James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite hand Sean Dyche hope ahead of Everton v Liverpool as chart-topping figures emerge
Everton fans can be forgiven for not feeling optimistic ahead of their meeting with fierce rivals Liverpool, with the Toffees heading to Anfield for their clash with the Reds on Saturday (21 October) as underdogs.
The visitors sit 16th in the Premier League table after their poor start to the campaign, with their opponents flying high in the top four.
There are various reasons behind the struggles of Everton and the success of Liverpool, but one major reason is the stark contrast in their attacking output.
Only Brighton (21), Newcastle United (20) and Aston Villa (19) have scored more league goals than the Reds (18) this season, with Everton only managing to hit the back of the net on nine occasions, as per the official Premier League website.
Liverpool forwards Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz will undoubtedly be keen to extend the club’s goals figure against the Toffees, but that could prove to be much easier said than done.
And that is because of the form of Everton’s central defensive duo James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. As per WhoScored (20 October), the pair are “topping the charts” for the highest-rated English centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues this season, alongside Crystal Palace ace Marc Guehi.
That should give their manager Sean Dyche at least some hope heading into the very difficult clash, with the boss taking all that he can get given his club’s poor start to the campaign.
Tarkowski and Branthwaite have the very unenviable task of keeping Jurgen Klopp’s attack quiet, something that not many defenders have done in recent years, never mind this season.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are eyeing a breakthrough with a brand new £35million transfer.