Former Everton defender Michael Ball looks ahead to Sunday's Merseyside derby
David Moyes reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
David Moyes reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
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Everton can go into the Merseyside derby with plenty of confidence but they must learn from their mistakes at Anfield.
The defeat there earlier this season felt so frustrating because the Blues made a really good fight of that match in the second half. At the end of the gameit was Liverpool who needed the final whistle as David Moyes’ side pushed for a later equaliser after Idrissa Gueye had pulled a goal back.
A second goal did not come but at the end of the game there was a sense that Everton had pushed their fiercest rivals all the way.
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The problem for Everton was they left themselves too much to do with a poor start. Those in Royal Blue lacked intensity and allowed Liverpool to seize the initiative with two early goals that proved an insurmountable challenge for Everton to overcome.
Anfield’s surroundings can get the better of you, that is something that has happened to me. When it does, you need a moment that can snap you out of it and build your confidence in the game. I’m not sure what that moment was for Everton but they were clearly a different side in the second half.
Gueye’s goal appeared to give the players the belief they could get a second goal and in the later stages Everton were out-passing and out-fighting Liverpool. That game marked a bit of a turning point for the season, for me.
Since then, Everton have typically started games well, with high intensity and with an eagerness to put their opposition under early pressure. They have not always earned something to show for it but they have made life uncomfortable for good sides in the opening stages of several games this campaign.
Hopefully, the memories of the last trip to Anfield will inspire Everton into a better start. They should not be scared, this might be a huge game but Liverpool are not having the best of seasons. They have dangerous players who could hurt anyone and that cannot be taken for granted. But if Everton concentrate on their own game, embrace the challenge and remember what made them effective in their better moments at Anfield, then they have a chance.
*I have seen a lot of discussion about the prices of the new season tickets for next season, One development that has frustrated me is the creation of Season Ticket+, a bolt-on product priced at £50 that provides offers including discounts. I think if you have had the patience and loyalty to support Everton through recent years then you should be able to see the benefit automatically and not have to pay extra for it - that doesn’t sit right with me.