Royal Blue Mersey - Everton vs. Liverpool: Premier League Matchday 9It's a grand old team to supporthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52544/royal_fav.png2012-10-29T13:46:52+00:00http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/rss/stream/33231172012-10-29T13:46:52+00:002012-10-29T13:46:52+00:00Tactically Speaking: It certainly wasn't boring
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<figcaption>Clive Brunskill</figcaption>
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<p>The inaugural Merseyside derby had a lot of strategic maneuvering, but in the end all the sound and the fury signified nothing as neither side could engineer a winning goal.</p> <p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another derby, another refereeing controversy, and once again all of us chattering fans have talking point galore. From a tactical standpoint <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Everton</a> didn’t break out any real surprises, although Moyes did opt for Naismith and Coleman on the right instead of playing the more conservative option of Coleman or Naismith ahead of Hibbert. <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool</a> on the other hand broke out a whole bunch of new tricks to varying degrees of effectiveness. So, let’s break it down half by half.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Obviously the first half was where all the goals (all the allowed goals at any rate) were scored. Two of them were from set pieces, thanks to general confusion and poor marking on Everton’s side, and then a poor and somewhat unlucky punch from Liverpool keeper <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110066/brad-jones" class="sbn-auto-link">Brad Jones</a>, so they weren’t particularly interesting tactically. The other two, however, were direct results of Moyes’s personnel decisions. The movement that led to the opening goal for Everton was started when Coleman made the bad decision to try and cut out a pass to <span>Jose Enrique</span>, Liverpool’s left back. When Enrique easily played the ball around him, it put the defense in an impossible position. <span>Leighton Baines</span> actually did really well to deny the initial cross before the ball ran through to Suarez who pounded it in off the left back.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">But, on the offensive side of the ball, it was Naismith who scored the equalizer. He made a very good run to a central position in front of goal to score. It’s a run I think we can safely say that Coleman, who likes to stay wide, would not have made. And besides the goal Naismith had a very good game. He was much more involved than he has in the past and seemed quite comfortable combining with Coleman. And, as you can see below he did a nice job moving to more central positions which helped Osman and Neville in addition to giving Coleman room to get forward.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><img src="http://tf-chalkboards.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images/0dzBT.png"></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Defensively, although it seems odd to say after a half in which Liverpool scored two goals, Everton did well, and played the game they wanted to play. Fellaini did an excellent job of limiting <span>Joe Allen</span>’s involvement. While Allen was still Liverpool’s most prolific passer, as the chalkboards show the number of passes he played dropped by a third from his last outing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img src="http://tf-chalkboards.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images/0dPRV.png"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One odd effect of Fellaini’s defensive duties was that he was often dragged to the right side because Allen operates primarily in the right center of midfield. You can see he received more long balls there than on the left, which is the opposite of what we’re used to. That fact helps to explain both why he seemed a little disconnected offensively, and why Mirallas was so dominant as a dribbler on the left. He had a lot of room to work with, with Fellaini and drawing defenders away. As always, here’s the visual evidence.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><img src="http://tf-chalkboards.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images/0dZjT.png"></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Everton also coped well with the little first half surprised Brendan Rodgers cooked up starting <span>Raheem Sterling</span> on the right instead of the left. Presumably this was with the hope of pinning Leighton Baines back and limiting his attacking impact, but that didn’t work at all. Instead Everton forced him to defend, which he did reluctantly and clumsily, picking up a yellow and narrowly avoiding a second. Ultimately Rodgers had Sterling switch wings to ensure he made it to halftime safely.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">After the half, the game change fairly dramatically. Rodgers made the roughly like for like change of introducing <span>Jonjo Shelvey</span> for Nuri Sahin, but also made a second more radical change, lifting winger Suso in favor of defender <span>Sebastian Coates</span>. That would suggest that Rodgers wanted to go with only 3 defenders and have his two starting fullbacks Wisdom and Jose Enrique push up into the midfield. In practice though, as you can see in the first half and second half influence maps, while Jose Enrique did in fact transform himself into a midfielder, Wisdom actually played even more conservatively defensively. His total lack of offensive presence made it all the more painful that Mirallas picked up a knock and wasn’t able to return for the second half. Without any defensive responsibilities he would have spent 45 minutes doing nothing but running at the overmatched Wisdom.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><img src="http://tf-chalkboards.