Yes, it’s that time of the year again. Time for every Everton fan’s most dreaded fixture of the whole Premier League calendar, the one which everybody looks for immediately at the time of the fixtures being announced. Of course, this Saturday sees Everton travel to Anfield for what will be the 247th Merseyside Derby.
Everton’s last Premier League outing was bittersweet to say the least, failing to find the net from 2.34xG in a 0-0 draw at home to Aston Villa. In one sense, Saturday’s performance summed up how far Everton have come since David Moyes’ return to the club. Being disappointed with a draw to an Aston Villa team which narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Champions League in back-to-back years would have sounded impossible just less than 12 months ago, yet now it is very much the reality. In another sense, Everton will be looking back on this draw as a huge missed opportunity to go level on points with 2nd-placed Arsenal.
Everton’s lack of a proven goal-scorer could be the deciding factor as to what they achieve this season. Thierno Barry looked lively, assured and impressive against Brighton in his only league start this season, playing a key part in the two goals before inexplicably having to settle for the bench since. On the other hand, Beto struggled once again against Villa, missing multiple chances and failing to really get a foothold in the game outside of them. Despite an Emi Martinez miracle towards the end, you simply cannot create over 2xG against a side as poor as Villa and not score a single goal.
It was a similar story for Liverpool at the weekend, where they created 2.75xG at Turf Moor, relying on a last-minute penalty to bail them out. Despite the stats, they looked relatively toothless up front, and Burnley would not have believed their luck had they managed to hold out until full-time. Mohamed Salah looks far less effective than last season, and new signing Florian Wirtz is struggling to settle into English football. Regardless, it’s now five wins out of five for the Reds, with all five games being won in the last ten minutes of play – dare I say, we all know what is happening on Saturday, don’t we?
Everton and Liverpool – History
The first meeting between these two teams last season will forever go down in Everton folklore, with James Tarkowski scoring THAT last-minute goal in the last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Two months later, Liverpool defeated Everton 1-0 to put themselves three points closer to the Premier League title. On that day, Diogo Jota scored his last ever goal for Liverpool before his passing, a moment that will be remembered on what will no doubt be an emotional day for Liverpool.
The Merseyside derby is the longest-running top flight derby in England, with its first official match being played on 13 October 1984. Since then, Liverpool have exactly 100 wins in the fixture, with Everton recording 68.
Everton have only won once at Anfield since 1999, with a 2-0 victory in 2021 under manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Team News
Defender Jarrad Branthwaite is ‘getting closer’ to return to action but will remain out for this fixture. Vitality Mykolenko missed Saturday’s draw with Aston Villa and is a doubt for the trip to Anfield.
Adam Aznou returned to the Everton bench on Saturday, but it is unlikely his full debut will come in a Merseyside derby.
Liverpool’s only injury absentee is Curtis Jones, who has missed the last two matches with an unspecified issue. He is not expected to return until the end of September at the earliest.
Arne Slot admitted he was ‘surprised’ at the fitness of record signing Alexander Isak, pointing towards a possible start on Saturday.
What the Manager says
On last Saturday’s draw – ‘I thought we played really well today. I thought our intensity, the way we kept at it, we never stepped back nearly all game… I thought we had a really dominant type of performance and I thought the players played really well today.’
On the Hill Dickinson crowd – ‘I think there is a bigger, growing connection, which, by the way, was always there… The drive to go and press more has a lot to do with how the crowd support you and I thought today they’ve done a good job.’
On a change in attitude – ‘We did everything we could to win the game from the first minute to the last minute – we kept at it. If the stats say that, great, but I was more interested in the players’ attitude and how they performed.’
Everton Key Player
Idrissa Gana Gueye – The 35-year-old is going to have a busy afternoon, to say the very least. Coming up against a Liverpool midfield full of legs and technical ability, along with the possibility of lining up next to a very raw Tim Iroegbunam, Gana Gueye will have to run non-stop for 90 minutes if Everton want to take anything from this game. Everton’s wingers could have a lot of joy against Liverpool’s shaky and makeshift fullback pairing, but I think this game will be won and lost in the midfield.
Gana Gueye turns 36 next Friday, yet still shows the fitness of his 28-year-old self, during his first stint at Everton. Over the course of the last decade or so, he has comfortably established himself as one of the best ball-winners in the whole of Europe, as well as being one of Everton’s best value-for-money signings in recent history. It is hard to think about where Everton would be if Gana Gueye did not return to the club, putting in the consistent performances he has over the past three seasons – the Championship? I do not doubt it.
Against a midfield that will most likely include two of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, or Alexis Mac Allister, with Florian Wirtz sat in front of them, Gana Gueye has a job on his hands against one of the most effective midfield setups in the world. Szoboszlai is an elite midfielder out of possession; it is easy to notice the difference in Liverpool’s intensity and general play when he is not on the pitch. Gravenberch’s technical ability on top of his power compliments Szoboszlai perfectly. As a roaming midfielder, Gana Gueye will be looking to neutralise Szoboszlai’s off-the-ball impact, as well as stopping the balls between the lines into Florian Wirtz – if anyone in the league can do it, he can.
One to watch for Liverpool
Dominik Szoboszlai – For me, the Hungarian has comfortably been Liverpool’s standout player of the season, with his worldie free kick against Arsenal putting the cherry on top. Szoboszlai would have earned that title without the goal however, delivering a level of consistency only seen by a select few of the Liverpool team this season. Szoboszlai has been forced to be a makeshift right back for some matches this season due to injuries to Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley, yet he has put in the same level of performance no matter the position he plays. With an engine only few in the world can match, there is even an argument to be made that he is more important to the Liverpool team than Mohamed Salah.
Szoboszlai’s performances this season will certainly give Arne Slot questions to answer on where he starts on Saturday. Conor Bradley struggles to be consistently fit and Jeremie Frimpong is yet to play pass 60 minutes in a match for the Reds, but Szoboszlai’s work-rate in midfield could be the key to unlocking a resolute Everton defence in transitions. If I had to guess, I would say the 24-year-old will start at right-back on Saturday, with Liverpool’s strength in depth in midfield.
Final Thoughts
A win against Aston Villa last week would have completely took the heat off this game for Everton. Whilst, of course, you want to win every game, and a win at Anfield would be an incredible moment, nine points from the first twelve available would have put Everton in a comfortable position regardless of Saturday’s result. Whilst seven points is still a solid return, Everton’s league campaign may be looking slightly less impressive if they suffer defeat in the derby.
Everton’s performances over the last three league games have shown enough promise to convince fans they will be absolutely fine this season; but what many will want is too see more than ‘fine’. Everton need to be a team who believe they can go to Anfield and beat a Liverpool team who have been massively underwhelming all season. Here’s hoping David Moyes thinks the same way, but his away record at Big 6 teams speaks for itself…
Prediction
1-0 – The Merseyside derby is always a fixture where form goes out the window, as cliché as it sounds. Everton always seem overawed by the occasion when they visit Anfield, showing why their only win there this millennium has come behind closed doors. Whilst this team has clearly come on leaps and bounds in a short space of time, I think this may be one trip to Anfield too soon with a weakened defence and midfield.
Liverpool have too much quality to be as poor attacking-wise as they were against Burnley once again. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak will be eyeing up this fixture to announce themselves to the Liverpool fans and the Premier League, and seeing a teamsheet which includes Isak’s name could give the Anfield crowd that extra bit of excitement and noise. Overall, I think Everton will put up a good fight as they did last year at Anfield while looking far more threatening going forward, but I can see last season’s champions grinding out another win in a close affair.
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