Anticipation builds toward Everton's visit to Anfield on Saturday

But you just know fine well that we will concede in the 94th minute to a howler of some kind. Or if we manage to take the lead, at least one penalty will be awarded against us.

The RS were as average and flat as you can get against Burnley. Watch them turn into a bunch of rabid dogs on Saturday.

With some luck, Atletico can take a bit out of them during the week.

If Grealish, Ndiaye, and Dewsbury-Hall start and Mykolenko is fit so Garner can move back into midfield all we have to do is keep the ball on the deck and we will run rings round them.

One slight error though. We aren't unbeaten. Chris Kavanagh saw to that, away at Elland Road.

We could dominate the whole game, and we will still likely fall foul to some ref decision/jammy deflection/ mind-blowing error.

I'm not even going to watch. It's my son's 18th that day. Can't have the whole day potentially spoiled by the luck of the Devil.

I'd rather Jack Grealish sat this one out, as they will target him all match. St Virgil ending his season.

We need to get to the 80th. minute and then get everyone behind the ball as the last ten minutes are when Redshite usually steal the points. Four games already this season?

Moyes should at least start the new guys, Barry, Rohl and Dibling. The experience could do them a World of good against a billionaire squad.

So what should we do ? Please don't get too excited and try a treat the match as a normal game against a very good side. A silly sending off is my usual nightmare, and my guess is their crowd will remember the Tarkowski incident from last season, so calm heads on the pitch and in the crowd please.

Hopefully Mykolenko will play, and Beto will again give their centre backs a rough ride and we will take our chances. Also we need to vary our corner and long throw routines, always looking for Tarkowski has lost some of the initial effectiveness.

So for me we should avoid all the hype, it will not help our players, and for the first time in many years we have a squad who are more than capable of winning the game. But we must avoid the ' Burnley ' type error as that's simply all they need to take the points.

Beto is difficult for them to handle and as we all know he is due a goal. Jack will go there and won't be intimidated by them- blues to win!!

Hopefully, with it being so early in the season, along with a change to the kick-off time, many of the feral bastards won't have had time to book their flights from whatever part of the world they come from.

Renan Lodi's life has taken a dramatic turn at the start of the new season. He was one of the team's standout performers last season, appearing in 42 matches, scoring four goals and providing 10 assists. However, with the arrival of the new coach, the player has been completely sidelined, not even appearing in a single match this season, a surprise that has upset many.

Must admit I can't stand these games. I don't expect anything from them, and indeed half the time I avoid them. the most painful aspect is how often we go to pieces when we are there. they don't collapse like that when they come to Goodison, it really is something we need to get off our back. As Michael says, we won't get anything from the officials, and if we do, there will be such howls of derision from the crowd the referee will make it right within minutes for them.

I'd play Barry ahead of Beto (we need to hold onto the ball in this one) and if things go wrong expect a first sight of Dibling.

Sergio Reguilon, however, is available as he left Spurs as a free agent at the end of his contract in June.

The powers that be don't allow Liverpool to lose home games anymore, the crowd holds too much sway over weak officials and VAR now is like another member of the corrupt gang to see them through.

We haven't won at Anfield with fans in the ground this century, I'd love to see it happen again but I seriously doubt now the way football has gone that it will happen again unless a minor miracle happens.

‘hat Lot’ win things these days thanks to penalties, they won the Champions League they don’t shut up bragging about thanks to pens - like so much in the 21st century too.

Referee: Darren England. Assistants: Lee Betts, Scott Ledger. Fourth official: Bobby Madley. VAR: John Brooks. Assistant VAR: Akil Howson.

Let's go and give them a game, we've got some good players who will have far more room than they did against Villa in our previous match. We have nothing to fear, if we lose then everyone expected that anyway.

But, if we win, its a massive result that could really set us up for a good season. Biggest confidence booster we could possibly get!

The refs aren't always against us there, we had pens in 2018 and 2021. And it was US that scored a last minute goal in 2014, and what a goal it was!

Yes, it's outweighed greatly by what they've had in return, but these shock results could and do happen.