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images/0dfnW.png"></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">As it was, instead of switching the 3 at the back it seemed that Liverpool ended up playing a lopsided 4-4-1-1, with Wisdom staying anchored at the right fullback spot and Agger shifting from the middle out to the left. Up top Sterling moved centrally behind Suarez, but the midfield was kind of a strange lop sided mess with Jose Enrique on the left, but the three central midfielders remaining roughly in there middle triangle with nobody out on the right. Sadly the inexperienced and slightly overmatched <span>Magaye Gueye</span> wasn’t able to take advantage of the space. He didn’t play badly, but he was much too conservative given the odd opposition midfield he was confronted with.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On the other hand, despite all the weirdness Rodgers’ adjustment was majorly successful in two distinct ways. First, Shelvey had a much bigger impact than Sahin. When you look at where they each received the ball you can see that they are very very different players. Sahin likes to (or is ordered to) stay high up the pitch and get the ball delivered to him in the final third. Shelvey on the other hand dropped deep to get the ball and then would turn and run with it. He was much more involved in the game and led several dangerous attacks. Although Everton seemed to resolve that problem because of the 17 passes he received only 3 came after the 70<sup>th</sup> minute.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Second, moving Sterling centrally and further up the pitch removed his defensive responsibilities. As the first half was closing it became clear that Everton was determined to exploit the young winger. He already had a yellow card, and was clearly both unable and unwilling to defend from his wing position. By changing the system Rodgers did an excellent job of protecting his youngster while also giving him the chance to continue to contribute offensively. Liverpool looked the most dangerous in the second half when the ball went up the field quickly to Suarez and Sterling, and the two of them freelanced against our older, slower defenders.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Despite all that jockeying nobody broke through in the second half (technically, thanks to a rare pro Everton break) and a draw was probably a fair result. So, what should we take away from the game? First and foremost, this is the end of the line for the hard fought comeback draw story line. The next four games are against <a href="https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Fulham</a> on the road, home against <a href="https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sunderland</a>, away against <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/reading" class="sbn-auto-link">Reading</a> then home for Norwich. Draws against those teams aren’t plucky, or heroic, they are failures. End of story. Right now three points separates 4<sup>th</sup> from 9<sup>th</sup> in the table. That means that despite the last three weeks Everton are still in it, but it won’t last for long. Tottenham and <a href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arsenal</a> are too good not to string some wins together and put some space between them and the field. I’d like to think Everton are in that class as well, but the last three games haven’t shown me that. If the next for don’t it may be too late.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/10/29/3570830/everton-v-liverpool-tactical-analysis-tactical-sound-and-furyMike_L_Goodman2012-10-28T17:33:42+00:002012-10-28T17:33:42+00:00Match Report: Good vs. Evil Ends in Stalemate
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<img alt="I also had about eight pictures of Suarez to choose from. You're welcome." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dPyfBav3pWlbGR0GMH0txvAbyao=/13x0:3986x2649/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2183849/154868820.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>I also had about eight pictures of Suarez to choose from. You're welcome. | Clive Brunskill</figcaption>
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<p>In a Merseyside Derby that left us with no shortage of subjects for the water cooler but in the end settled little, Everton came back from 2-0 down to at least claim a share of the spoils with their arch rivals. However, Everton fans were expecting more against the weakest Liverpool side in recent memory, leaving us with a pile of conflicting emotions and a city where nothing has been decided yet. Stay tuned for full match coverage...</p> <p><i>1st Half</i></p>
<p>- Both sides had their fair share of corners early on, as Nikica Jelavic's floated ball nearly found <span>Steven Naismith</span> on the back post before Liverpool earned a corner of their own with some tight passing. In a move that caused disturbing flashbacks to Junior Hoilett's goal last week, <span>Jose Enrique</span> initiated a counter attack off of one of the corners but decided his best move in the end was to pass the ball directly to <span>Tim Howard</span>.</p>
<p>- <span>Kevin Mirallas</span> played really well during the short time he was on the field (more on that in a bit), exemplified by a brilliant mazy run through the defense. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110066/brad-jones" class="sbn-auto-link">Brad Jones</a> did well to get a hand on the resulting corner, tipping the ball over the end line for yet another corner.</p>
<p>- However, it was to be our neighbors who found the back of the net first. Jose Enrique found room to work down the left channel thanks to Suso, and he used that space to find <span>Luis Suarez</span>. Scuffing his shot, Suarez shot into the path of a scrambling <span>Leighton Baines</span>, and the ball deflected cleanly into the <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Everton</a> goal. Cue Suarez acting like the clown that he is, as the striker ran straight to the touchline and flopped to the ground theatrically in front of <span>David Moyes</span>. Give Moyes credit for doing nothing more than staring down the idiot - I'm not sure I would have had the same restraint!</p>
<p>- In no time all, our worst nightmares seemed to be materializing before our eyes as Liverpool led by an astonishing two goals through the famous flopper himself. The goal was generated through a free kick after <span>Leon Osman</span> was whistled for a phantom foul, but Everton had no one to blame but themselves for woeful marking on Suarez. Jelavic and <span>Phil Jagielka</span> were both probably culpable, but Suarez needed only the slightest of touches to beat Howard and stun the Goodison faithful.</p>
