Superclasico Prepared me

Ramiro Funes Mori has said the Superclasico in Argentina helped him cope with the intensity of the Merseyside derby.

The defender who signed in the summer played the full 90 minutes of the 1-1 draw against Liverpool, as he deputised again for John Stones, who missed out with a knee injury.

After playing for former side River Plate in their typically fiery encounters with rivals Boca Juniors, Funes Mori certainly didn’t look fazed by the occasion at Goodison Park.

“It was a good game – the derby is something historic here and I enjoyed the fans’ passion,” he told evertontv.

“It has the same intensity as the Superclasico [between River Plate and Boca Juniors] back home. The fans make it very intense and when they scream you know you are in a derby.

“In Argentina, I played around six or seven derbies so for me, I felt normal and it was good.

“We wanted to win the game and at the end had some chances to score.”

Mori completed his second successive 90 minutes in the league, having also been in the starting line-up for the 3-2 win at West Brom.

The Capital One Cup game at Reading was also an impressive outing for the Argentinian along with the final 13 minutes in the 3-1 win over Chelsea.

These have made it a whirlwind first month or so in England for Funes Mori, who admits there are noticeable differences to the Argentine division where he came to prominence.

“Premier League football is very physical and the intensity of the game is high,” he said speaking after the 225^th Merseyside derby.

“I have to keep adapting to the Premier League but I really like it and I’m enjoying my moment and I want to keep playing.”