Fresh from bringing Arsenal all the way down to earth, Sean Dyche now has Liverpool in his sights and the possibility to make himself an instantaneous icon amongst Everton followers.
As one in all English soccer’s final disrupters, Everton’s new supervisor can upset the chances in Monday’s Merseyside derby and heap extra distress on Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp.
While Dyche has taken over a workforce in a combat for Premier League survival, Liverpool has troubles of its personal.
“I have no words for it really. I’m sorry,” Klopp stated after a 3-0 loss at Wolverhampton final week that left the workforce in tenth place.
It’s now turning into a case of harm limitation for a workforce that challenged for an unprecedented 4 trophies final season, with Champions League qualification trying more and more unlikely except Liverpool goes on to win the competitors this 12 months.
Such issues should sound just like the stuff of desires for an Everton workforce that had not received within the league since Oct. 22 earlier than Dyche ended that run in his first sport final week in opposition to chief Arsenal. Even after that morale-boosting end result, the workforce stays within the relegation zone and solely three factors above last-place Southampton.
In regular circumstances, a visit to Anfield is likely to be thought-about the worst attainable prospect — Everton has solely received one of many final 27 derbies in opposition to its largest rival. Dyche, nevertheless, has a historical past of upsetting the favorites, together with a 1-0 win for Burnley at then-champion Liverpool in 2021.
This can also be not the identical Liverpool that has dominated the Premier League — together with Manchester City — over the previous 4 years. The loss at Wolverhampton was the seventh within the league this season and tenth in all competitions.
Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Brentford and Brighton have all crushed Klopp’s as soon as formidable workforce, which has solely received one sport this 12 months.
Klopp is struggling to manage after a bunch of accidents to key gamers, in addition to the lack of ahead Sadio Mane final 12 months. His workforce is in transition and it’s unsure if he’ll be capable of rebuild it to the purpose that he can proceed to problem City for main honors.
Dyche, conversely, has the stage set to capitalize and gas perception amongst Everton followers that he can lead the membership to security.
Back-to-back video games in opposition to Arsenal and Liverpool represented a frightening begin for the brand new supervisor, whereas additionally explaining why Everton determined to fireside Frank Lampard earlier than that run. The membership wanted the power and bounce {that a} change on the high can carry and that was evident in opposition to Arsenal.
If Dyche can keep away from shedding on Monday, he would take into account three of the subsequent 4 video games to be winnable in opposition to Leeds and Aston Villa at house and at Nottingham Forest. There can also be a visit to Arsenal coming.
While factors are very important to Everton, so is the message {that a} win in opposition to Liverpool would ship out.
As the purple half of Merseyside has flourished lately, the blue half has sunk to the purpose that Everton’s very place within the high division of English soccer is in jeopardy.
Dyche was employed to keep away from relegation and attempt to minimize the hole between the groups. On Monday, he has the possibility to make an instantaneous impression on one of many sport’s most historic rivalries.