(Reuters) - Everton manager Marco Silva brushed off media speculation about his future at the club, saying nothing has changed as he prepares his team for Wednesday's Merseyside derby against Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Everton are 17th in the table with 14 points and a 2-1 defeat at Leicester City on Sunday heaped the pressure on the 42-year-old Portuguese ahead of the trip to Liverpool when they will seek a first league win at Anfield in 20 years.
"Nothing has changed in my mind -- my work rate at Finch Farm every day, what I demand from my players, nothing changed," Silva told reporters on Tuesday.
"Of course, we're not happy with the results or the position in the table... some moments of the season I was more happy with the results.
"Some games we were winning and should have managed in a different way, some we were better than the opposition but didn't score. I'm here to find solutions."
Everton have lost their last two games.
"The message to the players is rise to the challenge," Silva said. "It's a derby - it's not important what's gone before."
Everton last won at Liverpool in the league in 1999 when Kevin Campbell scored the goal in a 1-0 victory. They have since drawn nine and lost 10 games at the ground.
"Let's go there to play... 20 years without a win there is a long time, but it's a good opportunity to change that... it's a fantastic game to play" Silva added.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by ed Osmond)