Victor Anichebe’s former team-mate Joleon Lescott revealed that the striker’s severe pre-match nerves often left David Moyes with no choice but to leave him out
Joleon Lescott reveals that Victor Anichebe’s crippling pre-match anxiety regularly forced David Moyes to drop him from Everton’s starting eleven.
The former defender played alongside Anichebe at Goodison Park for three years before moving to Manchester City. Lescott believes the striker’s battle with nerves could explain why he averaged just 16 Premier League outings per campaign during his Merseyside stint.
Speaking on the In The Mixer podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Lescott revealed that Anichebe would become so worked up before kick-off that he’d suffer from cramps, leaving the manager with no option but to alter his team sheet at the last minute.
“David Moyes couldn’t name the team with Victor Anichebe,” the 43-year-old said. “He’d get so nervous he would cramp up. His hamstrings would be [cramping].”
Anichebe’s Everton career spanned a decade after joining their youth setup in 2003 and graduating to the first team in 2006. Across the following 10 years, he racked up 168 appearances across all competitions – though only 73 were as a starter – netting 26 goals in the process.
Lescott, who arrived at Everton from Wolves in 2006, was teammates with Anichebe for three seasons before his switch to City in 2009.
His comments about Anichebe’s pre-match stress were revealed during a conversation where Carlton Cole – the ex-West Ham, Chelsea and England forward – was discussing his own battles with cramping.
Cole recalled a particular episode from 2006, during West Ham’s UEFA Cup match against Palermo, where he feigned a severe hamstring injury to cover up an intense cramp. His performance was so believable that he was eventually carted off the field on a stretcher.
“It was a hot night, we were playing in the Europa League against Palermo… I don’t even know if I was fit enough yet to be starting,” Cole admitted. “Well, obviously [not].
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“But no, it wasn’t enough to do my fitness, I don’t think, I was just overwhelmed and sometimes your body reacts in different ways and just being out in the heat.
“I did have a cramp, because we trained the night before – I didn’t know that I was going to be starting. And then we only knew on the day. So then I go out, and [West Ham manager] Alan Pardew says, ‘Listen, you’re starting, so get ready.’
“I was like, oh, good. So I started getting nervous. And your body reacts in different ways because I’m making my debut out here.
“Well, I started feeling it 10 minutes into the game. And then I’m thinking, what’s going on there? Why am I cramping up? I’d never had this problem before, so I didn’t even understand what was even happening. So I’m like, oh my gosh, so how do I get away with this one?”
Cole revealed he considered asking a fellow player to stretch his calf to alleviate the cramp, but quickly realised how embarrassing it would be to be sidelined by such a minor issue. Luckily for him, a genuine twinge of hamstring discomfort soon offered a more plausible alibi.
“I’m on the floor in the box. I think I just missed a chance actually… actual hammy [hamstring] started to [flare up]. So I got the physio and I said I don’t understand what’s going on… he’s just laughed, so I told him, ‘Listen, just get a stretcher.'”
“I was in too much pain,” he added with a chuckle. “But nah, that was so funny.”
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