wellnessfitpro
Key events
40 min Liverpool keep the ball. They’re not threatening, but we saw last evening that tight games can be won with one moment of quality followed by a bit of composure.
40 min “Harvey Elliott rotting on the bench at Villa while his replacement struggles to touch the ball,” chortles Johnathan Kaszynski. “Maybe his next move should be to the Bundesliga where apparently he would look like one of the best players in Europe.”
38 min Is Ollie Watkins running into form at the right time? He’s scored again to put Villa 2-1 up on Sunderland.
37 min And he picks out Van Dijk as if on purpose. Everton’s set-piece delivery has been Neil “Dissa” Pointon so far.
35 min I’d really like to see Tyrique George on nice and early but, as I type, Everton win a corner down the left, Garner to swing in.
33 min Everton shouldn’t be downcast – they’ve played pretty well so far and looked relatively threatening. If they maintain the same level, Liverpool don’t seem have the class to dictate … but, as we saw, do have more than enough to conjure telling moments.
31 min “Wirtz is playing in his own timezone,” returns Niall Mullen. “Unfortunately for Liverpool it is last year, in a gently-paced Bundesliga fixture.”
The lack of improvement through the season is very concerning. I know Klopp loves him, and he understands a thing or 69,093 about high-octane Premier League football, but I’m seeing the same now as I was eight months ago: the occasional nice touch or spot, and very little else.
GOAL! Everton 0-1 Liverpool (Salah 30)
Real sickener for Everton! They try and play out, McNeil plays a loose pass backwards, and Gakpo collects, punching a terrific low diag that picks out Salah coming in off the other flank. He shortens stride, takes a touch, opens body, and passes across Pickford into the far corner, gracing his final Merseyside derby in the manner he’s played them all.
NO GOAL! Everton 0-0 Liverpool
O’Brien was fractionally off. Sickener for Everton.
28 min But was O’Brien offside? VAR wants a look and it’s close…
Everton 1-0 Liverpool (Ndiaye 27)
The last scorer at Goodison, the first at the new ground, and now the first in a new-ground derby; Iliman Ndiaye has got it goinn on! From the thrown, the ball goes back to Pickford, who launches it wide left, and O’Brien, still there from the throw, crosses, Ndiaye taking it down before gleefully thwacking past Mamardashvili.
26 min Everton are the better, more threatening team here, and they win a throw deep inside the Everton half, O’Brien hurling in only for Liverpool to make first contact and clear.
24 min Everything that no one (apart from everyone) wants to see. Garner flies in on Szoboszlai, winning the ball with a scissors effect, then Ndiaye charges, he and the Hungarian kicking at each other before various others arrive on the scene. Nothing else happens, but sentiments are building.
22 min Van Dijk is late on Gueye, who sees him coming and ducks out of the road; when there’s no yellow card, Pickford races out of his goal like a child mainlining Sunny and is booked for grassing.
22 min It’s an inswinger aimed at the far top corner, so Pickford tips behind then Branthwaite heads clear the follow-up.
21 min But Gakpo burrows infield off the left, shoots, and though Pickford has it covered, Tarkowski deflects it behind for a corner, Szoboszlai to take down the left.
20 min Wirtz and Gakpo have barely had a kick between them. Somehow, Liverpool spent in excess of £300m on forwards and still need a right-winger and attacking midfielder.
19 min “In defence of Slot withholding Rio Nigumoha today,” says Justin Kavanagh, “you don’t unleash your unruly children when visiting the neighbours’ new house for the first time.”
Depends how much you like or do’nt like them.
18 min Pickford does pretty well to flap away, but I’m surprised he wasn’t put under more pressure, with more men around him.
16 min Long ball from Gueye and Beto runs off Konate, Ropbertson playing him on, and he’s free on the left side of the box! So he opens his body looking to pass into the far corner but gets it all wrong, delivering more of a square pass, to no one, than a shot. That is a a major oversight, and Liverpool immediately go down the other end and win a corner.
16 min On which point, the keeper’s had some grief recently and it’s fair to say his passing out is a long, long way off Alisson’s – however hard he works, the gap feels insurmountable – but he was someone you could see was good at Valencia.
15 min Garner has a crack … and Mamardashvili shovels away, then up goes the flag.
13 min Garner crosses from the left and Robertson heads up and sort of clear, Everton picking up the loose ball and keeping their opponents boxed. They’re sustaining attacks quite well so far, just lacking invention in the final third, and they win a free-kick when Beto goes down; it’s well left of centre, not too far outside the box.
12 min Long ball from Tarkowski and Dewsbury-Hall runs off Szoboszlai, going down under a tackle from Jones; no penalty says the ref, and that seems the right call at first look.
