Football news - Why Liverpool should fear Everton for the first time in years
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Updated 30/11/2018 at 23:18 GMT
If Everton can be themselves and not be overcome by another mental block at the home of their fiercest rivals, there's no reason why they can't end Liverpool's unbeaten Premier League record, writes Ben Grounds.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
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Back in April, two legs of a Champions League quarter-final straddled a Merseyside derby that never looking like igniting. As Dominic Calvert-Lewin sliced his shot wide of the goal at the Gwladys Street End, Sam Allardyce turned his back in dismay with his head buried in his hands.
It was seen by many Evertonians as an opportunity missed to end a 16-game wait for victory over their fiercest rivals, whose minds were firmly focused on bigger nights ahead. Instead, it extended to a record 17th.
For Jurgen Klopp, this drab encounter was forgotten from the moment his media obligations had been met and his side were heading out of Goodison Park.
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Everton's meek attempts at beating a depleted Liverpool signalled the end for Sam Allardyce
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Gloom lifted, faith restored
Before the hour mark, an irate Wayne Rooney was substituted, perplexed at his manager’s decision to withdraw the side’s top goalscorer in a match he would have dreamt of from the moment he rejoined his boyhood club the previous summer.
You sensed it was the moment when Rooney decided to call time on his career in England, but for the home supporters, the contest as a whole had come to resemble the height of an apathy that had seeped in under Allardyce.
Just 11 days into his much-maligned tenure, the former England boss snatched an unlikely point at Anfield courtesy of a controversial penalty which Rooney converted, but the same outcome of a point in the reverse fixture did little to raise spirits on the blue half of the city.
The game had represented a chance to remember the season by, but what followed was just the second Merseyside derby in Premier League history without a single card shown – and the first since their maiden clash in the competition back in December 1992.
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The Everton side will be far different to the one fielded in their last encounter in April
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Improved personnel
There was no Mohamed Salah, no Roberto Firmino nor were there the flying full-backs of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold – but Klopp admits this time will be very different. Indeed, only four players from the Everton side that day - just eight months ago - are likely to start: Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Seamus Coleman and Theo Walcott.
The German has not lost a game to Everton since taking over at Liverpool in 2015, but he believes their current boss Marco Silva has recruited well to assemble the strongest squad since his appointment.
"The games have always been difficult but Everton are a different team now with a different style," Klopp told a news conference on Friday.
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Jurgen Klopp has warned his players to expect a difficult afternoon
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"It may not be too nice for all the other (Everton) managers but (Silva) has the best squad. That's how it is. They brought in players he wanted.
Since I've been here Everton has always been really busy but now it is the best-tuned squad, 100 per cent.
The arrivals of Brazilian winger Richarlison, Colombia international centre-back Yerry Mina and French left-back Lucas Digne have increased the quality at Everton's disposal and Liverpool's rivals are sixth in the table ahead of the game.
The defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek adds another layer of intrigue, with Klopp criticised in some quarters for his team selection. The German has failed to win either of his two previous encounters with Silva during his time at Hull and Watford, and you wonder how big an impact the defeat against the French champions will have heading into another high-octane occasion.
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Everton held their ground in an impressive away outing at Chelsea last month
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Favourable fixtures
Meanwhile, the fixture list has provided Everton with what might be viewed as the perfect preparation for a clash of this magnitude. Winnable home games have been won, while tests on the road have made them battle-hardened.
Confidence has been built over a run of five wins from seven matches, while the one defeat during that run at Manchester United offered signs of encouragement. The 2-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates in September saw Silva’s side create a plethora of chances, while Leicester were then beaten at the King Power Stadium.
Most encouraging of all was the 0-0 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where Everton produced a highly disciplined performance and were good value for their point. Gylfi Sigurdsson has returned to his best form with six goals in his last nine games, but he showed his versatility by successfully nullifying Jorginho in a man-marking role.
The tactical switch demonstrated why Silva is one of the most highly-regarded young managers across Europe, and the Portuguese will head across Stanley Park with a game plan up his sleeve.
