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meverton are everything Liverpool must become now. That was the front line of The Guardian’s report on the very first game John W Henry attended as Liverpool’s owner, a 2-0 loss at Goodison Park that left his new investment second in the Premier League queue. 10 years ago on Saturday.
The big picture can change dramatically over a decade, clearly. Liverpool’s value may rise by nearly £ 2bn and yet its venture capital owners will push for more. However, some things remain constant in football: Everton’s downfall in the Merseyside derby, for example. On Saturday they hope, and with good reason, that Carlo Ancelotti can perform his last trick.
Henry witnessed Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta giving victory to Everton and Goodison laughing with chants of “Going down” after having won the supreme court battle for control of the Anfield club 48 hours earlier. They have not known defeat in a Merseyside derby in the 22 matches since then.
Everton’s sterile sequence almost defies logic until you remember not only the sonorous beatings of Roberto Martínez and Marco Silva, but also the tales of bad luck, the self-inflicted losses, and, with each passing year, the growing anxiety that can consume players and fans alike on derby day. Then it starts to make sense; the failure to punish 10 men, the aberration of Jordan Pickford, losing in the 94 or 96 minute, being eliminated from the FA Cup by an academy team and the fear of Divock Origi.
But not now, not even against perfectly equipped Liverpool to remind everyone why they are Premier League champions. “I think I am going to sleep normally tonight because I have a good feeling about the game. I’m confident, ”Ancelotti said on Friday when asked if the pre-derby nerves would hit the Milan and Madrid veteran. “We didn’t train much because we didn’t have a lot of time, but I see that the players are focused, all in shape and in a good mood. That’s why I’m sure I’m going to sleep. “
He was equally relaxed by the terrible 10-year record. “I think the pressure we have for this game is the pressure we have to have to play a derby. What happened in the past is the past. We live in the present and the present is tomorrow. We are going to play this fantastic game, this exciting game and we have to be prepared. Honestly, I don’t look at the statistics because each game has its own story. “
The 237 Merseyside derby is a much-needed escapism for a city under the tightest lockdown restrictions in England and where, as a consequence, popular local businesses close with disgusting regularity. Arguably not the match Jürgen Klopp would have chosen to follow his team’s 7-2 humiliation at Aston Villa ahead of the international break, especially with key players just back from Covid-19 and goalkeeper Alisson injured.
But for Ancelotti’s Premier League leaders there is anticipation where apprehension usually reigns. That’s a significant change in itself, reflecting a 100% start to the season in four league games and three Carabao Cup qualifiers, although Liverpool’s visit isn’t just an opportunity to hit an injured opponent. That situation has played out against minor Liverpool teams over the past decade and yielded similar results. To use the current schedule, there is a big picture at stake for Everton.
A derby against the reigning champions offers a barometer of this season’s instant and impressive progress. As the coach said: “We are excited to play the game because our momentum is good and it could be good to play against one of the best teams in the world just to see where we are.”
Beyond the game, whether he finishes with a six-point lead over Liverpool or Origi scores the winner in his first league appearance of the season, there are opportunities in this unpredictable and turbulent Premier League campaign. It is the chance to finally realize owner Farhad Moshiri’s ambitions for Everton and challenge the established order at the top of the Premier League. The window won’t be open for long if the Liverpool and Manchester United owners finally get their way, regardless of whether Project Big Picture is archived in its original form on Wednesday.
“Honestly, I didn’t follow what was going on in soccer politics,” Ancelotti said of the controversy this week. “I was concentrating on the game. I still consider the Premier League to be one of the best competitions in the world, it is very well organized and that’s it. I am focused on my team and my club. We have our goal and our goal for the future and that has not changed. It is always the same, and that is to be competitive until the end ”.
The Italian has led Everton to the top by doing precisely what his detractors claimed was not his strong suit when he was appointed in December. He’s committed to a rebuilding project, starting with a £ 60m transformation in midfield on Allan, Abdoulaye Doucouré and James Rodriguez. All three have been as impressed as Everton’s ability to strengthen their squad and cut the payroll in the latest transfer window, when more than a dozen players left.
The club was quick to capitalize on its high-profile South American contingent as part of international expansion plans, signing a partnership agreement with Chilean namesake Everton de Viña del Mar and its owners Grupo Pachuca. A first international office is expected to open soon in the United States.
Ancelotti has trained the player improvement he inherited regardless of their age and position on the field. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the obvious example with nine goals in six club-level matches, including the first two hat-tricks of his career, and the forward reached the season’s double digits with a goal in his England debut against Wales. last week.
He’s not the only one. Michael Keane has seen himself as a different player since the coach arrived, taking responsibility. Séamus Coleman has regained his energy at age 32, a welcome sight after the captain’s long recovery from a serious injury. Pickford is the exception but now faces increased competition for his place with the signing of Robin Olsen, a Swedish international, on the deadline.
It’s early, of course, but Ancelotti has responded convincingly to the idea that he won three Champions League titles simply by massaging the egos of world-class talents. However, it is not that he lacks dexterity in the psychology department. Everton’s mentality and character were regularly questioned last season and rightly so. Ancelotti and Coleman criticized themselves. So far this period, the team’s approach and response to setbacks has improved markedly. Three new midfielders alone do not explain that development.
“It is true that the spirit and attitude have changed,” says Ancelotti. “There are many things you must consider; the new signings, of course, but also the different spirit of the players who were here last season. That started this season: a different spirit, a different attitude, and a different ambition. Of course, the results are helping us to maintain a good momentum and I think the challenge will be when the difficulties come. We will have to be prepared then, and the confidence that we are showing now, we will have to maintain the same confidence when difficulties come.
Liverpool has been the biggest difficulty of all on the pitch for the past 10 years. Break that sequence and Ancelotti will be entitled to a Saturday night awake.
