So how do you win the Merseyside derby? Well you don’t have to be a nuclear physicist to come to the conclusion that wearing a Red shirt, dramatically increases your chances of being on the winning side in these games.
I don’t want to seem too dismissive of the toffees, they’ve made a very good start to the season and this will undoubtedly be a tough game. However, I’ve been to many Merseyside derbies over the years and my feelings before each of them is basically the same as it is ahead of this one.
No matter what players, formation or tactics etc that Moyes employs in this game, he will still require one vital ingredient to win the match, and that is for Liverpool to play badly. That’s basically what these games tend to come down to. If Liverpool get into their stride and play as they can, then they will win but if the blueshite can manage to stop them from playing, then they’ll give themselves a decent chance of getting something from the game.
Rafa has built a strong squad and he has given himself a few nice selection headaches for tomorrow’s game but regardless of who makes the starting line-up, the system will remain the same. We will keep it tight at the back, be creative in midfield, try to stretch their ageing defence by using the width and get the ball into the forwards to do the damage etc. The trick from the blueshite point of view is to try to stop us.
So imagine for a moment that you suddenly had a lobotomy and became the blueshite boss, how would you go about beating Liverpool? If it were me I would accept the fact that we can’t outplay them and I would employ spoiling tactics and try to out muscle them. Start off the game by throwing in a few heavy challenges about in midfield and see how the referee and the Liverpool midfielders react.
Gerrard got sent off after just 18 minutes in the last derby, so I would stick a man marker on him with instructions to stay within a yard of him at all times and to frustrate and wind him up at every opportunity. Alonso would need to be pressurised every time he gets the ball because if he is allowed to find his range with his passes, he can cause you all kinds of problems. So keeping those two quiet will go a long way towards keeping Liverpool quiet and would be a big part of my agenda.
If Aurelio and Gonzalez play on the left then I would judge this to be a potential weakness. Neither player has played in a derby game before and Gonzalez is still very young, so piling the pressure on those two might just produce a few openings on the left hand side. I would also be looking to split the Liverpool centre backs in an attempt to get Andy Johnson in against Hyypia. Do all of this and keep your fingers crossed, and you just might get a result.
These tactics may seem heavy handed but that’s they way the toffees always play it because if Liverpool get into their stride, then its practically all over. Everton’s idea of a successful season is an upper mid-table finish and victory over Liverpool, so they will be sure to give this everything they have and its going to be a very tough game.
It wasn’t so long ago that Liverpool would view a draw at Goodison and victory at Anfield to be a successful return from these games in our quest for a top four finish. However, things are a lot different now. Rafa is building a squad capable of winning the Premiership and if we are serious about doing this, then we must go to Goodison and win. I believe that we will. It will be a hard physical game but I think in the end we will have too much quality for them and my money is on a 2-0 win.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