<p>- Down by two goals, Everton were desperate for an immediate response to rally the troops, and thankfully Osman was able to provide the lifeline they craved. Once more, Everton had earned a corner kick, and Jones's punch was poor and sent the ball straight back into the danger area. Osman stayed calm, collected the ball at his feet, and hit a hard low shot that caught a piece of <span>Joe Allen</span> on its way into the net. The lead had been halved, and Everton maintained hope that all was not lost.</p>
<p>- Over the next few minutes every call seemed to go against Everton. First Andre Marriner allowed Everton to play a bad advantage when the play really should have been whistled dead. Then Jones managed to draw a foul by jumping onto <span>Sylvain Distin's</span> back. The appointment of Marriner was much discussed leading up to the match, and my final verdict on his performance? Could have been worse but could have been a lot better, with the bad calls tipped slightly in <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool's</a> favor.</p>
<p>- Suarez came dangerously close to scoring his second goal on the other end, and despite how much I hate him I do have to admit he played pretty well overall today (antics notwithstanding).</p>
<p>- Despite that chance Everton were dominating at this point, and the eventual equalizer would be generated from a rather dubious throw-in. Mirallas found Fellaini in the box from what looked to be an attempt on goal, but the ball sat well for Fellaini to chip beautifully for the onrushing Naismith. The Scot opened his Everton account with the simplest of finishes, a deserved reward for what was easily his best half of football since moving to the club over the summer. The Old Lady was absolutely rocking.</p>
<p>- There were two more things to note before the halftime whistle, one slightly humorous and one very worrisome. Of all of the people on the pitch, who would you guess would be the one to be booked for diving? If you guessed <span>Phil Neville</span>, you are correct! Silly play by Neville but amusing all the same. However, Everton suffered a huge blow right before the half when Mirallas came up lame after a run inside the box. Contact was minimal, but sometimes those can be the worst types of injuries. Mirallas did not come out for the second half, and that more than anything changed the dynamic of the game.</p>
<p><i>2nd Half</i></p>
<p>- I may have written a small novel for the first half, but it was a pulsating 45 minutes that deserves to be talked about. With the derby looking like it was headed for a classic finish, the second half unfortunately did not live up to the hype.</p>
<p>- Maybe the best chance of the entire half fell to Liverpool's youngster <span>Raheem Sterling</span> early on, as the teenager used his speed to break free of the defense and take on Howard one-on-one. Sterling tried to chip Howard, but the shot was hilariously bad and nearly lacked the pace to even cross the end line for the goal kick. Funny stuff as Suarez bitched and moaned, but I have to say that I came away from this match entirely unimpressed with Sterling. Yes, he has raw ability and pace, but his finishing was unbelievably poor today. He also was overaggressive with many challenges and might have been sent off on another day.</p>
<p>- If there were any neutrals who thought that the Evertonians were being unnecessarily harsh on Suarez, those notions were erased after Suarez cried for a handball that never happened and then stomped on Sylvain Distin's foot for a yellow card. Can anyone remember a player we love to hate more? I think only Rooney right after he left rivals the contempt Everton fans have for Suarez.</p>
<p>- The half was a true stalemate as each side managed only half chances. <span>Steven Gerrard</span> tried to put a long free kick past Howard but the American was equal to the task. <span>Seamus Coleman</span> and <span>Marouane Fellaini</span> worked a terrific little move to set up Jelavic but <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110728/martin-skrtel" class="sbn-auto-link">Martin Skrtel</a> did well to eliminate the threat. Jelavic saw his best opportunity of the day deflect just wide after he headed a perfectly placed Baines free kick. <span>Jonjo Shelvey</span> was given acres of space to charge forward but wasted his chance. In a moment of madness, substitute <span>Magaye Gueye</span> failed to clear the ball forcing Jagielka into a last ditch block to deny Gerrard.</p>
<p>- With the game looking like it was headed to an uneventful conclusion, there was to be one final moment of controversy. Liverpool played a long ball into the box that was headed by <span>Sebastian Coates</span> across the face of goal, teeing up Suarez for a thunderous finish and the apparent winner. However, the goal was (incorrectly) ruled offside. Liverpool fans moaned, but I really don't think they have much room to complain considering Coates was wearing Jagielka like a glove.</p>
<p>- Still whining, Liverpool fans? One word: Clattenburg.</p>
<p><i>Player Ratings</i></p>
<p>(in order of performance)</p>
<p>Naismith 7.5 (<b>MOTM</b>), Mirallas 7.5, Coleman 6.5, Neville 6, Fellaini 6, Distin 6, Osman 6, Jagielka 5.5, Baines 5, Howard 5, Gueye (45) 4.5, Jelavic 4.5, Oviedo (85) n/a</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1642517/EVRLIV102812.jpg"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1642517/EVRLIV102812_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Evrliv102812_medium"></a> <br id="1351442524449"></p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/10/28/3566576/game-9-match-report-everton-2-2-liverpoolseanathan2012-10-28T11:16:21+00:002012-10-28T11:16:21+00:00Everton v Liverpool: Live GameThread
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<figcaption>Scott Heavey</figcaption>
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<p>Everton host Liverpool for the home leg of the Merseyside Derby. Join us in today's GameThread to discuss and support the club as we take on the devil's team.</p> <p>There are a couple of main points that can lead us to victory today. Obviously the main one is playing well, but other than that we need some things to go our way.</p>
<p>Moyes needs to man up and stop playing conservatively against <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool</a>. It's like he gets nervous and starts doing weird things just as we play them.</p>