I was watching the film Miracle a couple of weeks ago (when I posted on here that I'd rather see us lose 6-3 that meekly surrender and lose 1-0), its the story of possibly the biggest upset in Olympic history when the US ice hockey team defeated the seemingly invincible Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

The coach told them that everyone loses to the Soviets because they're afraid of them, and the way to beat them is to go at them! Or words to that effect anyway.

It got me pumped up hoping and dreaming that Moyes will send us out at that Cesspit with the same attitude.

If Moyes had written this op many on here would be slating him for his 'Knives to a Gunfight' mentality.

Let's go after the cnuts!!

I have to disagree. The red nosed biased bastards couldn’t stop highlighting Pickfords challenge on Van Dick for at lease a few years.

When you are taking on the media, the officials and one of the most expensive and entitled squads in the Prem with the 5 sub rule that was promoted by them it becomes very difficult.

However watching Burnley shutting them out until they had a man sent off for a totally unjustified second yellow gives me a lot more encouragement.

Yes they will raise their game against us as we need to raise our game against them.

I would have hoped that Jarred and Myko will both be fit to keep salad in check but that aside we can match them in MF and can get in behind them. Burnley showed that a high press totally unsettles a poor back 4 so hopefully Moyesy will get his tactics right,

No, go for a win, if we give it a go and lose so be it.

That being said they still have a superior team and very few (if any) of our players would make their first XI.

As such I don't think having a real go at them and giving them an open game is the way forward. They thrive on teams being open at the back. Our best bet is to give them little space in the final third and to then use any opportunity to counter attack or get set pieces in the box productively. Beto will be a handful and in Ndiaye and Grealish we have two wingers who can beat their man and find a good ball. Choose the right moments to attack, execute well and anything could happen.

Kept 11 on the pitch, and sucked them and not us into cheap free kicks. We need to look after ourselves, but play with our brains.

Ndiaye, Grealish and KDH have enough to draw in their defenders.

Defend by all means but try and get some bullets in like they did in the first half at Anfield last season—- the second half we sat back and Liverpool got a very lucky but inevitable goal because we just defended and never gave them anything to worry about at the other end of the field.

If Sky themselves gave me a year's free Sky Sports, all inclusive, but I had to watch both derby games live, I would turn it down.

I've been traumatized ever since the 1989 FA cup final which I regret attending. Coming out into the car park and standing near five reds who stood there complaining about different refereeing decisions that didn't go their way.

I blew up, and verbally ripped into them, calling them all the names under the sun, all the swear words I could think of, telling them that they supported the dirtiest bunch of cheating bastards that ever existed. Not one of them said a word.

I hate them with all my heart. Just a game is it? Not with them bastards it's not.

1) As others have said, we have closed the gap a bit and have attacking players who can cause any defence trouble, including one in Dibling who has done so to great effect and might relish a run out later on.

2) And I don't think their defence is any great shakes

3) In some ways, it's a free hit because no-one expects us to win or even draw

4) While they might look good on paper, their near record signing, Wirz, looks like a fish out of water and their record signing isn't match fit by his own manager's opinion. Nor does Salah look the player he once was.

5) The best time to get any top 4 side is the weekend after a CL game. They don't have much time to recover whereas we should be fresh as a daisy. I hope Atletico give them plenty to sweat over.

OK, the odds are against us, but let us not go in with fear. This isn't a hopeless charge of the Light Brigade scenario.

Fuck that lot. Go there and fight and play.

This is one game where Beto might actually prosper. They are a shambles at the back when put under pressure. That remains Beto's only attribute.

We'll talk about refereeing decisions afterwards. Though I'm sure Moyes will be on the front foot on our behalf.

I think a lot will depend not only on team selection, but which referee is officiating. I would just love to take the wind out of their sails, and halt their progress.

According to The Athletic, we have the same European scouts still working for us that Kevin Thelwell supervised. Our scouts will therefore know all about Mr. Lodi.

And I saw him play a couple of months ago against City in the Club World Cup. Went the full 120 in that spectacular game.

Yes please.

It is out wide where we can get at them. Their fullbacks are good going forward but Grealish and Ndiaye will keep them occupied and will put them to the test.

