It’s a mess in Liverpool. And after a long, long time, it’s a mess in the whole town of Liverpool. Both at Anfield and Goodison Park. The Reds and the Toffees are in a results crisis and even thou their problems are not on the same scale, for their supporters their own suffering is worse. Clearly, Everton is in a relegation battle for the second year in a row, the owner is desperately looking for new investment, but nobody is willing to invest, the bad financial dealings over the years led to a thin transfer window in which, by the way, many players turned down Everton and the Toffies ended up with 0 players…the fans can found their joy in the appointment of Sean Dyche, the 21st century version of Sam Allardyce and in a 1-0 victory over league leaders Arsenal.Everton struggling at the bottom of the league. Liverpool not matching their domination of years earlier. Sound familiar? The Merseyside derby 1992. pic.twitter.com/U5PuNantXn— 1992: The Birth of Modern Football (@92FootballBook) February 13, 2023 Liverpool is a long, long way from these kinds of problems, but for the fans accustomed to the Premier League title chase, at least one Cup final and the later stages of the Champions League, the 10th position on the table, with 11 points from the fourth place is nothing short of a disaster. Coach Jurgen Klopp is battling with journalists instead of sitting in front of the tactical board, the club is for sale so the major investments in the squad are off the table at the moment, injuries (and age) have taken their toll on some of the players and the new investments (Nunez, Gakpo) failed to show why there were paid so much. After many successful years, Klopp has the grim task of convincing his players they can win againSo, ahead of the Merseyside derby tonight, both clubs and their supporters are hoping the other team’s plight is their chance of taking all three points. And the home team is certainly under more pressure. The Champions League spot is far away, they don’t have a win in their last four league games (only one point, goal difference 1:9), and they have a good record against Everton. And Klopp again confirmed he will not leave the club.”I would say I have had difficult spells but always at the end of my time at my other clubs. At Mainz we had difficult times during the whole time and Borussia Dortmund was probably at the beginning and the end. So I understand that people would think that way, but I will not go and I cannot go. I have too much responsibility and I want it and I want to sort it again. We have to stay calm and smart and do the right things and there is one moment I am really emotional and that is after we lost the last game and you face me then but apart from that I am completely clear and can do the job I always did” said Klopp ahead of the game.BREAKING: John Brooks has been replaced as VAR for both Liverpool vs. Everton tonight and Arsenal vs. Manchester City on Wednesday evening after his error at the weekend. pic.twitter.com/E9eKCX0h9X— SPORTbible (@sportbible) February 13, 2023 Sean Dyche is certainly in a better position than Klopp, at least for this match. Points are expected in order to secure Premier League survival, but not against Liverpool. Toffies managed only two wins in the last 24 years at Anfield, and nobody wants to pressure Everton, but if there is a good time to surprise the bitter rival, it’s now.“I’m certainly not worried about stats and facts with Liverpool. I’m just planning on us delivering. I can’t emphasise that enough. I’ve just got here and I can’t legislate for the opposition and what they are doing every week. I need to focus on what we need to do and imprint it as quickly as I can. Virtually all my efforts are on what I’m doing here without much scope for worrying about what else is going on in football. Everyone can take care of themselves, it’s my job to take care of us. That’s what I’m planning on doing” said Dyche. He will wait for Dominic Calvert Lewin until the last minute, but Klopp again has more problems in the injury department. Thiago Alcantara is now sidelined with a hip, Diogo Jota has returned to training, and could be in line to feature against Everton and Virgil van Dijk, Roberto Firmino and Arthur Melo have also taken part in training, however, it remains to be seen whether any of the trio will be risked against Everton. Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz still remain in doubt.PREMIER LEAGUESaturdayWest Ham – Chelsea 1-1 (1-1)/Emerson 28 – Felix 16/Arsenal – Brentford 1-1 (0-0)/Trossard 66 – Tooney 74/Leicester City – Tottenham 4-1 (3-1)/Mendy 23, Maddison 25, Iheanacho 45+2 – Betancur 14/Fulham – Nottingham Forest 2-0 (1-0)/Willian 17, Solomon 88/Southampton – Wolverhampton 1-2 (1-0)/Alcaraz 24 – Bednarek 72 og, Gomes 87/Crystal Palace – Brighton 1-1 (0-0)/Tomkins 69 – March 63/Bournemouth – Newcastle 1-1 (1-1)/Senesi 30 – Almiron 45+2/SundayLeeds – Man.Utd. 0-2 (0-0)/Rashford 80, Garnacho 85/Manchester City – Aston Villa 3-1 (3-0)/Rodri 4, Gundogan 39, Mahrez 45+1 pen – Watkins 61/Monday23.00: (1.61) Liverpool (4.20) Everton (6.50)***odds are subject to change