<p>Fellaini also needs to make his presence heard (given that he plays lots of minutes). Having no dominating presence in the center has really hurt us and we need Fellaini to do that instead of his intermittent disappearing act he sometimes does.</p>
<p>Next, someone has to take the creative torch from Pienaar. As you all know Pienaar has been suspended for the match because of the yellow card that should not have been given to him. This leaves a huge void in the creative department because it gives Baines no one to link up with. Some candidates include Mirallas, Coleman and Osman.</p>
<p>Finally, we need to connect on crosses. Even if we miss the dominant force in the middle and the creativity of Pienaar, we can still pull of a victory if we just connect on some crosses. As bad as our play can be, we can always cross dangerous balls into the penalty area. Problem is that most of our players don't really push into there (other than a striker). That usually leaves five defenders on one striker which turns into a cleared ball. Let's put some pressure on Liverpool and threaten goal a bit.</p>
<p>And outside of all this we also need the referee, Andre Marriner, to lay off the cards for a while. This is a physical derby and its important for him not to get too excited and card all of our players against the diving wizards of Liverpool.</p>
<p>This Liverpool domination of <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Everton</a> needs to end and today seems like as good as any other to stop it.</p>
<p>COYB!</p>
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<p>As always, comment below!</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/10/28/3565900/everton-v-liverpool-live-merseyside-derby-gamethreadSibiGnana2012-10-27T16:15:48+01:002012-10-27T16:15:48+01:00What to expect from the Merseyside derby on Sunday
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<figcaption>Moyes vs. Rodgers | Matthew Lewis</figcaption>
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<p>Everton host Liverpool in the 219th Merseyside Derby, with three points, bragging rights and in some cases, family conflicts at stake. </p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a> have lost the early head of steam they had built up after a fantastic start to the season. Disappointing performances in two consecutive away draws at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://pieeatersfootie.sbnation.com/">Wigan</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/queens-park-rangers">QPR</a> have prevented them pulling away further from the pack at the top of the Premier League table. The Blues currently stand in fourth place, with fifteen points from their eight fixtures. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> meanwhile have struggled to make an impression this term, getting just their second win of the season last week to push them up to twelfth, with nine points from their eight games.</p>
<p><span>David Moyes</span> has a miserable record in the derby fixture, with just four wins in twenty three games against the Reds. In fact, all of those wins have come at Goodison, with the other six draws and thirteen losses distributed between Goodison, Anfield and Wembley. As we have seen over the years, this has often been a result of Everton conceding the possession battle to Liverpool in the middle of the park and also some ultra-conservative tactics in the few times the Blues have scored first. There are some different signs this year though - in the games that Everton dominated for periods (<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/">Manchester United</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/swansea-city">Swansea</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/">Southampton</a>), they were absolutely supreme with their accuracy and swiftness in passing the ball around, the off-the-ball movement was sublime and their vision brilliant. If Moyes can get the boys replicating some of that for even one half, we should be in for a corker of a game.</p>
<p>Much has been made of the appointment of Andre Marriner as referee for this fixture, even though he is yet to hand out a red card this season. Both coaches, Brendan Rodgers and Moyes, have made some interesting statements in the lead-up to the game, with Rodgers hoping that his side finally catches some breaks from the officials while Moyes went on record stating the importance of having a referee who can see through the Oscar-worthy playacting and Olympic-level diving to identify what are the right challenges and the wrong ones.</p>
<p><b>Team News - </b></p>
<p>Talismanic midfielder <span>Marouane Fellaini</span> should be ready to play come Sunday, though it remains to be seen if he can last the full ninety minutes. Right back <span>Tony Hibbert</span> came through a full ninety minutes with the reserves and could be restored to the starting lineup. Midfielder <span>Darron Gibson</span> has relapsed again and will be out again, in what is turning into a long-term thigh injury now. In the biggest loss for Everton, left winger <span>Steven Pienaar</span> will miss the game after his unfortunate (and controversial) sending off last weekend.</p>
<p>Rodgers is finally starting to get some players back from the physio's table. Goalie <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110848/pepe-reina">Pepe Reina</a> could miss the game with his hamstring still an issue. <span>Martin Kelly</span>, <span>Lucas Leiva</span> and <span>Fabio Borini</span> are all long-term casualties and will miss this game.</p>
<p><b>Keys To The Game - </b></p>
<p>Everton can and should beat Liverpool. We have heard that often, but it has never held truer than now. Everton have amassed 23 more points than their Merseyside rivals in the calendar year 2012, and are playing the better football. There is only one key to this game for the Blues - David Moyes. It begins and ends with him, for as long as he is willing to name an attacking lineup that will run hard at the Reds, and makes the right changes to keep the pressure on them, Everton will prevail.</p>
