A WHOLE RANGE OF HIGH MOUNTAINS IN FRONT OF E VERTON
In 4 consecutive rounds, Everton will meet all 4 teams leading the table (at this time). After the Merseyside derby, they will visit Arsenal; host Chelsea; then visit the home field of defending champion Man.City. Just getting 1 point in the next 4 rounds of the Premier League is a significant achievement for Everton, because in theory, the highest possibility in all 4 matches is "Everton loses".
Everton (right) beat Liverpool in the most recent Merseyside derby in the Premier League
Before the match against Wolverhampton in midweek, Everton had gone through a series of 5 consecutive matches without a win, including 4 consecutive matches without scoring, the most recent of which was a 0-4 loss to MU under new coach Ruben Amorim. That means, if Everton lose to Wolverhampton, coach Sean Dyche will have a hard time avoiding the fate of being "fired" in the coming weeks, and the team will also face the risk of being relegated for the first time in the Premier League era.
Recalling such a special situation helps fans feel more clearly: how "vital" the recent 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton was, for the team in general and coach Dyche in particular. Suppose the result was reversed, Wolverhampton (currently second to last) would jump above Everton, while Everton would fall into the relegation group. Now, Everton is 5 points ahead and 3 places above the relegation group. That is a little "capital" for Dyche and his team before the upcoming series of 4 extremely difficult matches.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
The Merseyside Derby is certainly a big challenge for the blue half of Liverpool. However, it is also a challenge for the "Reds", because Liverpool often have difficulties when entering this famous derby. Look no further: Everton beat Liverpool in the most recent Merseyside derby in the Premier League. That was in April 2024 (near the end of last season), and that was also the most recent occasion when Everton had consecutive wins in the Premier League. Their fans are expecting a repeat: Everton beat Liverpool at home, to have their first two consecutive wins in the Premier League this season.
Objectively speaking, Liverpool played… worse than expected in the midweek match. They lost points at Newcastle after letting the opponent equalize 3-3 in extra time. Mohamed Salah continued to shine while Trent Alexander-Arnold set a new record, rising to the top of the list of defenders with the most assists in Premier League history. However, there were some individuals who were unexpectedly lackluster, most notably midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who has been excellent since the beginning of the season. Goalkeeper Kelleher also made mistakes. The whole team was generally lackluster. And Liverpool's gap to the second-placed team was reduced to 7 points.
On the one hand, the special nature of the "derby" football genre in general always makes the gap (if any) between two teams closer than in theory. On the other hand, in the current situation, the strong team Liverpool is in decline, and has to play away, while the weak team Everton is rising strongly in both spirit and form, and has the home field advantage. Any result can happen in a derby, although of course it must be said that Liverpool is the "upper team". Coach Arne Slot and his team must of course try to get all the absolute points to stay safe from the pursuit of too many strong teams behind (Chelsea, Arsenal and Man.City are all capable of shortening the gap with Liverpool).
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/derby-merseyside-thach-thuc-mau-xanh-hay-do-185241207001921453.htm
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