'It's not mission impossible' – Everton boss Ancelotti relishing first Liverpool meeting

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His new team's record against the Reds is torrid, but Carlo Ancelotti says it is not impossible for the Toffees to compete with their rivals.

Carlo Ancelotti has claimed it is not "mission impossible" for Everton to end their miserable record against Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

Everton's dire run in derbies continued earlier in December, with a 5-2 defeat at Anfield marking the end of Marco Silva's tenure.

The Toffees have not beaten Liverpool, who currently lead the Premier League by 10 points, in any competition since 2010.

Ancelotti, however, defeated Jurgen Klopp's full-strength team this season, with Napoli beating the Reds 2-0 in their opening Champions League fixture.

Everton visit Anfield again in the FA Cup on January 5 and Ancelotti is relishing going up against the European champions.

"The Evertonians know my record against Liverpool, they will be happy with this," the Italian, who will take charge of his first game on Boxing Day when Burnley visit Goodison Park, told a news conference.

"[Napoli] beat Liverpool this season, it's a big rivalry here and a big motivation for us.

"It feels good. Honestly, I have a really good relationship with Jurgen Klopp. It is always exciting, playing against them.

"Of course, I have beat them but they are not used to losing. It was a good day for me. I know how much Evertonians want to beat Liverpool.

"We don't have to wait a long time, because we have the game on January 5, so we will see them soon. It's not mission impossible, nothing is impossible in football."

Ancelotti's appointment represents a coup for Everton, who are languishing four points above the relegation zone, and the former Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss says it is the club's ambition that attracted him to take on a tough job.

"The attraction is the tradition, history of the club. It's one of the biggest teams in England," he said.

"I have managed top teams, that's true. When I was at PSG, the project was really good there and that attracted me, the ambition of the club and I think here is the same.

"It is not true that I have only managed top teams. I managed Parma in the beginning which was not a top, top team. I like teams that have ambition and a clear idea of how to reach success. Here, I went to the training ground, it is a fantastic training ground.

"The fact that the club wants to build a new stadium, they have a clear idea how to improve. It takes time, I don’t know how long. For me it could be good to be here when the new stadium is open. This is what attracted me."

2019-12-23 23:00:03

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