<p>Out of necessity he will have to start the infamous 'Osville' pairing (<span>Leon Osman</span> and club captain <span>Phil Neville</span>) in the middle, and <span>Kevin Mirallas</span> to switch over to the left to give <span>Leighton Baines</span> an outlet. Why not put speedy <span>Seamus Coleman</span> out on right wing to keep <span>Glen Johnson</span> busy? In fact, put <span>Victor Anichebe</span> in there to start with the strict instructions to run his rear end off, because 'Big Vic' can certainly pose a menace Rodgers will not be ready for. What we do not want to see is Moyes going with the vanilla <span>Steven Naismith</span> out on the right.</p>
<p>Liverpool will have the three-pronged attack of Nuri Sahin, <span>Luis Suarez</span> and <span>Raheem Sterling</span>. <span>Joe Allen</span> should be orchestrating play in the middle with <span>Jonjo Shelvey</span>, and <span>Steven Gerrard</span> scavenging in to pick up scraps behind the forwards. To his credit, he cleans up pretty good, but vultures have always had that reputation anyways. If Rodgers chooses to not go with a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, he does run the risk of negating his wingers Sterling and Suso, who might be tied up chasing the shadows of Mirallas, Coleman and Baines.</p>
<p>Suarez's drama credentials aside, he is an excellent striker of the ball from anywhere around the box and also excels in laying it up for his teammates when his angles are narrowed down. <span>Sylvain Distin</span> and <span>Phil Jagielka</span> will have their hands full with him, but it will be a team defensive responsibility to watch the area right behind him where Gerrard often pops up, right outside the box.</p>
<p><b>Match Facts - </b></p>
<ul>
<li>This is the 219th edition of the derby, with Everton winning 66 and 65 being drawn. </li>
<li>8 of the last 10 red cards handed out in this fixture have gone to Everton players.</li>
<li>Six of the last seven players sent off at Goodison during the derby have been from.. yes, Everton. <br>
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<li>Everton lead the league in hitting the woodwork (ten times), and Liverpool are second (six).<br>
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<li>The Toffees have one loss in their last seventeen Premier League games, back in September at West Brom.</li>
<li>This is the tenth year in a row the first Merseyside Derby of the season will be at Goodison Park.</li>
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<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.evertonfc.com/evertontv/embedplayer/7894#ooid=5mamdjNjr_c2YXW9DdbU3usUMVvUjWlZ">Everton TV Video Preview</a></p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/10/27/3559162/everton-vs-liverpool-match-previewCalvin2012-10-26T22:53:48+01:002012-10-26T22:53:48+01:00Darren's 5 favourite Merseyside derbies
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<img alt="Kevin Campbell celebrates scoring at Anfield with David Weir" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hsh5SGh_e73mjR6GonojBeNPnTg=/0x0:641x427/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2099849/1077661_10.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kevin Campbell celebrates scoring at Anfield with David Weir</figcaption>
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<p>As the game on Sunday approaches fast I reminisce into the past 29 years and select five of my most memorable derby days.</p> <p>The time has almost come to go through it all again. On Sunday, at 1:30pm (scouse time, for the USA's amongst us), the 219th Merseyside Derby will kick off. All week the build up here has been gathering motion. Families start to separate loyalties, mates separate friendships, colleagues separate... well stop talking to each other unless its to have a dig about the other team and send abusive emails and texts to each other and, well, you catch my drift.</p>
<p>I said in a previous article last season something along the lines of "<i>Friendly Derby? Love thy neighbour? Not a chance.</i>" Personally, I always have and always will adopt this stance. Yes, I'll show solidarity when it comes to just causes (and by the way, I wish Anne Williams of the JFT96 a very speedy recovery), but when it comes to Derby day and the footballing side of things everything else as far as that lot are concerned goes out the window.</p>
<p>I thought I would have a delve back through time and pick my top five derby days. Read on my friends, read on.</p>
<p><b>20th February 1991 - <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a> 4 v 4 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a></b></p>
<p>After drawing three days earlier at the tin hut, the sides met at the Old Lady in an FA Cup fifth round replay which was recently voted the best FA Cup tie in recent history on a national radio station here and played out over two hours of top drawer stuff. There really is something special about Goodison Park under the lights midweek isn't there? Anyway......</p>
<p>On 32 minutes, Liverpool took the lead when Peter Beardsley followed in an Ian Rush shot which was cleared off the line. One minute after the break, the excellent Graeme Sharp equalised when he nodded home an Andy Hinchcliffe cross.</p>
<p>Liverpool again took the lead on 71 minutes. Beardsley took on Martin Keown and smashed the ball past Neville Southall. Sharp again equalised two minutes later when Steve Nicol misjudged a challenge and the ball headed towards the Gwladys Street goal. Sharp slid on his backside and burst the net.</p>
<p>Yet again, the red half scored through some fella who scored a few, Rush or something, only for little Tony Cottee to answer Howard Kendall's request to "just get us a goal, son" with six minutes left. Neil McDonald flung a ball into the box. It was flicked into space behind the defence and Cottee beat Bruce Grobbelaar to poke the ball home.</p>
<p>Into extra time, John Barnes cut in from the left and tried his luck. He hit a lovely right foot pearler past the fully stretched Southall to make it 4-3 Liverpool.</p>
<p>The final word went to Cottee, though, as the end of extra time approached. As an underhit back pass was pinched by the pacey forward and lashed home, nutmegging Grobbelaar and hitting the back of the net, sending the Gwladys loopy. And no, he wasn't paid to let that one in!</p>
<p>The game proved to be the end of King Kenny, who walked out, resigned, did one, whatever a few days later, and we went on to win the replay's replay.</p>
<p><b>21st November 1994 - Everton 2 v 0 Liverpool<br></b></p>
