As much as I hate to admit it, you can roll the dice on the first Merseyside Derby of the season. With both Liverpool and Everton playing far below standards, no one knows what’s going to happen.
The old adage that the form book goes out the window for fixtures like this is just something that’s said by people like me to liven up the occasion; now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the team that’s in the better form going into the match usually comes out on top, no? Well, if you want to use that as a barometer, the Reds — having barely scraped by Championship side Middlesbrough in the League Cup on Tuesday — hold a slight edge over their neighbours who were knocked out of the same competition by Swansea City. If there is an edge to be had, it’s being held on to by fingernails alone.
Although neither manager is willing to admit that their side is in a real pickle, both of them will start to feel the pressure should they not bag three points this weekend. With October just around the corner, the wrong half of the table is not a place one wants to be in; not after the significant investment of the summer or the high expectations that sprung from the wellspring of last seasons performances. While it’s easy to point to Liverpool and boss Brendan Rodgers in this scenario, his Everton counterpart in Roberto Martinez is just as easily described with the preceding sentences.
The defensive frailties, the short-comings in attack, the often times non-existent midfield cover — it’s all been part and parcel of both the Reds and the Blues early season story. Where Liverpool have missed the likes of Joe Allen and Daniel Sturridge through injury, Everton have had to do without the services Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley. Where Rodgers have seen Steven Gerrard’s influence in the deep-lying role effectively limited by the likes of West Ham United and Aston Villa, Martinez is able to match with James McCarthy’s dynamic rise looking somewhat stunted as of late.
If no one else, the man between the sticks could very well tell the tale, though there isn’t much promise there either. With both Tim Howard and Simon Mignolet coming under increasing fire for decisions beguiling their experience resulting in performances deemed less than acceptable, another mistake rather than a moment of heroics seems the more likely of their contribution. Flip a coin on which one does it first and then get on with it.
Listen….really, there’s no easy way to say this: we look just as bad as they do and vice-versa. Depending on which side of the fence you fall on — I’m sure you don’t need me to expand on my position — you may argue this or that to the contrary, but with next to nothing separating the two sides in the table, it’s an unfortunate reality and a reason that could very well make this one of the most closely contested Merseyside derbies in years. On the back of that, of course, is the promise the winner being provided a springboard for the rest of the campaign. There’s no denying the feel good factor and moral boost that comes with a win in the derby, so there’s always that to look forward to.
Or, you know, something to dread if your team comes out on the wrong end of the scoreline. It’s been 15-years since Everton have claimed bragging rights at Anfield; let’s hope that if Mignolet can’t hold fast that, in the very least, history will…
–Steven
