Premier League
Sunday 28th October 2012
Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Everton VS Liverpool
The struggle for supremacy is a never-ending one. Ninety minutes of madness, of memories that will last a lifetime but in the end all that matters is who was most recently victorious. Our victories against Everton last year, despite how sweetly they tasted at the time ultimately mean nothing. What matters is today. What matters is now.
This fixture appears to have come at a pivotal time for both clubs. We're still trying to shake off the poor results that started our season; and nothing would kick us into gear quite like a win over our nearest rivals. Everton meanwhile have - for the first time in a long time it seems - started the season magnificently. Having already beaten Manchester United here, another three points today would really solidify their optimism and underline David Moyes' ambition to finish as high up the table as possible.
What with this being such an important game, both managers have had causes for concern coming in regarding fitness. Having made the gamble of playing many of his first team on Thursday against Anzhi, Brendan Rodgers would still have hoped to have given Steven Gerrard in particular more rest. We've seen recently how his time needs to be managed and what can happen if he is not up to par, and for me there's a compelling argument for putting him on the bench and starting with Sahin-Allen-Shelvey - that would be a bold move however.
On the blue side of things, Mauroanne Fellaini has been out with an injury for some time. Not only would it be a great boost for Everton were he to come back in but it would give Moyes plenty more options in attack and Brendan Rodgers a hell of a lot more to think about. He is such a threat in and around the penalty area, I would love his name to be absent from the team sheet but I sincerely doubt he'll be as unhealthy as reports are suggesting. Players who are a doubt always seem to make miraculous recoveries against us.
Aside from the burnout issue caused by the game in midweek, there are a couple of niggling injuries that could cause selection headaches. Glen Johnson was taken off at half time on Thursday and the hope would be it's not too serious, especially with the way he has been playing of late. Also, there could a dilemma be regarding who plays in goal. A fit and firing Pepe Reina is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, but he has not been at that level for some time now. Brad Jones has come in and had two clean sheets in a row and despite the calibre of opposition, I think even if Pepe is fit Jones deserves to keep his place. The last thing Reina needs right now, despite how much he'll want it, is a game of this kind of scrutiny.
Usually with a derby there's a certain guarded bullishness. Some of it is just bluster but in my experience - Roy Hodgson aside - there has never been that much of a cause for concern until now. This is Brendan Rodgers first Merseyside derby and David Moyes' fifth Liverpool manager he has tested his skills against. For all the talk of a season of transition, Everton are settled in both identity and ambition. They have been playing good football and collecting good results lately, against everyone but us. If they really want to stake their claim and put a marker down, this is the day to do it. A win would light the fuse for either team. Either way, there are bound to be fireworks.
The struggle for supremacy is a never-ending one. Ninety minutes of madness, of memories that will last a lifetime but in the end all that matters is who was most recently victorious. Our victories against Everton last year, despite how sweetly they tasted at the time ultimately mean nothing. What matters is today. What matters is now.
This fixture appears to have come at a pivotal time for both clubs. We're still trying to shake off the poor results that started our season; and nothing would kick us into gear quite like a win over our nearest rivals. Everton meanwhile have - for the first time in a long time it seems - started the season magnificently. Having already beaten Manchester United here, another three points today would really solidify their optimism and underline David Moyes' ambition to finish as high up the table as possible.
What with this being such an important game, both managers have had causes for concern coming in regarding fitness. Having made the gamble of playing many of his first team on Thursday against Anzhi, Brendan Rodgers would still have hoped to have given Steven Gerrard in particular more rest. We've seen recently how his time needs to be managed and what can happen if he is not up to par, and for me there's a compelling argument for putting him on the bench and starting with Sahin-Allen-Shelvey - that would be a bold move however.
On the blue side of things, Mauroanne Fellaini has been out with an injury for some time. Not only would it be a great boost for Everton were he to come back in but it would give Moyes plenty more options in attack and Brendan Rodgers a hell of a lot more to think about. He is such a threat in and around the penalty area, I would love his name to be absent from the team sheet but I sincerely doubt he'll be as unhealthy as reports are suggesting. Players who are a doubt always seem to make miraculous recoveries against us.
Aside from the burnout issue caused by the game in midweek, there are a couple of niggling injuries that could cause selection headaches. Glen Johnson was taken off at half time on Thursday and the hope would be it's not too serious, especially with the way he has been playing of late. Also, there could a dilemma be regarding who plays in goal. A fit and firing Pepe Reina is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, but he has not been at that level for some time now. Brad Jones has come in and had two clean sheets in a row and despite the calibre of opposition, I think even if Pepe is fit Jones deserves to keep his place. The last thing Reina needs right now, despite how much he'll want it, is a game of this kind of scrutiny.
Usually with a derby there's a certain guarded bullishness. Some of it is just bluster but in my experience - Roy Hodgson aside - there has never been that much of a cause for concern until now. This is Brendan Rodgers first Merseyside derby and David Moyes' fifth Liverpool manager he has tested his skills against. For all the talk of a season of transition, Everton are settled in both identity and ambition. They have been playing good football and collecting good results lately, against everyone but us. If they really want to stake their claim and put a marker down, this is the day to do it. A win would light the fuse for either team. Either way, there are bound to be fireworks.
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