<p>We weren't having a particularly good season. Mike Walker's reign had just ended and in stepped Everton Giant Joe Royle - and what a baptism of fire. First game at home against Liverpool. I've been to a few sportsman's dinners where Joe was the guest speaker and he always speaks of this game. He said the first thing he did was watch continuous videos of our performances under Walker with his assistant Willie Donachie. They both agreed: "We're too easy to break down and score past, we need to be more solid defensively" and this is what they worked on in training.</p>
<p>He also speaks about a tall, gangly lad Walker had signed from Rangers on loan. Royle wanted to run the rule over him before making a decision about his future. He didn't have long to wait before making a decision.</p>
<p>From an Andy Hinchcliffe cross, the big man Duncan Ferguson headed home to make it 1-0. He caused Liverpool problems all game and when he challenged David James to a long ball the ball fell to Paul Rideout who somehow slid with both feet and tucked the ball into the Gwladys Street off the inside of the post. Needless to say straight afterwords Royle knocked on Peter Johnson's door demanding we pay Rangers what it took to secure Ferguson permanently. His reason? "He's just become a hero."</p>
<p><b>18th November 1995 - Liverpool 1 v 2 Everton</b></p>
<p>I absolutely loved this game. We were FA Cup holders and were embarking on our first European tour for some time for reasons beyond our control. We had acquired one of the best players I have ever seen in Andrei Kanchelskis and this gave the side a superb balance in midfield with Joe Parkinson alongside John Ebbrell in the middle, flanked by Kanchelskis and Anders Limpar. The pair of them ripped the back out of Liverpool at Anfield, Kanchelskis scoring both.</p>
<p>The first was a one two played with Paul Rideout whilst crossing paths going forward. Rideout played an inch perfect cross which was met by the Russian winger who didnt break stride. He rose and met the ball side on with his head. I swear to this day it is the only header I have ever seen with the same pace and swerve as a shot. Anyway, the ball hit the inside of the post and nestled into the Kop net.</p>
<p>The second was sheer pace and power. Kanchelskis recieved the ball and attacked the defence. He skipped past one before unleashing a hard, low shot. David James got a hand to it but it went through and into the roof of the net. I don't remember who scored for them, and I'm not arsed! We won, 2-1, we went mental, and so did half of the stewards in the ground too!!!</p>
<p><b>27th September 1999 - Liverpool 0 v 1 Everton</b></p>
<p>Ah, the Kevin Campbell Derby. In an eventful game, a young Franny Jeffers received the ball from a throw in outside the box. He had the vision to flick it through to Campbell who was one on one with Sander Westerveld. Campbell struck the ball with the outside of his foot and it had too much on it to keep out. Another Kop end winner.</p>
<p>More entertainingly, Jeffers got into a slap war with Westerveld which saw the pair of them sent off. Liverpool had used all of their subs, forcing Steve Staunton in goal in front of the Everton fans for the final stages of the game. I have never seen a more dominant performance in a derby than this by Walter Smith's men. Collins and Hutchison pulling the strings, Gough and Watson having Owen and Fowler in their pockets, and Campbell and Jeffers were too much to handle. I seem to remember the Irish defender being miles better than Westerveld, making a world class save from an Abel Xavier drive in the final minute.</p>
<p>Even better was the stadium announcer, you know the monotone one who scares the kids away? Yeah him, asking us to all remain behind whilst the Liverpool fans went home afterwards. No problem! Let the party begin!</p>
<p><b>9th September 2006 - Everton 3 v 0 Liverpool</b></p>
<p><span>David Moyes</span> had brought stability to the club before progressing us to another level. We had narrowly missed out on the Champions League group stages a few years earlier thanks to a world class Villarreal goal, no sorry, an unlucky deflection. Nope, wrong again, Pierluigi bloody Collini, thats who the thanks go to.</p>
<p>We went into this derby in fine form. Andy Johnson was on fire and Moyes deployed him as the lone striker. On 24 minutes <span>Mikel Arteta</span> crossed the ball into the box. Lee Carsley flicked it on over Carragher to an unmarked <span>Tim Cahill</span>. The Aussie needed no invitation but to smash the ball past <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110848/pepe-reina">Pepe Reina</a>.</p>
<p><span>Tim Howard</span> was playing really well, and fully deserved his clean sheet.</p>
<p>On 34 minutes, we extended the lead. A hopeful ball forward wasn't dealt with by Carragher and the impressive Johnson pinched the ball from him and slid it under Reina. 2-0, delirium. Easy. Easy.</p>
<p>Then, in injury time, the icing on the cake. Lee Carsley found himself just outside the box and let fly with a shot. Reina, the best goalie in the world, better than Casillas and Valdes put together, juggled the ball in the air and when Andy Johnson challenged him all he could do was catch the striker's bald head, as the ball hit the back of the net and the half empty Liverpool end emptied pretty quickly.</p>
<p>The full time whistle was proceeded by singing, dancing and an alcohol fuelled night of celebration!</p>
<p>There are other games which maybe should have made it. The 1993 Ward, Cottee Derby with the McManaman Grobbelaar bitch fight, the Gosling FA Cup Replay, the game previous at Anfield where Lescott burst the Kop net.</p>
<p>I really hope David Moyes shows this lot no respect, which is about all the respect they deserve. They really are the worst Liverpool side I have seen, and I thought King Kenny's men last year were bad. The semi-final still lives in the memories of most blues, so there is no more perfect chance to silence that nightmare with a good hiding on Sunday. 3-0 will do nicely.</p>
<p>What's your favourite??? Let us know below.</p>
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https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/10/26/3560296/everton-v-liverpool-top-5-derbiesDarrenMelling2012-10-26T17:03:40+01:002012-10-26T17:03:40+01:00Take a look behind the scenes at Liverpool FC.
