The 242nd Merseyside Derby, according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, is a chance for his underwhelming players to respond and demonstrate how “special” the team is.
The visit of an Everton team, buoyed by the hiring of new manager Sean Dyche and a victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal, is seen as either coming at the worst possible time or being the best opposition to get the Reds going again after back-to-back losses to Brighton (in the FA Cup) and Wolves, and with just one victory in 2023.
Klopp is in the latter group, but he is aware that, despite this week’s positive training results, what counts is what transpires on the field at Anfield on Monday.
All the indicators are in place, but when I say that, I know that people will watch this at home and respond, “Yeah, but show it on Monday,” he remarked.
We must exhibit it on Monday because we view it exactly the same. Training has indeed been excellent thus far and will continue to be; everything is going as it should. That is correct.
The qualities of aggression, determination, readiness, concentration, focus, and intensity are present.
We never went into a derby saying, “It’s the derby, I have nothing to say, go for it,” since intensity is always a key component of the game.
“I know our fans want to see a reaction after the game we played against Wolves,” said the player. We must demonstrate that if we want me to see it.
“This is not a moment we wanted or are thrilled to be in, but I sense it is a time when we can demonstrate that the club is truly unique.
The guys have produced many fantastic moments over the past several years, but at this time it is not possible for a variety of reasons we did not do it. Nevertheless, we are working to improve the situation.
In 16 Merseyside derbies across all competitions, Klopp has only lost one. Everton’s first success at Anfield since 1999 came when the visitors won 1-0 behind closed doors under Covid restrictions.
The Toffees come in with confidence thanks to Dyche, who managed their first victory since October against the Gunners in their previous match.
He snapped Liverpool’s remarkable 68-game home league winning streak as manager of Burnley, again behind closed doors in 2021, and Klopp is aware of the impact his adversary has already made on their rivals.
We are aware that the game would be challenging since Sean Dyche is present and immediately had a significant impact. It was evident, and we need to be ready for that, so that’s what we’ll do, the Liverpool manager continued.
“Everton is a relatively compact team that excels at counterattacking, so set pieces will be quite risky for us. You could tell in the most recent game that was the team.
Even though Everton had excellent scoring opportunities prior to their goal and the goal came from a set piece, they had other opportunities as well. Of course, Arsenal was the more dominant team.
“We prepare for the team we saw against Arsenal; that makes sense since they have been together longer so all the plans can be clearer for everyone, but it’s not there; it’s here, and we have to make sure that is clear as well.