I’m optimistic for some reason. The pressure is almost entirely on their shoulders. Everyone is assuming they will win and we are seen as having nothing left to lose…
The danger W/L/D is to come away with no further injuries - which is not a given as they will be looking to christen the stadium…
I don’t agree that the pressure is almost entirely on them.
There is quite a bit of pressure on us because we’ve been and still are above them, we are battling for a more concrete goal (which is really the minimum acceptable).
Their season has been pretty calm, drama free for a change, relatively successful transition to their new ground and are now even with an outside chance of getting into a European competition.
For them, it’s a good season all considered that can only get better.
For us, it’s an absolute must to achieve the minimum needed.
I guess it’s a mind set thing. People have been so critical and the performances so poor in general, relative to expectation, I wonder if it’s a bit of a free hit. They will be up for this and will want the win to both usher in the new stadium and close the gap.
From our side we also know that this is a bit of a weird fixture and if we are fragile we normally get turned over.
Maybe, it’s my mind set. I’ll take any result that doesn’t coat us player - injury wise or card wise.
I don’t think it’s as a free hit at all, regardless how I feel (I also don’t feel like it is).
We don’t have a lot more games to secure what we need and I even find us in a relatively decent position to achieve it (also because of struggles of some other sides), if we don’t do something incredibly stupid and show a bit of compactness, spirit and quality.
That “Everton away, first at their new ground, we’ve struggled recently in that fixture, they’ll injure us” narrative doesn’t make it a zero expectations game in my opinion.
We have to rise to the challenge or better to say, make them need to rise to it.
Urghhh… Not sure I’ll be able to watch it, but even if I could, I’d likely swerve it. This smells badly. Might be the sewage works next door to their stadium, or it might be because we look clueless these days. They on the other hand will be highly motivated. First derby in their new stadium, and Moyes knows how to prepare them against us to be fair with him.
We just lost our most consistent goalscorer over this season. So where will our goals come from? In defence, we have lost Gomez once again, and look awfully short and unfit at the back.
They also might try to injure one or two of our players to compile on our misery. I’d keep Rio far away from this match to be fair.
Sorry lads and ladesses, but I can’t see this going well.
from believers to doubters
Rome wasn’t built in one day, but the sack of Rome happened very quickly. Klopp’s legacy is gone.
Did we? I thought they didn’t want him or Glasner didn’t want him. Effectively the deal collasped because Glasner put his foot down, considering their information regarding Dwight McNeil I wouldn’t believe much of what their official position says.
It was on the BBC
Still its all sources.
Also still wouldn’t have shifted it as Glasner put his foot down and I am pretty sure there were comments he rejected Gomez.
Such and obvious draw that its pointless watching the game, which I will be doing just so I can say “I told you so”.
Andrew Robertson needs to start.
Yeah if he only plays two more it’s this and Man Utd for me.
For me, even though it is a derby, we need to start Rio, if he is good enough then he is old enough.
He has to at some stage, play in these are the games, just send him out with confidence, not something he lacks and he is against a Giraffe, O’brien who shouldn’t be able to cope with his skills.
The derby is always a tough game, and their first one at the new stadium will add a bit more. They will be amped up and determined to win, putting extra into every challenge. As such, a draw would not be a bad result, and I would take that now, with no injuries.
Having said that, let’s play. It’s there to be won.
I would normally agree. However, seeing Tarkowski’s assault on MacAllister last season is enough reason to know not to play him.
I hope we go there with a Liverpool attitude. All this possession based go nowhere football is killing me. Teams park the bus against Liverpool, not the other way around. We are Evertons cup finals and that’s how it should be. They are never ours, they are our 3 points. Arne are you listening.
So he never plays because you worry that a Grok will injure him?
He is a target because he can make players look silly, so it is always a possibility that someone else will try it.
Rio should start. But he will not under Slot. I think Slot will go defensive.
