EPL 2016/17: 3 key battles that will decide the Merseyside Derby
It’s derby day in Merseyside on Monday. Liverpool v Everton is often called the friendly derby but one can rest assured that there will be nothing friendly when the two teams walk out on the pitch at Goodison Park on Monday night.
The Blues arrested an awful run of form with a big win against Arsenal on Tuesday and Liverpool won their first game in three with a clinical display at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough.
Cliches might be boring, but sometimes cliches do hold good. In games like this, form goes out of the window. It is about the side that plays better on that given day, manages all the off-field distractions and imposes its style and superiority on the opposition.
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This is Jurgen Klopp’s first Goodison derby and he will have happy memories of the 4-0 thrashing his team handed out to the neighbours at Anfield earlier this year.
In all likelihood, the Reds will miss the services of Joel Matip again and Emre Can is still a doubt for the game. Daniel Sturridge is almost certain to not start, although Klopp did say that the striker could be fit enough to make the bench. For Everton, Phil Jagielka will miss out as he serves a one-game ban after picking up a red card against Arsenal in their last game.
Here are some key battles that could decide the outcome of the game.
#1 Gareth Barry v Adam Lallana
Lallana is in red-hot form. There are no two ways about that. In his absence, due to the injury picked up on England duty, there was something missing in the Reds’ displays – that spark, that guile in midfield. Once he has come back, he has shown his quality.
What has changed about Lallana is the fact that his end-product in the final third has gone up manifold. The move into midfield has worked wonders for him. Jurgen Klopp said after the game against Middlesbrough that Lallana was not getting into the right positions when the German arrived at the club. Now, he is doing what Frank Lampard did with such aplomb all through his years at Chelsea.
Lallana has six goals and six assists in the league this season. Only Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez have been directly involved in more goals in the Premier League.
But the challenge that faces the 28-year-old on Monday night is as tough as they will come in this league. Gareth Barry has shown that despite his age, he is still an astute defensive midfielder. With 609 appearances in the league so far, he will go second on the all-time Premier League appearance list, 22 behind Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
Barry’s importance to Everton in this game will be amplified by the absence of their captain Jagielka. Along with Leighton Baines and Ashley Williams, Barry brings much-needed experience to the Everton squad. That experience is needed in games like this, to ensure that the younger players around him do not lose their heads in the heat of the moment.
His presence in midfield frees up the likes of Ross Barkley and James McCarthy to move forward and get on with more creative duties than just keep doing the dirty work. The two younger midfielders will still have to cover for Barry’s aging legs as he might not be able to cover the amount of ground that he might have in his younger days.
And covering ground in midfield will be necessary given the way Liverpool will play. Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Lallana will run. They will run and won’t stop running.