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<img alt="Marouane Fellaini should be fit to play in the derby this weekend." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KrW607QSzN_4GG5Sy_LW4Xv5Xng=/0x21:600x421/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2072735/gyi0063068103.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Marouane Fellaini should be fit to play in the derby this weekend. | Alex Livesey</figcaption>
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<p>RBM's Q&A with Liverpool blog '<a href="http://liverpool.theoffside.com/" target="new">The Liverpool Offside</a>', ahead of the Premier League derby game on Sunday at Everton.</p> <p>With the first Merseyside derby of the season upon us, we spoke to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Noel%20C" target="_blank">Noel</a> over at <a href="http://liverpool.theoffside.com/" target="_blank">The Liverpool Offside</a> and he shared his thoughts on a few topics ahead of the big game on Sunday.</p>
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<b>RBM - How did it go down with the fans replacing a legend like Kenny Dalglish with Brendan Rodgers? Is the team really better than before with Rodgers at the helm? Last season after eight games in, <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool</a> had four wins and fourteen points in the bank. This year has been a struggle with just nine points from the same number of games. What gives?</b><br><br>
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<p>TLO - I don't think anybody was especially happy to see Dalglish go, but with the club on relegation form through the entirety of the second half of 2011-12 and following the unmitigated disaster that was the 2010 summer transfer window, in retrospect it's hard to see any way around it. The form Liverpool ended last season on, then, is a far better comparison point, and in the early going this season it has been clear that in many ways the players are still trying to work past the malaise—particularly in front of goal—that the club has suffered through since 2012 began.<br><br>Beyond that, though, it's clear that under Rodgers the club now has a footballing philosophy it's trying to work towards, however stumblingly at times. Under Kenny Dalglish that simply, sadly, wasn't the case, at least not last season when it all seemed a hodgepodge of approaches and misfitted personnel.</p>
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<b>RBM - Liverpool seem to be having some serious injury issues, and playing football on multiple fronts has been quite the challenge. How do you see Rodgers approaching the two domestic Cups and the Europa League, assuming that the Premier League is still priority, or is it?</b><br><br>
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<p>TLO - The owners—or the managing director who works on their behalf—let Rodgers down over the summer. There's simply no way around that rather uncomfortable point. He was promised their full backing; he was promised that if he offloaded enough salary and found a temporary home for <span>Andy Carroll</span> he would be given the funds to being in a replacement in attack. Then Ian Ayre and the rest of the club's money men packed it in and headed home from Melwood an hour before the transfer window closed having failed to bring in the required new signing.<br><br>Since then, anyone with a pair of braincells to rub together has known there would be an injury crisis at some point. It was just a question of when, really. In any case, for most there had been an assumption that the league was Rodgers' only real priority, but then Thursday night's Europa League tie against Anzhi Makhachkala changed all that when he played a side with only two names changed from last weekend's victory over <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/reading" class="sbn-auto-link">Reading</a> the the league. Where he goes from here is hard to know, but no matter what it's a safe bet that there will be tired legs and a lot of chances for the club's youth players.</p>
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<b>RBM - What are your feelings about the quality of football on the pitch? In some spells like against Manchester United, Liverpool have been dominant. At other times, it has been quite abysmal and worthy of the bottom of the league spots they had once occupied. Which is the real 2012-13 Liverpool?</b><br><br>
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<p>TLO - The football, in general, has been good. Where it's all gone wrong is in the final third. Unfortunately, when it comes to finishing there's a feeling that no matter how well Rodgers' gets the team playing football, after struggling in front of goal for as long as they have that that's always going to be the Achilles heel for this particular group unless some combination of shooting practice, psychotherapy, and ritual sacrifice can be found to cleanse them of their demons.</p>
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<b>RBM - The Liverpool youth are getting quite a bit of press nowadays, with <span>Raheem </span></b><b>'The Next Messi'<span class="sbn-auto-link"></span><span><b> </b> Sterling</span>, <span>Jonjo Shelvey</span>, <span>Jordan Henderson</span> and <span>Sebastian Coates</span> all having good games here and there. What do you think are realistic expectations for the four? Who else do you think will be breaking through in the next few years?</b><br><br>
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<p>TLO - It feels as though with how Raheem Sterling's been built up in the press so far this season there's nowhere he can possibly go but down, which is really rather depressing given he's still only 17 years old. Still, if Rodgers can manage his minutes properly and keep him grounded there's always hope he could at least mostly live up to the hype. As for Shelvey and Coates, both are fully capable of being amongst the Premier League's best at centre half and attacking midfield for the next ten years, though Jordan Henderson appears bizarrely out of favour despite appearing to be perfectly suited to Rodgers' football philosophy and his future at Liverpool would have to be considered in doubt.<br><br>If one were betting on which kids will be holding down starting roles in the years to come, rather than Henderson the nod would have to go to Suso and <span>Andre Wisdom</span>, both of whom will be favourites to start in the derby. Digging deeper into the reserves I have a great deal of hope for Krisztian Adorjan but fear that as an attacking midfielder it's just too crowded for him to break through at Liverpool, and Ryan McLaughlin has the talent to be the best right back in the league in ten years.</p>
<div class="im"><b>RBM - Much has been made of 'foreign' LFC fans, aka bandwagoners. What do the Liverpool natives think about this? Especially when the foreigners pack Anfield, driving ticket and concession prices up? </b></div>
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<i>(Ed's note - TLO went off the record with this one, declining to comment, being an out of towner himself)</i><br><br><b>RBM - We really cannot avoid talking about this - 'Being: Liverpool'. If the colon was supposed to be for dramatic effect, did it succeed? What has the response been to the show among the fans? There have been some good viewership numbers reported in the US, which has always been ravenous for any form of reality television. Do you see the show becoming a perennial feature, like Corrie or EastEnders?</b>