What makes this one of the most intriguing derbies in many years is the strength of this Everton squad. Klopp hasn’t held back in his praise, claiming Sunday’s opponents would be involved in European competition were they not playing in England.
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Virgil van Dijk's only Liverpool goal remains the one he scored on his debut against Everton
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Silva has indicated he would not be averse to changing a winning line-up if he believed it would offer a better alternative with suggestions that Kurt Zouma could form part of a three-man defence, while Ademola Lookman could also come into the team having impressed in his cameos off the bench.
Graeme Souness has warned that Liverpool will need to be “angry” after having their nose bloodied in the French capital, but the previous two away defeats in the competition don't seem to have awoken the beast. Liverpool are still just doing enough in games, with the 3-0 win at Watford last weekend only telling half the story.
That game was goalless until the 67th minute, at which point the floodgates opened – but Watford spurned good chances during the first period at Vicarage Road.
Blues hold no fear
If Liverpool are firing on all cylinders, they should extend their impressive domestic record. With Manchester City in action against Bournemouth on Saturday, Klopp’s side will be responding to events at the Etihad which should put them at an advantage.
But while the Reds are strong favourites to continue Everton’s long wait for a win at Anfield, Silva and his new-look side hold no fear, knowing they can cement their position in the top six with a landmark win.
"We will respect our opponents like we did against Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea," the Portuguese said.
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Marco Silva's reputation would be further enhanced with a win at Anfield
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"Fear is something that doesn't come inside our dressing room. Respect, yes, but we won't change our ambition or style of play. It's important to enjoy the moment and be strong. We want to win and nothing more."
Everton will stay true to their identity as they seek to end an unwanted record of having failed to beat Liverpool in 17 matches stretching back to October 2010.
The last Everton manager to win his first Merseyside derby was Joe Royle in November 1994, and the club’s former striker would go on to guide his team to FA Cup success the following May.
Silva would love to emulate that success but would happily settle for now with becoming the first Everton manager to win their first match at Anfield in the 232nd derby, stretching all the way back to the first meeting in November 1894.
For all the bloody and thunder of the build-up, it's just another three points at stake. But the events of the Superclassio of the past fortnight has placed an extra emphasis on what local rivalry means in football.
At a time when defensive midfielders who are no longer defensive midfielders are being paid nearly £300,000-a-week, talk of a European Super League resurfaces, and La Liga are at war with the Spanish Football Federation over its fight to stage a match in Miami, a game between two rivals steeped in history – that is played locally - has never felt more welcome.
More than bragging rights at stake
There is an expectation that Liverpool’s hold on the fixture will continue, but the one shot on target they mustered from the penalty spot in Paris points to a potential shift in their season just as the congested festive schedule approaches.
The troubles at Manchester United this season have been well-documented, but Everton's rise to sixth place has gone somewhat under the radar; continuing their recent good form with a first victory at the home of a big six side since December 2013 would represent a major statement of intent.
In recent editions, their role in derbies has been to derail Liverpool’s hopes of a title bid, and while defeat on Sunday could prove a pivotal blow in keeping pace with leaders City, it will be more than just bragging rights the Blues would be celebrating should they party like it’s 1999 long into the early hours of Monday morning.
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Kevin Campbell was the last Everton match-winner at Anfield in 1999
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Overcoming the mental block
Eiffel 65 were top of the charts the last time Everton left Anfield with three points that year in September. The Italian Eurodance song - Blue - has in fact not turned out to be such a good omen, with a mental block more in keeping with the emotional state of the various side that have tried and failed to replicate the feat of Walter Smith's men in the last millennium.
"What I want to see in our team is for us to be ourselves, nothing different to what we did in the big games we already played until now," said Silva. "I'm sure this is what our fans want to see, for us to be ourselves, to fight to achieve a result.
"I feel it's a special game for them as well but our fans want us to be the same team, playing to win the match, to be strong, to enjoy the moment and have the ambition to win.
"Nothing changes because in the last match we achieved sixth position in the table." If Everton can be themselves, they may just end nearly two decades of hurt.
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