Premier League: Monday on the Mersey is Call for a Pick-Me-Up

Liverpool vs Everton

The Premier League can be an unforgiving place and Merseyside giants have certainly found that out to their cost this season.

Take last season’s runners-up, Liverpool, who currently find themselves in 10^th place going into the weekend.

Even more so, take Everton – nine times champions of England – who occupy one of the bottom three positions.

Relegation for the Toffees would be unthinkable but it has become a reality for the second successive season after struggles and despair on and off the pitch.

That is the backdrop to Monday night’s Merseyside derby with the pressure on both clubs for very different reasons.

Talking Points

Let’s begin with the visitors who find themselves in a position which isn’t meant to be the norm.

This is Everton Football Club which holds the record of playing the most seasons in the top flight – only ever playing four campaigns out since the creation of the Football League in 1888.

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The blue half of the city have also played at the top level continuously since 1954, with only Arsenal enjoying a longer unbroken run at the highest level.

Looking in from the outside, that they managed to stay up last term owed as much to individual excellence in key games – such as Jordan Pickford – as any tactical strategy.

And for much of this term, that remained the case with results generally poor and morale even poorer and seemingly heading for an all-time low.

That is until a week ago when there was a massive lift for all concerned.

The appointment of Sean Dyche seemed a good move and the impact was immediate as his new side beat the league leaders in his first match in charge.

That was a contest in which the boys from Goodison Park seemed a different animal to the one which has been witnessed for the majority of the season.

Dyche made a name for himself from solid defensive organisation and shock victories and here was another win as Everton proved organised and resilient at the back, shuttling and shuffling around to close down any potential space for exploitation by a side which previously only lost once in the league all season.

The sheer energy and his obvious relish at being back in a Premier League technical area was clear to see and it bodes well for Everton in the second half of the season as they aim to climb to safety.

It means they travel to their neighbours with much still to do but a more positive outlook.

Positivity has also been in short supply of late at Anfield with few Premier League highlights for the red half to write home about.

Last week’s 3-0 reverse at lowly Wolves was indeed the latest setback for a team which took last season’s title race to the final moments.

Sean Dyche has made an immediate impact after beating Arsenal in the Premier League — In Sean Dyche’s first game, his Everton side managed to beat Arsenal

There may be many reasons for their slump but the squad remains a talented one with plenty of depth and perhaps that is what is frustrating manager Jurgen Klopp so much.

Few could have predicted how far Liverpool would be off the pace at this stage and they were as woeful as Wolves were wonderful in the first half of the encounter at Molyneux.

You suspect their performance in a home derby will be much improved, yet with Dyche instilling new belief and awareness it may not be as straightforward as some would previously have anticipated for the hosts.

History

It is a rich and illustrious history which captures the imagination whether you’re a ‘blue’ or a ‘red’.

Liverpool have traditionally held the upper hand with 122 wins to Everton’s 82. There have also been 86 draws.

That included a goalless encounter at Goodison Park in September, an eventful contest in which both sides hit the woodwork.

The corresponding fixture last season saw Liverpool finally break down their resolute relegation-threatened neighbours with second half goals from Andy Robertson and Divock Origi.

Everton have only won once at Anfield in the past 23 years but they remember it fondly as it came two seasons ago under the astute management of Carlo Ancelotti.