We’ll celebrate goals until we’re ordered not to, insists Ancelotti
EVERTON manager Carlo Ancelotti insists his players will continue to celebrate goals with each other until the Premier League orders them to stop.
There has been increased scrutiny placed on football in the light of increasing rates of Covid-19 infection across the country, with clubs being told to strengthen protocols within stadia and training grounds.
However, there have still been questions raised after scenes in the FA Cup over the weekend with mass teams celebrations on the field and in dressing rooms.
Ancelotti said his club were doing everything by the book and there was nothing to prevent his players enjoying scoring goals.
“Honestly, there is no rule that says you are not allowed to celebrate,” he said.
“We are really strict to follow the rules that the Premier League have put in place, to follow the protocols, and if the Premier League say you don’t have to celebrate, you don’t have to hug, we’re not going to celebrate.”
A laughing Ancelotti then joked: “Or we don’t score goals and that would be better, no? If you don’t score a goal, you don’t have to celebrate.”
He may not be laughing so much at Wolves tonight as he is without leading scorer Dominic Calvert-lewin, who has a hamstring injury.
Fellow forward Richarlison will also have to prove his fitness in training, which leaves Ancelotti the prospect of having to again play Cenk Tosun, fresh from his first goal for the club since November 2019 against Rotherham on Saturday.
Playmaker James Rodriguez is the club’s second-highest Premier League scorer with just three with Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson finding the net twice.
Two centre-backs, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina (both two), have outscored every other player and, having focused on tightening up the defence in the last month, Ancelotti may have to open things up once more.
“Calvert-lewin is unavailable. Hamstring problem. I think soon he can recover,” added the Italian.
“He had a little problem during the week before West Ham, but for the fact he has never had this kind of injury he was not able to judge himself at 100 per cent.”
In the Wolves camp, boss Nuno Espirito Santo fears of lasting damage to football if the Premier League is forced to stop again.
The Molineux chief is concerned for the game’s long-term future amid the coronavirus pandemic with cases rising at an alarming rate.
He said: “If we stop, everything will change.
“A new football will come, probably with a Super League, probably with other competitions. It’ll be a matter of which clubs will survive. It’s a tough decision to make.
“I don’t know what is better. What I’m afraid of is if the decision is to stop, football we know now will not be the same. This is my biggest fear. The schedule will go crazy and it’ll be impossible to finish the league and think about the Euros.”