The Merseyside Derby is fast approaching, and the stakes couldn’t be higher as Liverpool host Everton at Anfield.
We spoke to Will Rooney of LiverpoolWorld about what to expect. For Liverpool, it’s a must-win in their title push as they need to regain confidence, while Everton are looking to continue their surge under David Moyes.
Recent form, key injuries, and tactical battles will all play a huge role in deciding who takes the bragging rights.
We spoke to Will Rooney of LiverpoolWorld about what to expect. For Liverpool, it’s a must-win in their title push as they need to regain confidence, while Everton are looking to continue their surge under David Moyes.
Recent form, key injuries, and tactical battles will all play a huge role in deciding who takes the bragging rights.
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00:00Now, the Merseyside derby is fast approaching and the stakes couldn't be higher as Liverpool
00:07host Everton at Anfield. With both teams fighting for crucial points, this clash promises intensity,
00:14drama and plenty of talking points, just like the previous one at Goodison Park. I spoke
00:20to Will Rooney of Liverpool World about what to expect. As for Liverpool, it's a must-win
00:25in their title push as they need to regain confidence, while Everton are looking to continue
00:30their surge under David Moyes. Recent form, key injuries and tactical battles will all
00:36play a huge role in deciding who takes the bragging rights. With the Anfield crowd behind
00:42them, Liverpool will be favourites. But in a derby, anything can happen.
01:12Do you feel that that first derby was a bit of a learning curve, of Arnie Schlott learning
01:22how important the derby is to fans and the players, and Everton really gave them a great
01:28game that night?
01:29Yeah, I think he must have been aware of how important the game is to fans, but maybe the
01:36intensity did surprise him a little bit. It was a real bare pit that night, Goodison,
01:43the last one at Goodison Park, under the lights. The occasion really was set up for Everton,
01:48to be quite frank. More than worth a point on the evening, that late-change Tarkovsky
01:56goal. Yeah, I think it'd be a learning curve in terms of letting emotions get to him. He
02:04said that the cool heads were needed. Some players, like Conor Bradley, who was experiencing
02:08his first derby, he struggled in the game, if I remember correctly. But it's at Anfield
02:15this time, and Liverpool, in the majority of games this season at Anfield, have been
02:22dominant as a head to win. Even PSG, when he got beat, he had some chances. It was a
02:29back-and-forth game. Nottingham Forest, he lost a home to, but Liverpool were probably
02:36the better team that day, just couldn't create too many chances. So it'll be a different
02:41game, but the challenge around that loss is going to be how can he... He said after the
02:46Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle that Newcastle were physically better than Liverpool. He
02:56said that they were making Liverpool go long. Newcastle win the ball in the air, and then
03:03they pick it up with second balls, etc. Anfield are probably going to do similarly, you would
03:10think. They've got two giant centre-halves, Tarkovsky and Bramford, who win everything
03:15in the air. They've got a player like Joseph Garnaghey in midfield who gets around the
03:19park. So that's the challenge around the slots. How is he going to combat that? Because teams
03:26who play like that, Man Utd went long as well at the start of the year, and Liverpool had
03:32the struggles against Man Utd. Nottingham Forest, obviously, we know how they play.
03:36So that's the challenge for slots. How does he cope with these teams who have got a clear
03:45way of playing? It might not be the sexiest way of playing, but it's effective and you
03:52can't moan. To be fair to Closet, he doesn't moan and say this is anti-football. He accepts
03:57that this is the way that these teams play. But it is a challenge now to come up a way
04:03for Liverpool. How do they get it? Do they go around? Do they go through them? That's
04:09the way they've got to do it. Some players said to go to the well again. But after the
04:15break, there's been a chance for players to put their feet up. Some of them, the likes
04:20of Tarkovsky, the likes of... I'm trying to think of the others who didn't answer.
04:26That's not juicy. Obviously, Jordan Pickford went away. But some players, as I say, have
04:30had a chance to rest, recharge their batteries. It's a big one for Everton. They know that
04:37there's a big challenge ahead. But if you could take it at all now, I think a lot of fans would.