Source: Liverpool_Echo
Everton FC's Marouane Fellaini confident of coping with derby occasion
Marouane Fellaini in action against Spurs 460[LNB]MAROUANE Fellaini strikes an imposing figure - 6ft 4ins and broad, he is clearly in the perfect physical shape to cope with the no-holds barred tempo of midfield in Europe's top league.[LNB]But while he is no pushover, the lean 22-year-old Belgian has never really had an ounce of spare weight to lose, so when he was laid low by a virus for much of the summer there was cause for concern.[LNB]The former Standard Liege star's pre-season was badly hampered by the infection, linked to the wisdom tooth problem which saw him miss a recent international game to the anger of new Belgium coach Dick Advocaat.[LNB]Toffees' manager David Moyes was worried with the amount of weight that dropped off Fellaini's slim frame, but now the midfielder insists he is back in shape and wants to put the illness behind him.[LNB]Because while his condition may have been a worry for Moyes, then hit the headlines thanks to Advocaat's rant; like most things, Fellaini takes it all with an affable shrug of his shoulders.[LNB]It would seem that it takes a lot to upset the laid-back £15m man.[LNB]'I lost four kilos with the virus and it got into my blood which led to complications,' he explains.[LNB]'But I was still able to play some pre-season games and even though I wasn't at my best it helped me.[LNB]'Now I'm back to my ideal weight,' or with a smile he adds: 'It's my battling weight for the English league anyway.[LNB]Born in Belgium of Moroccan parents, Fellaini spent the first 10 years of his life in Etterbeek, Brussels, where he represented Anderlecht as a schoolboy.[LNB]After another seven years in Mons, he moved on to Liege to pursue a career in professional football, something his father had unsuccessfully tried.[LNB]Since joining the Blues last summer in a club record deal, he has fast become something of a cult hero to many supporters - while dividing opinion among others.[LNB]But his combative presence was notably by its absence from the Blues central midfield during their miserable 3-2 defeat at Hull's KC stadium on Wednesday.[LNB]Now Fellaini is relishing returning to the side, having been forced to sit out the Hull debacle after picking up five yellow cards, and Sunday's derby is ripe for him to make his mark.[LNB]He said: 'I have played in big, competitive games in Belgium against Standard Charleroi and Standard Anderlecht which is the country's big derby, so I know about how tough they can be but there is nothing to compare with the Merseyside derby.'[LNB]And Fellaini is philosophical when asked if Sunday will be a typical war of attrition with little in the way of flowing football.[LNB]'People say it won't be pretty football but you never know,' he says.[LNB]'You can't predict these games and all you know is that it will be a great, great occasion.
