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The weekend is just around the corner once again, and here’s an early preview post looking at the Merseyside derby – one that will definitely be a tasty encounter come this Sunday.
A Short Introduction
Everton are a different side this year. Whilst previous seasons have seen them lose key players such as Mikel Arteta and Pienaar (before he returned) leaving the Toffees, severely denting their hopes of progress, they really seem to have a squad filled with more depth and quality despite two key departures in young Jack Rodwell and the soon-to-be retiring Tim Cahill.
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They’ve got a fairly strong side more than capable of challenging for the European places – to the extent that they’re putting a stronger case for themselves than us presently. This is a derby that will be fiercer than ever. Liverpool will want to continue their good run of form, whilst you can bet your life that Everton will do anything in their power to stop Liverpool from closing the gap.
Tactics Watch: Everton FC
Everton set out their team with a fairly consistent first eleven, with David Moyes favouring a 4-4-1-1 formation this season, with Fellaini playing behind a lone striker in Croatian forward Jelavic for much of this season. They’ve got a decent keeper in American Tim Howard, and their defence has been coping very well with opposition teams this season.
Moyes has to decide to pick between Seamus Coleman and Hibbert for the rightback berth, whilst Jagielka, Distin and Baines will be tasked with the (sometimes) difficult task of trying to stop our mercurial Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
Their midfield has a few doubts. You’ve got Fellaini with a fitness doubt, whilst Gibson is a fitness doubt as well. The midfield will probably have Osman out on the left wing with Mirallas on the opposite flank. The two central midfielders are likely to be Phil Neville and Fellaini, and Naismith looks set to play a role in this match, playing ‘in the hole’ behind Jelavic for this one.
Tactics Watch: Liverpool FC
Pepe Reina has been awful this season. I’m not going to run away from the fact. If Brendan Rodgers decides to field Reina (whom actually still has a fitness doubt hanging over his head) ahead of Brad Jones (with two consecutive solid performances and clean sheets), then he’s obviously not rewarding performance.
He said in one of his first press-conferences that he won’t take any other factors apart from performance and effort on the training field – i.e. age, reputation – and if you’re going to reward performance, Brad Jones is the man to start the Merseyside derby. He looks much better in the air, far more confident than the Spaniard, and I just think that Reina just needs that wake-up call right now.
We’ll have a fairly predictable starting XI. Bar any fitness problems from the Anzhi home game, we should have Wisdom, Agger, Skrtel and Johnson at the back. It remains the best back 4 at the moment unless Enrique drastically improves. Allen, Sahin and Gerrard will try to win that midfield battle, and we have Suarez, Sterling and Suso up front (unless Rodgers wants to experiment with Assaidi, who played a blinder in mid-week).
Key Battles
Steven Gerrard vs Marouane Fellaini
Two really dynamic midfielders will face off in a bid to try and help their respective teams win the midfield battle. Fellaini will have his presence, aerial ability and overall ‘bulldozer’ ability on his side, whilst Gerrard will have to bank on experience, execution and his vision to try and cut open the Everton defence and midfield.
Tiki-taka vs Pressing
Derbies are always going to see really heavy pressing from opposition players (unless there’s a tactical discipline lecture from Moyes before the game), so it will be interesting to see how Rodgers’ men move the ball under the pressure from the Toffees. This will be a real test for the Reds to break down a resilient back 4.
Jelavic vs Skrtel and Agger
Really interesting striker, Jelavic. Capable of using his head and feet really well. His finishing is fantastic, and he’s really good at finding those few inches of space for himself. Skrtel and Agger will have to be on their toes for this man.
Suarez vs the Everton defence
The reason I saw ‘Everton defence’ is because the Uruguayan really comes in from everywhere. From out wide and from the middle, so Everton themselves will have to be on their toes for our man. Suarez is capable of destroying teams with his dribbling and finesse shots (as seen against Norwich City) and more than capable of sending the ball into the stands with frustrating finishing, so it will be interesting to see which Luis Suarez turns up.
What to Expect
An absolute grind-fest. Everton look a far superior side compared to last season, and Liverpool will have a battle on their hands to try and keep up with Everton’s early pace-setting. Expect a lot of tackles, a red card and a whole lot of yellow cards on Sunday.