Beto to take the physical battle up to their two centre halves. Garner and Dewsbury Hall to feed off those three and Gana to give that Szoboszlai no space in front of our penalty area.

Could be won on corner kicks this one.

That lot will see a lot of the ball and drive us deep. It's up to us whether we drop everyone back or not.

I'm a big supporter of Moyes and certainly don't see him as a negative or defensive manager. I think he's quite the opposite. He wants his teams to play football. But in these types of games he had a history of being quite conservative and avoid risks - it was the main knock on him.

We'll see if anything has changed.

I think Everton's much improved forward play will worry Slot.They will need the usual decisions to get something out of the game, hopefully not a penalty in injury time.

Everton are capable of beating them , as long as Moyes can do something about his inferiority complex.His presser will give us hints.

But importantly it's a day to stay calm, we have some really classy players now and going forward we will trouble their defence, but we need to keep everybody on the pitch and avoid the Burnley type mistake.

Although the chances are that if that happens we'll retreat as per usual and wait for them to bring on a squillion quids worth of subs.

Darren England will serve as the on-field referee, with Lee Betts and Scott Ledger acting as his assistants.

Bobby Madley has been appointed as the fourth official.

Meanwhile, John Brooks will oversee VAR operations, assisted by Akil Howson.

It is easy to make a misguided judgement via YouTube as they mostly look like World-beaters, till you see them off-screen, but this guy does look the business for me. It also looks like he has versatility too.

Please make it happen, Everton?

Anticipation is the wrong word entirely. Schoolboy error. Just saying.

This isn't negative or sceptical it's just the plain as day truth.

This is football now, maybe the officials are even afraid that if they go against the grain, the mafia will eventually hunt them down who knows but I know one thing, it's a huge business with billions of pound and whenever there is that much money in something, corruption is not far to follow.

They even attempted in February to rule out Tarkowski's late equalizer didn't they? Even though there wasn't a hint of contact anywhere in the build up other than Liverpool players mistiming jumps to head a ball away, the officials still tried to kill the most euphoric moment in the final ever Goodison derby.

We'll be playing the ref too, as ever. So we need a bit of luck.

But we will get chances - so let's finish them this time. Not the favourites obviously but a win is not out of the question.

We now have better quality going forward but will they put in as much defending than the players from last year did, thats my doubt for this game and indeed the season.

We will probably score more but will very likely conceed more too.

Few people will give us much of a chance, the game is virtually a shot to nothing for us.

Sitting back and trying to nil them I doubt very much will work, so have a go and attempt to score one or two goals.

Roberts saying different and he could be right, we will see.

It's a fail-safe layer of manipulation that makes it so much more difficult for us. Our management has to get smarter at pointing things out; they are the masters of it. Any small thing that goes against them is highlighted for weeks afterwards assuring every future decision will go their way.

Rodwell being sent off when nowhere near anyone still annoys me.

So I agree with previous poster if DM can state pre-game we expect a fair game that would be a start.

Throw yourself down, time waste, cheat, feign injury and wave imaginary cards at the referee.

It's worked ok for sides at the top.

A player in blue will breathe on one of them in the penalty box and a pen awarded and rectified by VAR.

If we manage to score first, expect a thorough re-examination of the play up to the scoring of the goal, which will go back 3 minutes to a foul throw and the goal chalked off.

You negitive fans piss off if you can't get behind your team. We can win this one Moyes needs to win this one to show he has the balls now to be a deservedly manager of our club.

Yes, Liverpool do seem to get the rub of the green so many times against us, but that should not prevent the team giving their best efforts or the supporters lacking faith in the teams ability, especially with our new additions.

At the end of the day, we want to play well and get the 3 points. What their supporters and the pundits have to say is irrelevant to our football journey. We are Everton.

I'm not really into getting personal over differences, but if someone wants to tell an Evertonian to piss off, that's their prerogative I guess.

I definitely don't agree with stooping down and emulating the shoddy tactics of the Red Shite. If we win, we win it fair and square. Everyone knows what the Devil's Spawn get up to, hopefully only a matter of time before they start getting Yellows and Reds in abundance.