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<i>(Ed's note - TLO off the record again, declining to comment, but noted he studiously avoids watching the show)</i><br><br><b>RBM - Finally, how do you see the derby panning out on Sunday? One assumes <span>Steven Gerrard</span> will play even if he is on crutches, especially after last season's hattrick. How about a score prediction?</b><br><br>
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<p>TLO - <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Everton</a> will either continue their atrocious derby form or their solid season form. <span>Marouane Fellaini</span> will do something outside the laws of the game that will go unpunished. <span>Luis Suarez</span> will be legitimately fouled four times before getting frustrated and tumbling over an especially thick patch of air. <span>Leighton Baines</span>' hair will continue to appear as though it was born in the wrong decade. Steven Gerrard will look better than he has at any point this season bar perhaps against Manchester United. And the score will be something to something, where something can also be nothing.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/10/26/3558948/everton-vs-liverpool-q-a-with-the-liverpool-offsideCalvin2012-10-25T13:16:42+01:002012-10-25T13:16:42+01:00Tactically Speaking: To Hibbo or not to Hibbo
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<figcaption>Chris Brunskill</figcaption>
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<p>What does Everton need to do to win this weekend? They just need to put in a solid performance that plays to their strengths.</p> <p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, there’s kind of a big game this weekend. It’s derby weekend. Or, to put it another way, it’s the 6<sup>th</sup> game in a row where <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a> will be playing a bottom half of the table team. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>’s struggles this season have been well documented. And there will be plenty to read in the next few days, both on this site and elsewhere, for those of you who want to take gleeful delight in the pain of the cross town rivals. Today, though, we’re actually going to look at the game and see how the two sides line-up tactically and what to expect from the actual on the field portion of the game this weekend.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">First things first, let’s get the Everton team selection issues out of the way. I expect Fellaini to be back, and I think we all understand after QPR how important that will be. Secondly, with Pienaar missing out, I expect Mirallas to move over to the left side and pair with Baines. The interesting choices, as always, involve the middle and right side of the field. It’s been a long time since Gibson has played a competitive game, and with his injury now stretching to almost 7 weeks I find it hard to believe that he will be ready to go the full 90. In other injury news <span>Tony Hibbert</span> played the full 90 minutes for our U-21s on Monday and seems ready to go. Adding it all together it looks like Neville and Osman will be manning the midfield yet again, but on the right Moyes can chose to stay consistent with Coleman in defense and slot in Naismith (or Anichebe…but please no) in front of him, or he can move Coleman up to the midfield and bring Hibbo back into the team.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Given those options, I’d rather the more defensive one. Here’s why I want to see Hibbert starting behind Coleman. Liverpool are not a high octane offense. They create goal scoring opportunities in very limited ways. Basically, Louis Suarez plays alone up front and gets the ball played into his feet thanks to very clever movement (it also helps that he is an undeniably top level talent at flopping which makes defenders leery of going near him). Or, Suarez is a decoy who sucks players into the middle of the pitch opening up room for left winger <span>Raheem Sterling</span>, who spends much of his time playing centrally. As you can see those players get an awful lots of touches on the ball.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Nail down the right flank, and you really only have to do one other thing to cripple Liverpool. That’s where Fellaini comes in. We’ve talked a lot this year about how good the big Belgian has been offensively. But, one of his biggest contributions this weekend will be on the defensive side of the ball. Liverpool relies on <span>Joe Allen</span> to an absurd degree. He sits deep in the midfield and keeps the attack ticking over. He’s very good at moving to the ball, and playing short passes in tight places. You can see how much he touched the ball against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/reading">Reading</a>, and they were a team that didn’t put up much of a fight. He will be even more prominent against an Everton team competing much harder and more efficiently defensively. It will be Fellaini’s job to make Allen’s life miserable. Expect Fellaini to be tasked either with closing down the ball aggressively and preventing passes from being played to Allen, or with sticking to Allen extremely closely and preventing him from consistently completing passes out to the other legs of the midfield triangle, Gerrard and Sahin.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Defensively that’s pretty much all that’s necessary. Offensively I expect Everton to have a lot of joy. Liverpool play a pretty traditional 4-3-3 system. Rodgers wants his wingers to remain high up the field and not track back behind the ball defensively if they don’t have to. And quite frankly given how young Liverpool’s wingers are that’s smart because I wouldn’t trust Sterling and Suso to defend in important situations either. But, thankfully for Everton, that’s the exact opposite approach of the teams that have stymied Everton and Fellaini this year. Wigan, for example tilted their centerback, right back, right winger, and right central midfielder into Fellaini’s area of operation. They contested in the air, and congested on the ground. Liverpool won’t do that. Their midfielders stay central, and their wingers stay high up the pitch. That should give Fellaini, Mirallas, and Baines tons of room to work their magic.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Look, we all know what Everton intend to do offensively. It’s not a secret. I don’t need to overload you with charts and graphs, you see it every week. Start with the physicality of Fellaini and then transition into the skill of the wing players playing off of him. It’s worked all year. The only teams that have been able to slow that game plan down are bigger physical teams willing to crowd the defensive third. That’s the opposite of this Liverpool team. So, in a game where the Toffees known offensive quantities should be enough to get the job done, I don’t want to take unnecessary risks at the back. Play a smart solid back four to make sure you don’t get exploited, and then do what you do best to win the game. We’ll see if Moyes agrees with me.</p>
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https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/10/25/3552936/everton-v-liverpool-tactical-preview-no-tricks-neededMike_L_Goodman