Everton’s Orel Mangala is gearing up for the “crazy” atmosphere of his first Merseyside derby, insisting it will surpass the intensity of Bundesliga derbies he’s experienced.
The Belgian midfielder, who cut his teeth at Stuttgart and had a stint with Hamburg before joining Lyon, is no stranger to fierce rivalries but admits the upcoming 245th showdown with Liverpool is in a league of its own.”I am very excited. It will be a good game and something that I have been looking forward to since I came in,” Mangala said, still buzzing from netting his first goal for Everton in an emphatic 4-0 victory over Wolves.
“From when I was young I knew it was always a big game. I am looking forward to playing this type of game. That is why we play football.”I have had some crazy derbies in Germany. I have been playing against Karlsruher and I played for Hamburg against St. Pauli. This type of atmosphere is very good, I love it, (but it’s) definitely a bigger game.”It will probably be a different game to Wolves. It is a derby. In a derby you need to play to win the game.
“It was a crazy feeling. When the ball came back I just wanted to shoot as hard as possible, so I’m very happy. A special feeling and I’m very thankful for the fans because they showed me love since the first day I came in.”Everton midfielder Mangala also expressed his elation over scoring in his sixth Premier League start in the thrashing of relegation-threatened Wolves.
He added: “It was a crazy feeling. When the ball came back I just wanted to shoot as hard as possible, so I’m very happy. A special feeling and I’m very thankful for the fans because they showed me love since the first day I came in.”The win over Liverpool at Goodison in April marked the Blues’ first at home against their rivals since 2010, and now they stand poised to claim consecutive derby victories, an achievement that has eluded them for nearly four decades.
With both clubs level on wins at Goodison Park over their storied rivalry, Everton are aiming to tip the historical balance in their favour in what could possibly be their final face-off at the iconic venue, except for a potential FA Cup clash.
