Stan Collymore shares what Sean Dyche must tell Everton players ahead of clash v Liverpool
Stan Collymore believes Everton can get a result against any of the best teams if they replicate the work ethic they displayed in their win over Arsenal.
James Tarkowski’s second-half goal saw the Sean Dyche era get off to the perfect start against the Premier League leaders at Goodison Park.
The former Liverpool striker has called on the former Burnley boss to remind his players of the basics ahead of the game at Anfield.
“He must tell his players that if they can Mirror the work graft, passion and aggression they showed against the Gunners, they will see they can get a result against any of the best teams,” wrote Collymore (Sunday People, pg 62, 12 February).
“It’s a case of saying ‘that’s what you need to do, it’s your bare minimum in terms of effort and aggression and if you do it, we can get out of this fairly comfortably with games to spare’. But if they think, after one result against Arsenal, that they’re Billy Big Time, then Liverpool can come away and win 3-0.”
Winnable
For the first time in a long time, the game at Anfield actually feels like a winnable one for the Toffees. The performance against Arsenal has shown this group of players are capable of getting a result and they will be heading across Stanley Park knowing the pressure is somewhat off.
Jurgen Klopp knows he needs a positive result on Monday (13 February) and is certainly feeling the pressure. The Reds’ season has been one to forget to date, with the Champions League now their main priority. Furthermore, the German has been plagued by injuries, with Virgil van Dijk set to miss the game and Thiago also unlikely to feature after missing training.
Everton will need to do the basics right, but if they can frustrate and restrict Liverpool, they have a really good chance of picking up at least a point. With a huge fixture against Leeds coming up, remaining unbeaten against Arsenal and Liverpool would be a huge boost in their Premier League survival push.