Everton v Aston Villa - Thursday 16th July 2020 - 6pm

Good evening,

Today I want my team to play with pride and heart.

I can accept when players make mistakes in a football aspect.

These can be studied and corrected, you hold up your hands and learn and show character to respond.

But in our match at Wolves we did not have fight or spirit or aggression.

These qualities have nothing to do with ability. Without them your talent does not matter because you have no chance to show it.

We spoke straight away in the changing room and I was clear our attitude in the game was not good enough for me.

It was not good enough for Everton.

I spoke a lot about the club I found when I came here.

I knew already about the passion of the fans in the stadium but I have discovered how Everton is under the skin of its supporters every day.

We understand how much you would have been hurting watching at home on Sunday.

It was good to hear Seamus Coleman talk after the game.

He is a fantastic example of what I want from my players, he loves Everton and gives his all to the Club.

Seamus wanted to accept responsibility, which I like from my captains, and I agreed with what he said.

When you play for Everton it has to mean everything.

It is a privilege to represent this club.

From my time here I am sure the players share this feeling.

But they have to show it every time they step on the field.

If we had to find an excuse we would look at the short time between matches.

Wolves had one day more to prepare. We played Southampton last week with one day less to rest.

But, honestly, this is not a time for excuses.

Our approach in the final three matches will be completely different.

I have seen the fighting spirit in this squad and I know the effort my players can take to the pitch.

In the three games after we restarted our intensity and hunger were really fantastic.

Even in the periods our football was not so good our commitment and desire never dropped.

That was the main reason we gained points and could aim for the Europa League.

Now we cannot qualify for European competition but that will not make any difference to the focus and work we expect in the rest of this season.

We welcome Dean Smith and the staff and players of Aston Villa.

Dean’s team achieved a very good result beating Crystal Palace on Sunday and it is clear they are battling hard to stay alive in the Premier League.

They have creative players in their forward line and fight for every ball.

We have to match Villa’s commitment and be at a high level technically and tactically for the result we want.

Our draw against Southampton showed how difficult it is to stay unbeaten at home for 10 matches like we have.

The players reacted well after a slow start, they showed those fighting qualities I want, and we scored a fantastic goal.

It was a really good pass from Lucas Digne and Richarlison’s finish was top class.

Richarlison already has many qualities but I see every day that he is a serious guy and always wants to learn and improve.

Certainly, he is a big part of our future.

More immediately, our focus is on Aston Villa and giving a performance to make you proud.

Finally, I want to pay my respects to Jack Charlton. I know he is a huge figure in this country as a World Cup winner.

I played against Jack’s Republic of Ireland team in the quarter-final of the 1990 World Cup and it was a big, big fight for Italy to get the win.

But when you hear people talk about Jack the main thing is always that he was a really good guy and that is more important than anything to do with football.

Enjoy the game,

Carlo