George Overhill

Fri 20 October 2023 18:40, UK

Everton fans will “forgive” the team “even if they lose” at Liverpool on Saturday (21 October) as long as they show “heart, determination, and desire”, according to Stan Collymore.

The former Reds striker wrote in his Caught Offside column on 20 October that the Merseyside derby would likely be a “brilliant contest” but suggested the gulf in quality between the two sides has rarely been wider, giving Sean Dyche an uphill battle.

Collymore expects Jurgen Klopp’s side to win but has backed the Toffees to be “hard to beat”, leaving the door open against some new Anfield arrivals who have yet to experience the fixture.

Collymore said: “This weekend’s Premier League action should kick off with a bang. It’s the Merseyside Derby at Anfield and, like always, I am sure it’s going to be a brilliant contest.

“There haven’t been many occasions where the divide in quality between Liverpool and Everton has been as big as it is now so Sean Dyche has his work cut out.

“Obviously, Liverpool are the overwhelming favourites, and rightly so, but if Everton can put in a solid performance and show heart, determination and desire, their fans will forgive them even if they lose – the most important thing for the Toffees is that they are hard to beat, and I think they have a chance of being just that.

“Liverpool still have a very new squad, especially in midfield, so it’s going to be interesting to see how some of those new names handle their first Merseyside Derby.

“I suspect they’ll come through it and continue to have another great campaign. I think if any team finishes above Klopp’s men, they’ll be champions.”

Spoilers

Yes Liverpool are looking strong this season and yes Everton have had another struggling start to the campaign, but it has often been the biggest matches that have brought the best performances in the past couple of years.

For once Dyche has most of his squad to choose from and he is bringing his side into this game off the back of a strong win over Bournemouth before the international break.

“Hard to beat” will indeed be vital since conceding a couple of early goals will likely end the game as a contest, but making it to the second half level or ahead and a result is there for the taking.

Emotions continue to swing wildly around this side in the current campaign but, the bad defeat at home to Luton Town aside, the Toffees have actually won three of their last four in all competitions and scored nine goals in the process.

At most points in recent years supporters would sign up for that in a heartbeat, so allowing for the fact that there area still issues with this side perhaps there can be some cautious optimism ahead of the derby.

Fans will never happily chalk up an Everton loss to Liverpool but if the players show the sort of fight that Collymore suggests it should at least maintain belief even if the result goes the wrong way.

In other Everton news, a Goodison Park flop has spoken out about how he “suffered” after not playing for so long at the club.