Defiant Silva urges Everton to embrace Anfield test

THE defeatist in Marco Silva may consider Anfield to be the worst venue to try to save his job. The optimist sees no better place to launch a revival.

History is not on the besieged Everton manager’s side as he seeks the club’s first away derby win since 1999. The stadium has been a graveyard for two decades of Everton teams. It is likely to be the burial ground for Silva’s Goodison Park career if it goes wrong tonight.

Not that the Portuguese coach is fatalistic about his prospects, urging his players to relish the challenge of ending a torturous run.

“We have to look at the game as a good opportunity and do something the club did not do for 20 years,” Silva said.

“OK, it is a tough game. They are in a very, very good moment and maybe they are the toughest opponent we can face.

“You can look at it this way or the other way – it is a good opportunity for us in a special game. I like the special games and my players and our fans have to like the special games, too.

“I know the derby record in the past did not give us a good feeling, but we have to go there and embrace the challenge, to enjoy it.

“The main thing I want, is for the players to perform like we did there last season.

“We did almost everything good in last season’s game apart from that last minute, but we embraced that game and went face to face with them.

Unfair

“I don’t want to be unfair on anyone, but it is possible that was one of the best derbies of the last few seasons and that is the type of performance I want to see from us again.”

Silva’s position is under review on a game-to-game basis, although he must be consoled by the reluctance of the club to dismiss him.

After surviving the calamitous defeat by Norwich City and the subsequent barracking from his own fans, Silva found positives in the loss to Leicester City on Sunday, if not the deflating nature of it.

But a poor showing at Anfield would make it tougher for him to face further Goodison anger this weekend.

For Jurgen Klopp, the fixture’s favourable history for Liverpool is cause to be wary as much as confident.

“It is much more difficult to fight that, because it helps the other team moretobethefirsttowininalong time,” the manager said.

“Most of the time these games are really tight results, late deciders, especially last year, I think at Everton as well. One game we won 4-0, but I think they got a red card.

“The history in this case is so positive that it does not help.

“Everything that Everton did in the last few years shows how ambitious Everton are, and they will stay ambitious – and they will be ambitious to beat us.” (© Daily Telegraph, London) Liverpool v Everton Live, Premier Sports 1, 8.15