11 min Chris Rigg has equalised for Sunderland at Villa – that’s his first Premier League goal and one I doubt he thought would take till April to come.
10 min But it wins them a corner and there’s a crowd scene inside the box, but Beto heads away Szoboszlai’s kick at the near post and, when Gueye counters, Gravenberch brings him down. Hilariously, Tarkowski – his greying sweep-back swaying in the wind like it’s in a lyrical ballad – takes moral issue with this outrage, harranging the ref.
9 min Everton have dominated so far but now Liverpool take some heat out of proceedings, moving the ball dead slowly. It may be a plan, but it may also just be what they do these days.
7 min “Regarding the debate about whether Rio Ngumoha should have started,” says Micha Haemmerling, “I think there is an argument that he still is only 17, so still a child. Given the propensity of leg breaking challgenges in such derbies (I’ll name noone, you fill in the blanks), there is an argument to be made that he still needs more protection than his older team mates and therefore it is wise not to start him.”
I know what you mean, but I want players who induce the panic and fear that forces those challenges on the pitch.
6 min Garner, on the left, tosses in an inswinging cross,, Beto loses Konate and flicks hard … but plunging left, Mamardashvili tips away a save that’ll make him feel a bit better after an iffy period.
5 min Goodness me, what nights those’ll be be against Forest.
4 min At Villa Park, Ollie Watkins has put the home side in front against Sunderland; they look good for next season’s Champions League – especially given the insurance of a Europa League semi.
3 min Everton win a free-kick just inside the Liverpool half, so send forward the centre-backs and hump it at Tarkowski, who flicks behind.
2 min It’s backwards and forwards to begin with, the noise intense and the weather pleasant. I’d be amazed if we say similar about the football.
1 min Aha, it’s not Szoboszlai at right-back but Jones – that makes sense, as the former is sorely required in the middle of the pitch.
1 min And away we go!
The players will be feeling the weight of history here – the joy of scoring the winner in the first derby on this ground will be tantalising each and every one of them.
AND HERE THEY COME!
The atmosphere is building in the ground, flags and tifo to the fore; our teams are tunnelling.
They’ve been helped by the incompetence around them, but this has been a very acceptable season for Everton and David Moyes – I certainly didn’t expect them to be this close to Europe with so few games to go. They must find a goalscorer in the summer – 39 league goals in 32 games is very poor indeed. But behind that, the defence is physical and midfield is solid, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been excellent in the number 10 position. If they can keep Jarrad Branthwaite fit, upgrade on McNeil and sign the right centre-forward – not easily done but far from impossible – they can have a lot of fun next season.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will ask the wide attackers to target the spaces between full-backs and centre-backs, with the full-backs keeping width to cut-back balls for Isak around the penalty spot, or drill low crosses for him to attack at the front post. Otherwise, they’ll want Wirtz to pick up pockets and slide balls in behind.
So where is the game? Everton will want to get pace around Van Dijk, who is now a long way off what he was, and will also sense opportunity in wide areas, where Liverpool’s full-backs are either past their peak or playing out of position. So expect them to look for Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil whenever they can while, in midfield, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye will fancy themselves to win the physical battle against Jones and Ryan Gravenberch. What they’ll need to do, though, is get bodies into the box for knockdowns and second balls, given crosses are likely to form a significant part of their attacking strategy.
“The CL spot is relatively safe,” reckons Dave Estherby. “Chelsea are going backwards under that work experience lad they’ve got ‘in charge’ and I can’t see Brentford/Brighton doing much more this season (Bournemouth might though).
As for Slot, he CAN’T lose this one or he’s bang in trouble – the whole side looks knackered and pasy it, a big clear-out in the summer is needed (still be stuck with Isak and Wirtz though…)
Also I can’t believe the best player of the last few weeks isn’t starting, then again I absolutely can.”
Yup, I think Slot’s been too cautious in his deployment of Ngumoha – not just today but through the season. Attackers can affect games when they’re young, the side needs an injection of youthful fearlessness and conviction, and Gakpo clearly isn’t it.
Ultimately, Liverpool got away with it last year – they weren’t a great side but Salah had a legendary half-season – and perhaps there wasn’t enough internal recognition of that reality. They felt the midfielders and centre-backs who delivered the title were adequate, but they patently were not.
“Fully agree you can’t say Harrison Reed’s goal for Fulham was ‘bad luck’ for Liverpool,” writes Joshua Keeling. “I think a deflection could be called bad luck, a 30-yard screamer can’t be.
The problem for Liverpool is not luck, it’s that they spent £450m on a load of players who don’t fit together, seemingly with no real plan for how they wanted to play, and left themselves short in key areas at centre-back and right-back. Poor recruitment is poor recruitment, it is not bad luck.”
