Goodison crowd, our 12th man, key motivation against Chelsea

Andre Gomes of Everton celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison Park on February 2, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. PHOTO | GARETH COPLEY | GETTY IMAGES |

What you need to know:

  • Chelsea will visit our home, Goodison Park, on Sunday afternoon and we are motivated and prepared to face our formidable opponents.
  • In our last fixture at Goodison against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby, the atmosphere generated all around our stadium by our fans was amazing. Electrifying.

The Premier League is full of challenges and this weekend we face another which we, as Everton players, are all relishing.

Chelsea will visit our home, Goodison Park, on Sunday afternoon and we are motivated and prepared to face our formidable opponents.

In our last fixture at Goodison against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby, the atmosphere generated all around our stadium by our fans was amazing. Electrifying.

It really helped our performance and tomorrow we want our fans to create a similar atmosphere. That noise, that support, was something really special for us.

We are all determined to do our part with a strong performance and we want the Evertonians to share that passion.

Since I was a kid, I watched Premier League football. I always wanted to have the opportunity to get the experience of playing in England and I’m grateful that I have been able to play in this amazing league with Everton during this season.

It has been a fantastic experience and the Premier League has been above my expectations. I have discovered that it is such a competitive league and you have to play at 100 per cent every game to get a result.

Often small details change games and that has happened a few times this season, as it did at Newcastle last week.

But there are eight games to play in the season and we are focused to achieve the maximum number of points that we can.

In my time here, I have also learnt just how much the people absolutely love their football. The Evertonians are passionate, they are a family and they have been so supportive to me since day one.

Last season was not so good for me, personally, but I came to England with Everton and I have really enjoyed my football again. That has been crucial for me.

When I call it a family, I can offer a great example. On Tuesday night I attended the Everton in the Community People’s Place Gala Dinner with all my teammates and the coaching staff. Together we celebrated the charity’s great work and over £50,000 was raised which will contribute towards building a mental health facility called the People’s Place, next to Goodison Park.

This club is not just about football. It’s about the way we live, from day to day, showing love and care to each other.

Tuesday was an example of that commitment from the staff, all the players and all the fans - together as one.

Occasions like this is another reason why I’m enjoying playing for Everton. Since day one, my teammates, all the staff and fans have been with me.

The manager, Marco Silva, has helped to build my confidence and I have to thank him too. He called me last summer about joining Everton and he made me feel important from that moment.

Now I’m keeping my focus on my football and the next game we play. We have to keep fighting and see this match against Chelsea on Sunday as an exciting challenge.

When we played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November, we drew the game 0-0 and showed our quality.

This Sunday is a great game to help build confidence, to feel the atmosphere and togetherness inside Goodison Park and we are determined to provide a gift to our fans on the day.

Gomes is a central midfielder at Everton FC