Key events
Jurgen Klopp speaks to TNT. “[Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Gravenberch] are three pretty good players who have already shown up this season so everyone can see how important they are for us … they are not new to each other any more … they like each other, you can see that even off the pitch … it is not only about midfield but it is an important area of the pitch … we have to win I don’t know how many second balls today … Everton are in a good moment … you can see a clear structure … they go for it and we have to go for it.”
According to the LFC History website, 39 players have turned out for both Liverpool and Everton. Alphabetically speaking, the list starts at Gary Ablett and ends with Abel Xavier, taking in Liverpool legends such as Jack Balmer and Steve McMahon, and Everton heroes like Kevin Sheedy and Dave Hickson. It’s well worth a good long click around (but don’t forget to come back to the MBM).
Anyway, one of those double agents is at Anfield today: the handsome and occasionally brilliant if slightly erratic Sander Westerveld. He played nearly as many times for Everton as he won cups with Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool side in 2001, so he’s probably not the best example of the above, but he’s in attendance and that’s good enough for us. The article below contains an entry which goes some way to explaining why he was known to a generation of Fiver readers as Safe Hands. Oh Sander! Oh Graham Poll! How could you!
Sean Dyche speaks to TNT Sports. “We felt the performance at the beginnings of the season weren’t getting what they deserved … we have an insights team that look into the minutiae, they use the same metrics all the time … they said keep doing what you’re doing, you’re performing so powerfully it will pay you back … you have to keep performing … getting people to true fitness helps … if you get that as a squad, it’s so helpful to the side … you have to start right and defend well … make the game about yourselves and take the game on … it’s important that we do that today.”
Liverpool make four changes to the team that drew 2-2 at Brighton. One is enforced: Kostas Tsimikas comes in for Andy Robertson, who is expected to be out for up to three months after shoulder surgery. Ibrahima Konate replaces Joel Matip in defence, Ryan Gravenberch makes his first Premier League start at the expense of Harvey Elliott, and Diogo Jota returns from suspension, a possibly jet-lagged Darwin Nunez resting on the bench after his scoring-and-assisting exploits for Uruguay against Brazil.
Compare and contrast with all that tumult: Everton are unchanged from their comfortable 3-0 win over Bournemouth. Idrissa Gueye returns from injury and takes up a place on the bench. Jack Harrison, Ashley Young, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Garner are all making their derby debuts.
The teams
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Salah, Jota, Diaz.
Subs: Gomez, Endo, Nunez, Elliott, Matip, McConnell, Kelleher, Quansah, Scanlon.
Everton: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Harrison, Garner, Onana, McNeil, Doucoure, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Patterson, Keane, Danjuma, Virginia, Beto, Godfrey, Gueye, Chermiti, Dobbin.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire).
Preamble
Welcome to the 208th league meeting of the two Merseyside giants. Everton have a diabolical record in this fixture: they’ve only won once at Anfield in the 21st century, and that was during the pandemic with nobody there to see it. Other than that, it’s been almost complete Liverpool dominance, with the Reds winning seven and drawing two of the last ten Anfield meets, to the aggregate tune of 21-5.
Throw in the fact that Liverpool are currently fourth and Everton 16th, and you could be forgiven for writing this off as a home shoo-in. But nothing’s ever quite as simple as that, is it, so here come the usual Guardian MBM Preamble Ah-buts™. Liverpool’s last two Premier League games have been disappointing momentum-sappers: the farcical defeat at Spurs was followed by an erratic draw at Brighton. Everton by contrast have won three of their last four in league and cup, which suggests Sean Dyche is slowly turning that ship around. And there’s also the small matter of Liverpool’s recent record in 12.30pm kick-offs: three draws and three defeats last season (though they won 3-1 at Wolves after last month’s international break, so in that sense it’s swings and one mini- roundabout).
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that Liverpool are favourites to chalk up yet another Merseyside derby triumph today … but Sean Dyche has performed smash-and-grab heroics at Anfield before, during his Burnley days, and will fancy his in-form-ish Everton team’s chances of putting one over Jurgen Klopp again. Throw in the form-window-interface derby caveat, and this should be a cracker. Kick-off is at 12.30pm BST. It’s on!
