Silva Urges Blues To Display 'Belief And Personality'Marco Silva called on his Everton team to play with “belief and personality” in Sunday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
The Blues boss says his side will approach the game with confidence after Tuesday night’s comprehensive victory at Cardiff City.
A Gylfi Sigurdsson double and a late strike from Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured a 3-0 success for the Toffees in south Wales.
Silva is convinced the Toffees boast the quality and character to build on their commanding performance when Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool visit the Grand Old Lady.
“We have to be ourselves and to believe in ourselves,” he said.
“We have to be really competitive, keep focussed every time, and try to play better than them. It is our goal for the match.
“I didn’t see a big difference [between the teams] when I managed in my first Merseyside derby in December.
“In that match, we deserved something more.
“If we can perform like we did then, it will be very good, because with that type of performance we will be close to winning the match.
“We have to show our personality and character as a team.”
Silva revealed Leighton Baines will miss Sunday’s clash due to a back injury, but otherwise reported a clean bill of health, with Yerry Mina fit and available after recovering from a foot injury.
The manager underlined the team’s desire to reward the fans’ loyal support with a victory over their city rivals.
He believes a derby triumph can help to inspire a strong finish to the season for the Blues.
“It is a special game for both teams, for both sets of fans,” he said.
“It would give a fantastic feeling for our fans [to beat Liverpool], for us as a team also.
“If you ask me as a manager if it is in our mind to give that feeling to our supporters , we do.
“We have to work really hard to achieve that, our players, us as a coaching staff, and our players. It is everything we want to give to our fans.”
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