Carlo Ancelotti writes his pre-match programme notes ahead of Monday's Premier League visit of Southampton to Goodison. To order the official programme - which features exclusive interviews with Lucas Digne, Tom Davies and Preki - click here.

The biggest priority for us in this moment is to improve our form at Goodison Park.

There were too many times this season when we were not good enough in home matches and our work since we won at Anfield was focused on correcting this issue.

It is difficult to understand because away we have been really strong, playing with spirit and personality and some quality to win a lot of points.

We would not have lost so many games at Goodison with our fans, I am certain of that.

But this is not the only reason and it is the same for all the teams. While the situation remains like this, with no supporters in stadiums, we must find a solution.

I was really proud of my team and players for our performance in the derby and pleased for every Evertonian.

You play football to give happiness to the fans and we were able to do this.

The most important things for me were the three points to keep our position in the table and the way we competed with another top side.

We are showing the attitude of a big team. Every side in the Premier League has its own strengths and we respect all our opponents.

But we never have to be afraid and I can see the players believe it is possible to fight for the victory in every match.

They understand the quality in our squad and that they are playing for a club with ambitions to compete for the top positions in the table and win trophies.

The players are proud to play for Everton and want to show this on the pitch.

Against Liverpool, the win came because everybody did a fantastic job.

We were really strong defensively, the four players in our backline controlled the threat from the three forwards of Liverpool. The defenders were at the top level, like Jordan Pickford, who was intelligent and calm and confident in goal.

Up front, we were clinical and had good combinations for both goals. There was a little bit of improvement with the ball from our previous game, against Manchester City.

But in this aspect, we can do better, I think. We can have more efficiency and move the ball faster.

With our attitude and spirit we have the opportunity to win any match but our chance will always be higher when we increase the quality.

Tom Davies showed again in the derby that he is really important for us.

When you are a player from the club there is extra emotion against your rivals.

But Tom was composed, clever with his positioning and passing, and he deserved to enjoy the victory. He is tactically intelligent and serious about his work. We are very pleased with his progress.

In our match against Manchester City, the performance was okay but nothing special.

We did well to equalise in the first half but when they scored again it was difficult. There were no regrets from that match. Our regret was losing against Fulham with a bad performance.

We got back those three points with the win over Liverpool but now we want to change, so we are adding points and not trying to recover what we lost.

We welcome Ralph Hasenhuttl and the staff and players of Southampton.

Southampton always bring energy and intensity and they are a hard team to play against.

We didn’t play well in the match at their stadium but Southampton were strong and took advantage.

They had a tough spell, recently, but this happened to nearly every team this season.

Southampton were in the top positions in the league not very long ago and that is the quality of team we are preparing to face.

The period without a match allowed us to train well and concentrate on this challenge.

Also, we gave rest to some players who had a lot of games. We played four midweeks in a row and it was helpful to have time to get ready to fight for our targets in the rest of the season.

Today is our Level Playing Field fixture. This initiative is so important and shows the responsibility we have in football – and every sport – to create equality and remove every form of discrimination.

I know Everton already did a lot of work so our disabled supporters could have the best experience in Goodison and the Club is committed to trying to continue improving this.

We discovered in the lockdowns how watching live sport in the stadium is really special and important for mental health.

The experience should be equally enjoyable and rewarding for every individual.

The news this week about a schedule for life to come back to normal was positive.

Please, continue following the guidelines and stay safe and we can look forward to being together soon.