Salah will look to take his fine form into a crucial Merseyside derby on Saturday
Everton will have their work cut out but there is a way to stop the forward
LISTEN NOW to It's All Kicking Off!: Why can't Chelsea win the league? They made seven changes and still scored five. Do you think Liverpool could do that?
By MARTIN KEOWN
Published: 17:30 EST, 6 December 2024 | Updated: 17:31 EST, 6 December 2024
Merseyside is a fabulous hotbed of football and I loved playing in this fixture during my three and a half years at Everton, a game that taught me how a fired-up crowd can be a real leveller and fluster world-class talents.
Football discussions were never far away from any conversation in the city and Saturday's clash is more poignant than most in the fixture’s 130-year history, as it will mark the beginning of the end of Goodison Park.
Everton live in a world of constant uncertainty while Liverpool are thriving under the weight of expectation. One team has been surviving by their fingernails amid financial issues, while the other continues to be a financial powerhouse in European football.
Sean Dyche knows from last season’s win — which secured safety and all but ended Liverpool’s title hopes — about the credit he can get from victory in the derby, and how it can increase the belief he is still the man to steer Everton away from danger.
Every time you think Everton have turned a corner, they take several steps in the wrong direction. It still feels like Dyche is on trial with the supporters.
When he first arrived, his fingerprints were all over their survival after taking over from Frank Lampard. The club would have been relegated had he not arrived. But in the two seasons since, he has had to work with a continually shrinking squad and against the backdrop of ownership problems, with the club’s takeover still not finalised.
Sean Dyche will know that a win against Liverpool can gain him credit with the Everton fans
The Toffees will have their work cut out when it comes to stopping Liverpool's Mohamed Salah
Passes to Salah should be blocked at the central midfielders need to stay close to the defence
Saturday's focus, though, has to be on getting a result against Liverpool. Everton will need their best performance of the campaign, just as they produced in April when they won 2-0.
Liverpool are strong favourites but my experience of this fixture tells me the local pressure is a great leveller. It always surprised me how the likes of John Barnes and Alan Hansen, who I’d played against many times elsewhere, would suddenly look ordinary. The pressure of this game does things to players’ confidence.
One battle that may dictate the outcome will be down Everton’s left. In Mohamed Salah, Dyche’s men are up against the best player in Europe. I feel he is playing with anger and trying to prove a point: ‘Don’t forget me’. He has gone to another level.
Liverpool will not be concerned about his contract stand-off because it is not stopping him bringing his best football.
It is significant that Dwight McNeil did not play in his usual central position in midweek and played a part in all four goals from the left wing in the 4-0 win over Wolves. One of his main roles on Saturday will be to block passes to Salah and support left back Vitalii Mykolenko.
Also of importance is that central midfielders Orel Mangala and Idrissa Gana Gueye stay very close to their back four who, at times this season, have looked exposed in one-v-one situations.
There is no guarantee Everton will move into their new stadium as a top-flight club but they will be hoping for a Goodison send-off on Saturday befitting of the stadium.
Recent times have been about survival but this could be an outstanding game to see out this fixture before they head to Bramley-Moore Dock.