Theo Walcott reveals similarities between Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti and Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger, wants to show progress being made against Liverpool
Theo Walcott worked under one of the managerial greats in Arsene Wenger for 12 years but says his current boss Carlo Ancelotti has 'a lot of similarities' to him.
Signed as a 16-year-old by Wenger in January 2006, Walcott worked with the legendary Arsenal boss before joining Everton in January 2018.
Ancelotti is now in charge of the Toffees, a post he's held since December. They were just three points above the relegation zone when the Italian took over.
He's steered them away from danger but it's still not clear what direction the club are going under his stewardship.
But Walcott suggested Everton will be a much better side next season and heaped praise on Ancelotti's man-management skills.
Walcott told Jim White on talkSPORT: "There are quite a lot of similarities with him [Ancelotti] and Arsene, actually. I call both of them the boss!
"But I played against his Bayern teams a lot with Arsenal - he knew a lot about me and I know a bit about him - he's just an unbelievable man and the staff he has are great people to work with.
"I'm sure we'll get the best out of him and Everton more so next season - having watched the games [of the restart] it's hard to know what's going to happen. It's one of these things, just a flip of the coin really.
"I feel lots of players have prepared themselves, mentally I feel has been the hardest time to deal with things but he's the sort of man who's got the time to talk, he likes to get to know his players off the pitch which I feel is very important."
Everton have the chance to prove to fans they're going in the right direction in their first match of the restart as they face local rivals Liverpool.
The Reds are currently 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League and are on the verge of a first league title in 30 years.
They can't win the title at Goodison Park but will feel confident going into the game, with Everton not tasting victory over their Merseyside rivals since October 2010.
But Walcott insists Everton are hell-bent on getting the better of Liverpool as they look to create new derby day memories for the Toffees faithful.
He added: "We know how good they are but we've got to concentrate on our strengths. We're in a transition where we feel we can start climbing and be where Everton should probably be in the Premier League.
"I feel like we've underachieved at times. There's been patches of greatness and it's gone back to where it's been.
"But I feel there's a slight change in the tide and we want to change that thought process against Liverpool at the weekend.
"Beating Liverpool is something the players will be remembered for because it's the one fixture that fans and the players look at. It's really important."
Listen to the full Theo Walcott interview above!