Everton returned to Premier League action on Sunday with a goalless draw against Liverpool and manager Carlo Ancelotti is aiming to finish the season strong and qualify for Europe.
The Italian manager watched on as his side went toe-to-toe with their Merseyside rivals on Sunday in a game, where the Toffees went close to snatching all three points late on.
After picking up a point and a clean-sheet against Jurgen Klopp’s side, Everton return to action on Wednesday when they take on relegation-threatened Norwich City, who are six points adrift from safety with eight games remaining.
Ancelotti aiming for a place in Europe next season
The Toffees are facing a three-day turnaround and manager Ancelotti is cautious that his side haven’t had “a lot of time to rest” after their game at the weekend.
Norwich, who won 2-0 at Goodison Park back in November, are facing a battle to stay in the Premier League and conceded three second-half goals in their return to action as they lost to Southampton on Friday evening – meaning the East Anglian outfit will have had an extra 48 hours rest going into the game.
“In the game [against Liverpool], the team was fantastic on the physical aspect, I was a bit surprised,” Ancelotti told the club website.
“I am also sure it will be more difficult in the next game because we didn’t have a lot of time to rest. We have to be focused to repeat the same performance.
“Norwich had two more recovery days. But, fortunately, there is not only the physical aspect in football, there is the mental, tactical and technical quality we would like to show tomorrow.
“Our goal is to compete until the end of the season, to try to climb the table, to try to find a position where next season we can play in Europe. This is the target.
“It is difficult but the teams in front of us are not so far ahead.”