Liverpool – Everton: Brand New Enemies, Same Old War (2-1)

Transformative transfer windows saw plenty of fresh faces on both sides, yet the same tropes of previous Merseyside derbies came into fruition. Amidst a cautious David Moyes defensive approach, the Mo Salah lane opened and Everton are left wondering what would have happened if the second half response was mirrored with the start.

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Breaking the Anfield hoodoo would be the ultimate demonstration that David Moyes can move Everton in the right direction, but a win at Anfield is becoming a greater task.

An investment of £315 million, on attackers alone, is set to keep Liverpool scoring, even when Arnie Slot’s team have shown some issues in their rest defence. However, the last few games have shown promising signs. Slot switched to a man-to-man press and increased the distances in the buildup, in the second half, to swing the balance of the game against Arsenal. Whilst they left it late against both Burnley and Atlético Madrid, these were two games in which Liverpool totally dominated in terms of Expected Goals. In the Merseyside Derby, Slot would expect the same territorial advantages against a coach that likes to sit in a medium-to-low block.

It’s no surprise that the vast . . .