I really like Alcaraz as a player but, if he plays in the derby, he is possibly the most likely to fall foul of the Ref. He has shown, since he has been with us, minor offences like kicking the ball away etc, which the officials see as an all too good an excuse to book him!

Let our skillful players, and we have some for a change, cause them trouble, and let everyone else kick the fucking daylights out of the entitled, cheating, diving cunts.

On a level playing field we can do them.

The first few challenges and decisions will be the barometer...

I fancy us having a go, Sgt Jones style, they don't like it stuck up em!

It won' be the same, but hopefully the 3,000 will give the Winslow, Brick and others on County Road a small matchday boost

If he takes his proverbial penknife, then we will lose.

I thought I read somewhere the other week that the PGMOL said Wolves should have had a penalty against Everton but I couldn't remember the incident.

I wrote on the other thread after Oliver gave Liverpool a penalty on Sunday but he actually blew up for Ndiaye being offside after he had put the ball into the net in our game a fortnight before against Wolves even though, just before this, there had been a much clearer penalty than the ones I've seen awarded this season.

No VAR check; sometimes, I'd just love to know how it works.

I'd actually settle for a defeat at Anfield for a win at Molynuex next week, especially if we can draw Liverpool at home in the next round. They don't scare me, I'd play them every week, but until our players and manager feel the same way, then I suppose my words just sound stupid and full of false bravado...

According to that gobshite Ally McCoist, (they can't resist talking about the RS) they are not even out of bottom gear, so the Premier League will have to watch out, when they get better and change up.

Makes me want to see a rare Everton victory even more now!

That's a little bonus.

Fortunately I have found the cure. All I have to do is think about Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, and Grealish and their potential to tear any defence apart and this wonderful feeling of optimism comes over me. I like it.

I agree, VAR should only go back three moves at most, and be about what is relevant to the score. If not, the Ref is given the chance to get out of giving the goal, which is his intention and probably that of the panel.

Wash your mouth out with soap, Tony lad!

Dave, have a word with your boy!

UTFT and KAGS

He said for them they just treated it as a normal game, and so there was less pressure on their players... Might be worth bearing that in mind.

Tony doesn't always mean what he says, lets his head overrule his heart at times. His heart will never falter from loving the Blues and I know he would love Everton to give it to Liverpool on Saturday and give Wolves a going over too.

But he has a point when he says he would love to play Liverpool every week because he absolutely has no fear of them; if the manager and players truly felt that way on Saturday, then their performance would be all the better for it.

I saw him three times play Liverpool, twice in the Youth Cup, 3-3 at Anfield coming back from 3-0 down. Tony scored the first and got the team having a real go at them. When the third goal went in, he showed his delight by his antics on the field. They won the replay and later on in that season he provided the assist in Forest's equaliser which helped them to win the Central League.

In the past, Everton have been beaten by Liverpool before they got on the field. Under Dyche, they stood up to them and were by far the better team in that 2-0 win. To be fair to that tough Scottish manager, Moyes, they had a very good go at Goodison in the 2-2 draw and in the first half at Anfield but let the game drift away from them in the second half.

We can win on Saturday if the team play without fear and let Liverpool know they are in a game. Tony's only fear is the same as a lot of us — how the officials referee the game, especially those miles away from the pitch! 2-1 to the Blues with a tragic (or magic) back-pass from Van Dijk eluding the poor Brazilian goalkeeper!

I think Beto should start as he may enjoy putting himself about, but I would like to see Alcaraz get some game time.

Yeah I know! He called me a fucking Tory last week!! Me!!

Funny enough, Mark, Tony has a very strong sense of smell and he can smell those bleedin' Tories from miles away — just saying like!

Otherwise pretty spot on!

Every time I watch one, I want to put my foot through the telly. My wife says I become an irrational psychopath; I don't like feeling that way, so I'll go fishing instead.

When we go to Anfield on Saturday, the only song/taunt that we won’t be able to give the bastards, an answer to is, “you haven’t won a trophy for thirty fucking years”

Would you seriously not take a defeat at Anfield, for a victory over Wolves, next week, especially if we can draw them at home in the next round? (Which is what I said!)

