-year-old centre-half Mason Holgate in particular earning high praise from his captain.
“I see Mason Holgate growing as a leader every week and we need to build a culture in the dressing room to demand from each other,” he concluded. “We all need to make sure we are part of that and give everything for the cause.”
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