And it follows what is, for my money, the best running of signings in football history: Mane, Salah, Henderson, Alisson, Van Dijk, Firmino, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho and so on. Furthermore, in refreshing their attack, they bought two centre-forwards but replaced neither Salah or Luis Diaz – and I’d also have addressed the middle of midfield.
Email! ““Slot has had a disastrous season in that he’s shown no obvious ability to adapt or inspire in the face of adversity,” reckons Niall Mullen. “That said, the adversity he’s had to deal with includes the death of Diogo Jota as well as injuries to players including a torn ACL, a broken leg, season-ending knee ligament damage, and an Achilles tendon rupture. I’m not sure I have any point other than perhaps Slot, while maybe deserving to be replaced as head coach, should probably be exempt from the banterpocalypse.”
It’s a thin line, isn’t it? And I agree with your analysis: there are plenty of factors beyond Slot’s control, but it’s hard to see where the positive influence is, starting with the summer business and extending to the lack of physicality, concentration, organisation and zest.
Up front, meantime, Alexander Isak continues. In the extended absence of Hugo Ekitike – and achilles ruptures are among the worst for any sportsperson, just ask Neil Webb – Slot wants a reference point, rather than using, say Gakpo through the middle to get Ngumoha in. I’d have gone with the latter and left out the former myself, but either way, he needs Isak to perform.
Otherwise, Florian Wirtz is again given a chance to assert and establish – the numbers and profiles behind him, more defensively minded, offer him yet some ballast, but does he have the necessary speed of thought and play, along with the required combativeness, to make a difference?
The problem he has is that he replaced two full-backs who were better in attack than defence, with … two full-backs who are better in attack than defence. Essentially, he doesn’t have a combination that works, so has prioritised solidity and experience here, the new lads excluded. That means Dominic Szoboszlai again plays at the back, which means Liverpool must do without their best midfielder in the centre of the pitch; I guess the plan might be for him to invert, but otherwise Slot will hope that the ball-carrying and tenacity of Curtis Jones compensate.
So, why has Slot made those alterations?
Anyway, back to the teams, Everton are unchanged following their 2-2 draw at Brentford, while Liverpool show four changes to the side that lost to PSG, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo coming in for Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Alexis Mac Allister and Hugo Ekitike.
Make up your own minds:
Jamie Carragher then notes the “bad luck”, citing Harrison Reed’s brilliant equaliser at Fulham; I’m not sure we’re aligned on what that means, because I watched that and saw skill Liverpool failed to defend.
We’ll look at those more closely in a few, but Slot is on Sky explaining that Rio Ngumoha has been left out because you need to be cognisant of Everton’s threat at set-pieces and how they like to play more generally. He also says it’s good to have agile players, able to take on opponents one on one, available to bring on late.
He bemoans injury and bad luck for a bit too, though is less loquacious on any responsibility that might be his.
Teams!
Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Beto. Subs: Travers, Patterson, Keane, Barry, George, Dibling, Alcaraz, Rohl, Iroegbunam.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak. Subs: Woodman, Pecsi, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Frimpong, Nyoni, Ngumoha.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Also going on for you:
Preamble
Baking cookies or making stock with the lid off; visiting the smallest room and making use of all the rooms; we each have ways of turning a house into a home. Generally speaking, though, we tend to refrain from inviting round hated former neighbours in the hope of smashing them up in front of a worldwide audience; good old football.
Of course, in such context, such behaviour makes perfect sense: the thing that most firmly anchors us to a place is shared experience. Except those can be both positive and negative and so far, Everton’s record in their new digs is spotty – they’re 14th in the home table – as it is in home derbies – they’ve won one since October 2010 and just four in the league this century. Which is to say you can invite the hated former neighbours, but there’s no guarantee they won’t wreck the gaff and you with it.
And there’s more riding on this conflict than base hatred, delicious and affirming, deliciously affirming and affirmingly delicious though it is: Liverpool sit fourth in the league table and Everton 10th, but between the gap between the two is a mere five points. Consequently, the Champions League is in the grasp of the former but still attainable for the latter, with the Europa and Conference similarly in play – likewise Arne Slot’s job, a state of affairs that seemed impossible just less than a year ago when he was dancing about as a champion.
But though the vibe in a home is a facility of the people in it, it quickly becomes clutter. Then if, on top of that, you toss in a load of posh but unnecessary furniture while ignoring the aspects of it which require urgent attention, it shouldn’t be all that surprising when a mess doth ensue. Whether Slot is permitted to tidy it depends a lot on what happens this afternoon.
Kick-off: 2pm BST
#Everton #Liverpool #Premier #League #live #Premier #League