Seriously Mark, Liverpool football club, don’t give me any fears mate, and I can “honestly say!” hand on heart, that they never will. (Although I do hate watching them win, I’ve decided that I’m not going to be jealous or full of hate, I’m just going to be more demanding of Everton)

We are Everton, we know more about them than most, so yes, of course I’d take a defeat on Saturday, for a victory against them in any cup tie, because my own view is that winning a cup is more important than winning against any team in the league, now we aren’t going to be worried about being in a relegation fight.

Running around Wembley with the cup, should, imo, be the biggest aim for the Everton squad, for this season 🤷‍♂️🤞

However, Everton have a much improved squad also and, on any day, one team can beat another. Just look at Qarabağ yesterday.

Obviously the defense needs to come up big to hold the billionaire signings but it's not impossible.

The hope is that Everton's new additions will soon enough start producing the goods under the experience of Moyes and if not this week then against Wolves next week.

Billy Connoly had it right when he said the very idea of someone wanting to be a politician should bar them from every becoming one, its the money that attracts them and that goes for all the parties.

I don't live in the city so its easier for me to try and ignore the reds, they irritate the hell out of me though.

I do think we have our best chance now under our new ownership to try and get parity with them, I'm very optimistic that we are finally going the right way.

I have the same weakness for honest answers, Tony, and honestly 100% I'll take a victory at Anfield anytime thank you very much!

I hope you're correct Raymond, and if we can find enough belief, I also don't see why it's not possible.

Their defence is dodgy as fuck as they are currently showing against a very mediocre Atletico Madrid side.

I'll deffo be dancing Saturday night -- me and the missus are going to see Deacon Blue!

Scream girls and escort to the taxi.

It's apparently a term of endearment, but you know the score: if Everton beat Liverpool on Saturday, then those self-entitled gobshites will definitely make us smile….. Please God!

Then again, Mark probably likes a bit of dressing up. I think it's de rigueur in Sussex!

Play the game not the occasion, keep our heads. Dismantle the fuckers.

UTFT. NSNO. COYB.

Have a bit of dignity!

Just because I'm not from your town doesn't mean I'll never fall in love again, and if we beat them fuckers and I was right and you were wrong, Tone, you will hang your head while Murph sings the blues (sorry)…

The forecast looks good so hopefully I won't need cover from the sky!

UTF Deacon Blues

We’ve got a decent team to get behind and a real chance of winning, here’s hoping the jammy dodgers used the last of their luck with yet another late winner last night, they truly are spawny gits.

Grealish and Ndiaye might have a bit more space than our last outing, I want Beto to be a real battering ran and to cause them problems.

They are simply pond live, but then again that would be an insult to any living creatures living in a pond!

We have already got under their manager's skin, imo, and they have wanted to give us a proper beating, since they got laughed out of Goodison, behind the song about losing the league at our famous old ground, because this is simply how it always works for anyone with a self-superior attitude.

Tarkowski’s tackle, on McAlister, was all about action rather then words, and when you stand up to the bully, just be prepared for their screaming.

The only pressure that our players should have, is the pressure to make sure that they leave nothing behind in the changing room, and the collective knowledge, that they are going to make it as hard as possible for their opponents.

Easy to write, it’s a lot harder to implement, unless you go there with the right attitude and the desire to play without fear.

For a club obsessed with History it's pitiful. Moyes has to stop rolling over in such games.

They haven’t seen us win at Anfield either, once you put in a crowd, so I can definitely understand both your thought process and your logic, unfortunately.

In the words of Jon Secada - “it’s just another day” but you know how it works for kopites, and it’s only when we beat them, that you see how much it really means to them. It’s just another day, my arse, they fucking hate us, no matter how much they try to tell us otherwise🤷‍♂️

Them lot always say that it’s our ‘Cup Final’. Let’s just shrug nonchalantly but do so on the basis that we’ll become absolutely unbearable if/when we win! 😜

My starting XI:

Beto

Grealish Dewsbury-Hall Ndiaye

Gueye Garner

Mykolenko Keane Tarkowski O'Brien

Pickford

and the finishing XI:

McNeil Barry Dibling

Rohl Gueye Garner

Myko Keane Tarkowski OBrien

Pickford

This is how it will go:

Opening goal - Keane, off a corner

2nd goal - Ndiaye, off a Grealish assist

3rd goal - Beto, tapping in a rebound

Red card to Kerkez

4th goal - Barry, off a Dibling pass

4-0 to Everton

Alison
Konate
Van Dijk
Robertson
Frimpong
Mac Allister
Gravenberch
Wirtz
Gakpo
Salah
Ekitike

Theirs is fast, attacking 4231 / 433. Ours is a more conservative, slower, narrower 4231/ 433.

