Why JĆ¼rgen Klopp will have to seriously consider change to Liverpool style against Everton After Alisson’s moment of madness against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, the Reds’ afternoon became much more stressful and eventful than was looking likely to be the case.
The rest of Saturday’s game was traversed with Liverpool defending deep and showing typical resolve to dig in and get over the line. Once the three points had been won, and it had been determined how long Alisson’s suspension would last — one match, for the avoidance of any doubt — attention then turned to the next Reds game in the Premier League: the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night.
Aside from obvious lapses in concentration, AdriĆ”n has shown himself to be a good shot-stopper this season and has proven not to be detrimental to Liverpool’s chances of success, even in big games like at Stamford Bridge and against Arsenal at Anfield. He has been involved in just one instance of dropped points this season: the Champions League defeat in Napoli, in which the Reds were far from at their best.
One potential weakness in his game, and an area in which Alisson has generally excelled since arriving from AS Roma, is stopping shots that come in from outside the box. In the Premier League, three of the seven goals that AdriĆ”n has conceded to date in 2019/20 have been struck from outside the penalty area. Brighton’s Lewis Dunk was the latest one, with Newcastle United’s Jetro Willems and N’Golo Kante of Chelsea also having found the net from distance. Everton, though, have netted just once from outside the box all season — Gylfi Sigurdsson’s strike against West Ham in October at Goodison Park — despite having shot from there 58 times, so that is hardly an area in which they are proficient.
Marco Silva’s time as Everton manager appears to be all but over. Defeat on Wednesday night would surely be the final nail in his coffin.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 45 Premier League matches at Anfield. Everton have lost five of their last six league matches on the road.
There’s been just one goal scored in the last three Merseyside derbies combined, but a comfortable Liverpool victory is expected this time around.
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