With his squad blighted by injuries throughout the current campaign, Ancelotti has had to ask his second string players to step up and deliver.
The Italian has deployed players out of their natural position at times which has paved the way for some in the likes of Ben Godfrey to slot into the team, while others like Alex Iwobi have failed to nailed down a regular spot.
Ex-Toffees star Ball has issued advice to fringe players to capitalise on any opportunities that are handed to them by Ancelotti and then strive to attain consistency on the pitch.
Ball urged the Toffees stars to let their boss know that they are not all just talk and can walk the walk by showing pride in their performances when they represent Everton.
“Whoever Carlo picks moving forward, everybody needs to step up to the plate”, Ball wrote in his Liverpool Echo column.
“You hope in the next couple of years, there’s competition for every place.
“Until that happens, the players have to have confidence in themselves – and that’s what I’d be asking for from all the players.
“Show the pride in your performance and put question marks in the manager’s mind.
“Then he knows it’s not all talk, you’ve gone out onto the pitch and done it.
“From then on, you build the consistency. Ben Godfrey is the prime example of that.”
With no less than four senior players currently battling fitness issues , all eyes will be on how Ancelotti sets his team up at the weekend when they host Manchester City in an FA Cup quarter-final clash.