It is, however, a big game for Frimpong, Wirtz and Ekitike. This lot have played in big games before but not a Derby. It will be good to see them thrown off their stride by our (controlled) aggression and work rate.

I also see Frimpong and Konate as good athletes but not class defenders. Our front three can get at them - especially if Beto can really impose himself physically.

If they are tired from the midweek tie against Atletico, all the better.

Moyes can’t guarantee a result but he can go there with team set up to contest the game. A set up as we saw against Leeds would be disappointing - and would see us lose. Even Dyche for his faults didn’t shit his pants at Anfield and there’s no need to. We can cause them a lot of problems.

We need to be better or match them in midfield, I don't think sitting back and giving them the ball will work.
I'd like to see Mykolenco back not that he's great but it frees Garner up.
We need to score at least on goal I think.

Keep a compact shape and transition quickly.

Get those centre halves turning and running towards their own goals. Go at those fullbacks.

The old Weir sub used to work a treat, when we shut up shop. The Heitinga sub was shite mind.

Not a great idea imo. You need a more subtle plan to beat those cnuts. And even then, they'll probably get a lucky break or decision go their way. They haven't been beaten at Castle Greyskull for over 12 months in the PL.

Seriously though we have enough talent to hold them off and surely they have to lose sometime and why not to this ''new'' Everton unless of course we fall foul of poor officials which we have become accustomed to in derby games.

Not very well. We should do more less the opposite.

The key words are Intensity and concentration

et al

Things that PGMOL wont have forgotten.

Not sending Tarks off when he tackled (cleanly) the ball and hit that thug McAllister.

Illys Wolves nonsense.

If those arent enough to give the RNS a win in allotted 90, then Slot time kicks in.

Our biggest problem, my biggest worry, is not lasting Slots O/T.

Dilly Dally's shit application and use of subs is a monumentous hindrance. The RNS will aim at players arms in the box or where your arm would naturally be to get their gamely pen. Or some knackered player or Tarks or Tim will do a sloppy (clear and obviously got the ball) but rns will roll around acting poleaxed. VAR declare pen and sending off, even though it was on the intersection of the 18yd and touchline and rns was heading towards the corner flag.

Beto is gonna get battered and not get a thing. They will go down like a cheap rent boy at Lime Street and get everything.

Cripple us and not see red.

Above info based upon Decades of previous

Also, a cup would be nice as a starter.

Get a life, Moaning Martin Fartington.

I do reckon our attacking strength may scare them but pray we use it and not use them as defenders and bottle it.

Lose with dignity rather than lose because 10 defenders will inevitably give away a penalty courtesy of VAR and others.

And however it goes, the opinion of the media is meaningless... unless you think it matters.

I still can't understand why we didn't bring in an established left back considering his injuries last season. Garner is needed in midfield. Hopefully Moyes will have positive news in his press conference tomorrow.

You can take your children's playground strop to the kop where you belong.

Moyes dillying, dallying and dithering re subs is what he does. Always reacting too late.

So bring on the next barrage of baby words...

Perfectly okay to criticise, but not ridicule — that's what winds me up.

Dilly Dally Dither
Dilly Dally Dither
Dilly Dally Dither
Dilly Dally Dither

Damn. That felt good. That's it. I'm done. It's outta my system.
No more D words.

Btw, I also sometimes get frustrated by late subs, as well.

Referring to his tactics and his decisions, subs etc, in his previous time here is getting boring now. We should be looking forward, with a lot more optimism now.

Managers tend to differ in their use of subs. Some like to use them all, others not too many especially when the game is in the balance.

