Marco Silva has claimed Jürgen Klopp celebrated Liverpool’s dramatic derby win in December like it was a World Cup final as he responded to his rival’s barb about the importance of Sunday’s fixture to Everton.
The Liverpool manager accepted a misconduct charge by the Football Association for sprinting on to the pitch to celebrate Divock Origi’s 96th-minute winner at Anfield. Last weekend, when looking ahead to the 200th league meeting between the Merseyside rivals, Klopp said: “We all know for them it’s like a World Cup final.” That prompted a wry smile from the Everton manager, who was keen to remind his Anfield counterpart of behaviour that underlined the significance of the derby for Liverpool too.
“For us?” laughed Silva when told of Klopp’s comment. “It’s a special game for both. For the city also. For our fans it’s a special match and for their fans a special match. I didn’t see a big, big difference. When I managed my first Liverpool derby in December what I felt was a special match for both teams. They celebrated that lucky goal, that lucky moment they had in the last seconds of the match, like it was a final of a World Cup for us and to them. The way they celebrated was more or less the same.”
The Everton manager insists Klopp’s antics and the manner of December’s defeat will not serve as motivation for his players on Sunday, when the hosts will be aiming to end the worst derby run in their history – 16 league matches without a win.
He added: “We do not need that type of thing to motivate our players more, not for a game like Sunday. It is the most historic derby in England. A fantastic game to play. A fantastic game to enjoy. For sure, both teams are motivated. Our fans will have all the motivation to push us. We do not need more than that. Our motivation comes from ourselves, from our dressing room and our fans. I have no doubts about that. It will push us to try and get a good result.”
Silva believes the derby represents only opportunity for Everton to “change the history” of their barren run against Liverpool and not to damage their rival’s bid to win a first league title for 29 years. “You think our players will be thinking about the position of Liverpool and City? No,” said Silva. “It is important for us to achieve a result. Our mind is not on Liverpool and City’s battle. We want to win for ourselves and our fans. What happens to our opponent after this match does not come through the gates of Finch Farm.
“Whether they were third or 10th we would be doing everything to win this match. We know it is difficult. The numbers show how difficult it has been over the last couple of seasons to get the result we want. But it is possible. In football everything is possible and I believe in our players.
“We have to perform at our best level and be competitive. We have to be strong. For us it is a special match and three points, everything that we want. It is not about erasing something in the past. The past you cannot change, the future you can change and our future is Sunday.”
