Everton’s players are being encouraged to adopt competitive mindsets in their trio of friendlies ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team have precious little time to prepare for 2020/21 – international fixtures early in September will encroach on an already reduced four-week pre-season – and, after reporting back to work on Sunday, players were fast-tracked on to their familiar training programmes.

Everton would ordinarily begin match practice five-to-six weeks prior to their opening league game.

But in this strangest of years the Blues’ first pre-season action, against League One Blackpool on Saturday, falls three weeks before top-flight football gets under way.

Head of Physical Conditioning Francesco Mauri, then, is underlining the imperative of treating the game at Bloomfield Road as if points are at stake – even if the Italian reckons investing all-out effort is the way to go in any friendly encounter.

Everton are due to travel to Blackburn Rovers on 1 September and will arrange one additional non-competitive game, with Mauri conceding confirmation of international football’s return to the calendar before the Premier League kicks off heightened the complexity of devising this pre-season campaign.

“Normally, we try to push the players to play a friendly match like a normal game,” Mauri told evertonfc.com.

“If you don’t, it can be very dangerous.

“Maybe your opponent will play strongly and if you are not ready to play strong there is a big risk of injury.

“You have to be strong in the tackle and not underestimate these kinds of games.

“Training intensity on the days before the game depends on playing time, you have to consider if you plan to have two different teams and, usually, in the first game, we plan for each player to play no more than 45 minutes.

“Every game is very stressful [on the body] and that includes friendly games.

“It is not ideal that we have the international games but it is the same for all teams – or worse for those who only just stopped playing [Manchester City and Manchester United’s European campaigns finished last weekend].

“If you see the Champions League, it is pretty clear the teams who had the chance to have a break, the German and French teams, had a lot of advantages [the semi-finalists comprised two sides each from Germany and France].

“I was 100 per cent sure it was better to go into that competition after a break… and the picture shows the French and German teams are much fitter than all the others.

“In England, all the teams were very tired after playing nine games in five weeks to complete last season, then we had only three weeks break.

“It was important for the players to rest. Three weeks is not a period when you will lose condition after the heavy schedule we had."

Mauri and his fellow fitness coaches, along with manager Ancelotti and the Club’s medical team, reached a unanimous decision to resume a recognisable training pattern in the opening phase of pre-season.

Besides retaining intensity, there is a notable onus on ensuring sessions are fresh and invigorating.

Mauri this week disclosed an area filled with sand at USM Finch Farm would feature in a number of players’ exercises routines.

Formerly on Ancelotti’s backroom teams at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli, Mauri has every group and individual session he’s overseen stored on a computer library.

The data Mauri has logged on Everton’s training ground since coming with his compatriot last December gave him a head start in readiness for pre-season, as opposed to eight months ago when he began from scratch.

“The GPS [Global Positioning System] and cardio data are helpful for me and all the guys who work with me," said Mauri.

“You can compare today’s session with a session before the break and understand where the players are; if you can push more the next day, or if you have to give some rest.

“With this technology it is very helpful for the physical staff to have data and videos – to consider these things together when planning the sessions.

“I have all the training I did in my life on my laptop.

“I like to find similar players [he worked with at previous clubs] to understand if I can use certain stimulus with the players I am training now.

“It is important to save everything and I have a lot of video.

“If you have a big library of your exercises, you can always use it – or just change something – to create new exercises.”

Everton captain Seamus Coleman, who will be returning to an old stomping ground at Blackpool after a successful loan with the Lancashire club a decade ago, revealed this year he was jotting down various training drills in preparation for a career in coaching or management.

And Mauri has noted a growing – and welcome – trend for players to quiz staff on the thinking underpinning different exercises and routines.

“We like to explain to the players why we choose certain methodology,” added Mauri.

“There are players who think, who ask, ‘Why am I doing that? Why am I not doing that?'.

“We appreciate that interest and we are always open to explaining why we are doing certain types of training.

“And in the tactical sessions, we like to explain and allow the players to ask anything they want.”