It does seem as if the game is changing though. With the 5 subs rule, using the bench has become vital. The bigger squads are taking advantage of it. Arteta was talking about having 'starters' and 'finishers' in the squad, like they do in Rugby, the other day.

You have to be able to trust 17 or 18 players. Not sure Moyes is there yet with our squad.

I do believe we have the makings of a successful team in our midst.
We are shy of a few vital elements. Right Back, Centre Forward / Striker or two that are finishers. A dominant leader in central midfield. Could that be Merlin ?
Probably a left back too due to Myk's injury issues. We have a half decent bench if we can add those players, maybe in January and the Summer.
As for the derby. The side we have is more than capable, if we can add finishing. With Jack and Illy, uplifting any nervous players with their magical skills. Jake has been solid as has Keano. Tarks is Tarks and hopefully can resist doing anything rash. Jimmy has been excellent. KDH is still adapting and can shine.
Central midfield is where we are most vulnerable. GG will be at his busiest.
I cant see any difference from our previous away game taking place, with a few tweaks.
They will put us under a lot of pressure and are lightning on the break. Especially from our corners. Sadly they have goalscorers peppered throughout their side. Especially shooting accurately from distance. That is where our CM have to work hard shielding the defence.
We need Jack, KDH & Illy to have a few more cracks at goal and Beto ready for rebounds.
Putting Becker under pressure will pay dividends. He is lousy with the ball at his feet and doesnt do well in stressful situations.
COYB

2 wins for them against 2 teams that went cautious and defensive.

Burnley, winner 95th minute

Arsenal winner 84th minute

2 wins for them against 2 teams who were more attack minded and open.

Bournemouth, winner/s 88th/94th minute.

Newcastle, winner 100th minute

What ever approach teams take has ended in defeat with late goals. They may have looked threatening and perhaps dominated some games but results show the winning margin has been close, winning by 1 apart from Bournemouth who probably conceded the second late goal as they were looking to get an equaliser rather than just giving in at 3-2 down.

So they are organised and efficient, and they’ll punish sloppy defending.

However, their defence is a bit unsettled so needs to be occupied. One day soon, a team will take them down. I think we could be that team.

Would the traditional 4-4-2 work. Think Atletico Madrid tried it...

If Mykolenko plays,

Grealish, Gueye, Dewsbury-Hall, Garner as the 4 mid

Ndiaye, Beto up front

If Myko not available,Garner goes left back against Salah and we wish him well or perhaps Jake O'Brien moves to left back to take care of him by giving him a friendly kick

Grealish, Gueye, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye

Barry, Beto

or

Grealish, Gueye, Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall

Ndiaye, Beto

Who'd be a Manager

I think it a feature under Slot, that they do just enough in all games, rather than bigger performances under Klopp. Marginal win approach, leaving something in the tank.

Here is a summary of Liverpool's matches won by a single goal in the 2024-25 season:

Liverpool won 13 Premier League matches by a single goal.
In the FA Cup, Liverpool won 1 match by a single goal.

In the Champions League, Liverpool won 2 matches by a single goal.

Whatever it is, it needs ending.

Sorry, unless I am missing something obvious, I thought those figures looked a bit odd. I see 16 wins by them in the Premier League by more than one and only 9 by one.

In many of those 16, the margins were by 3.

When we go forward, we can definitely get in behind them. Atletico did on numerous occasions.

Tony, I understand your desire for us to win a cup but, in my opinion, when we throw off the shackles the RS has on our mentality, everything else will follow.

Let's throw them off tomorrow.

Is that off-limits?

Van Dijk is definitely the weak link but no team plays on him and the pundits still make him MotM in some games. Watch him when Liverpool concede a goal he turns around looking to blame someone for the goal when half the time it's his fault!

I hope Everton concentrate on our right wing and give Ndiaye the ball as much as they do Grealish. One thing that Grealish can't do as good as Ndiaye is go past a man and leave him standing. When Everton attack, they must have men up anticipating the balls coming in and Ndiaye can provide those balls.

And you are correct, Laurie, when Kendall and Harvey started creating that great Everton team, it started getting the better of Liverpool. They knew there was no fear from Everton when we played them, particularly the 1-1 draw at Goodison when Harper scored, I think, and Sharp missed a penalty to clinch the win.

