Everything stops for the Merseyside derby including the friendship between Senegal team-mates Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gueye.
The pair travel thousands of miles together to represent their country on international duty but there have been no affectionate phone calls or texts between them in the build-up to Sunday's Liverpool-Everton clash at Anfield.
‘We’re good friends, we’ll sometimes meet up for a chat. But one week before the derby, we stop talking. We don’t send messages and we don’t call. We play this game like we’re supporters,’ reveals Gueye, the heartbeat of Everton’s midfield.
‘Sadio told me after our last international duty (v Equatorial Guinea on November 17) not to call and I said OK. We can start talking again after the game. If we win, I’ll call him straight away!
‘He scored the winning goal at Goodison (2016) and came to me afterwards. Hopefully it will be my turn to do that.’
On a more serious side, successful African players are under enormous pressure back home and Mane was driven to tears by criticism from Senegal fans after he’d missed chances in the last international.
‘I tried to talk to him after the game but he just wanted to be by himself,’ said Gueye. ‘I knew it was difficult for him. He is a big player and one of Senegal’s best players so people are expecting a lot from him.
‘They see him doing very good things for Liverpool so they want him to do the same for the national team. It’s not the same team but they expect more and more from him.
‘People in Senegal will be watching this game for sure. The last time, I tackled Sadio hard and received a lot of messages from home saying “Don’t injure him”.
Gueye, 29, is on his fourth manager in just over two years at Goodison Park but the Marco Silva era looks promising as they try to beat last season’s finishing position of eighth under Sam Allardyce.
They nicked a 1-1 draw at Anfield last season with 21 per cent possession. They have been more positive under Silva which means Gueye’s defensive capabilities are even more important given the number of forward-looking players in the team. He regularly tops the Premier League statistics for tackles.
‘I’ve never beaten Liverpool so hopefully this weekend,’ he says. ‘Last year we were in a little bit of trouble. We are a different team now and you can see we’re getting better each week. Our record at Anfield is not good (Everton haven’t won there since 1999) but it doesn’t add any pressure.’
Gueye has formed a formidable midfield axis with the skilful Portuguese international Andre Gomes in recent weeks, building the play for Richarlison and the front players to capitalise on.
‘He is a very good player. We know what we each have to do and we try to help each other. I usually play deep because Andre is a more forward player than me. Sometimes I have to control the game and see when it’s good to go forward or to stay. It’s a good balance with Andre.
‘My job is not just about tackling. It’s about winning the ball but also giving it to a team-mate. If we don’t win the ball, it’s not a good tackle. The players on the bench help us too because they don’t give up on getting in the team.’
Everton have already earned a creditable draw at Chelsea. With the handbrake off since Allardyce’s departure, the diplomatic Gueye adds: ‘We have to enjoy our football on the pitch.’
Gueye’s first season in England ended in relegation at Aston Villa while N’golo Kante, a player he is often compared with, won the league at Leicester. The pair made more tackles that season than anyone else.
Kante got a move to Chelsea and immediately won another title. Gueye has had to be patient but is now enjoying his own success at Everton. He’ll hope to tell his mate Mane all about it after Sunday's game.
Everton in the Community have launched The People’s Place campaign to promote positive mental health regardless of age, gender, football team or location. www.peoplesplace.net