Don't fear them and let them know, like Dyche did, and being fair, Moyes in the last two games at Goodison. Being at Anfield shouldn't make too much difference, especially if we get their crowd quiet and frustrated with their team.

For me, the thing that really got us going that season was the 1 - 1 derby at Goodison when Harper scored a cracking equaliser. We discovered belief that day.

Konate us big and fast, but is prone to lapses in concentration.

Fine to criticise, especially when they get it wrong (which all managers do at times). I have to say, though, I think Moyes 2.0 has been anything but dour so far!

You KO Dave??

A pedant.

Lay off our manager, Steve, with the letter “D” on Saturday night it will be all about the letter “T” — talented, tenacious, transformative, tactful, and trustworthy and bleedin' triumphant, what a manager our Davie is.

If he plays for a draw and it doesn't come off feel free to go back to the “Ds”!

I knew someone would spot my deliberate mistake, thought it would be a Scouser to be honest not a bleedin' Woolieback!

Why don't these players have names that are pronounceable!

Strength and depth on the bench with 9 subs, they're an effective and dangerous opponent.

If it translates to playing style, then that is another story. The Lisbon Lions were anything but.

Hopefully we will be talking Triumph and not Defeat for Davie on Saturday!

As a player, I'd rather have Dour Davey on the touchline barking instructions rather than Marcel Marceau on a bad batch of crack, like Martinez was.

There is bleedin' big difference between Jock Stein and Davie Moyes, no matter what adjective you use.

Moyes started life with a wonderful Christian name but doesn't act like a Dave, if I say so myself!

On here, generally, adjectives like "dour" are being used in a (highly) pejorative way, to ridicule our manager. As previously stated, no issue with criticism of the manager - that is opinion — but ridicule is not right and actually (for me anyway) detracts from the (sometimes) very good points being made about the actual football, tactics etc.

I genuinely enjoy the debates on here, but can't get past the name-calling thing.

Fab comments. I read them a few times because they are genuinely hilarious. Thanks for the uplift, fellas!

But it's a makeshift defence, and the centre-mid is patched up. Expect goals at any point.

Your not having Moyes are you Dave.

I was born in Parr. But moved out quite young.

Unfortunately, it has mostly been Defeated Davie where the derbies are concerned. Hopefully tomorrow will change that.

Both teams will cause each other problems tomorrow, it'll be about taking your chances.

I've always been impressed with the fact that in most recent derbies, their players look more consistently up for it than ours. They get how important it is. Let's hope our new boys get it, especially as they are markedly better players than those they replaced.

Yes, I understand your point of view but let's be honest, Peter, I'd wager he's had more praise than criticism since he came back and why can't you ignore the name-calling and concentrate on the praise? A lot of my name-calling is a little bit of divilment but the criticism is entitlement at times as well.

Let's hope he's blushing with all that praise on Saturday night!

Dyche might not have feared them, but he feared every other side we played. A disgrace that a clown like him ever managed a giant like Everton.

The difference between him and Moyes is like chalk and cheese.

Hopefully we get King David today.

Good luck to the team, good luck to the away fans, and I hope we smash the cocky blowhards... Would love it to be over with 20 to go big. I would love a last-minute winner given all their utter bullshit lately.

Watch the game, Steve, have no fear and project positive vibes all the way from New Zealand, mate!

The financial auditors said this in the 2022-23 season:

“Collectively, the above conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt about the group's ability to continue as a going concern, The board is confident that funding will be secured or refinanced and that they will be able to achieve the levels of revenue and savings to allow the group to continue in operational existence for a period of 12 months after the date of signing these financial statements.”

If we had been relegated, then this club would have gone out of existence. Love him or hate him, that is the truth.

The narrative seems to be turning against Dyche lately, but he did a decent job in really difficult circumstances.

And plenty of managers kept us in the top flight before Dyche. We didn't really need a complete refusal to play football to maintain our PL status. The guy who replaced him seemed to prove that point.

I get to see them at BMD next month, for the Palace game. Can't wait.