Everton vs Liverpool: Arne Slot wouldn’t dare start Rio Ngumoha in battle with Jake O’Brien
Everton have a mountain at right-back in Jake O’Brien as Liverpool visit Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.
Both teams will be looking to get the three points in the first Merseyside derby in L3 to secure their European places for next season.
David Moyes has relied heavily on O’Brien since taking over at the Toffees and the Republic of Ireland international has arguably been one of the best one-on-one defenders in the Premier League this season.
While Arne Slot has an ace up his sleeve in Rio Ngumoha, he surely wouldn’t dare start the 17-year-old up against the Blues’ right-back.
Moyes has Liverpool on his sights and the game at Hill Dickinson Stadium will certainly be a sight to behold for the home crowd, considering the momentous occasions.
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Jake O’Brien perfect antidote for Everton against Rio Ngumoha
With Alexander Isak only recently returning from a long-term injury layoff and Hugo Ekitike being sidelined for a considerable period, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Slot thinking about starting Ngumoha in the Merseyside derby.
The young English winger has been electric when he’s featured for the Reds this season, scoring two goals in 14 Premier League appearances and completing 1.5 dribbles per game with a 72 per cent success rate, as per Sofascore.
| Statistics | Jake O’Brien |
| Appearances | 31 |
| Interceptions per game | 0.4 |
| Blocked shots per game | 0.5 |
| Total duels won per game | 5.1 (62%) |
| Fouls per game | 0.5 |
With Ngumoha mostly playing down the left-wing, O’Brien would undoubtedly be the perfect defender to stop the tricky attacker, having been dribbled past just 0.1 times per game in 31 league matches.
The right-back has been involved in keeping nine clean sheets and recorded 1.6 tackles, 3.3 ball recoveries, 4.1 clearances and won 57 per cent of his ground duels per game.
David Moyes has obvious starting XI vs Liverpool
Jordan Pickford has been instrumental for Everton this season and can be the difference-maker against Liverpool.
The defence of O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitalii Mykolenko can keep the Red’s attack at bay.
James Garner, Idrissa Gueye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have formed an effective trio in the engine room for the Blues.
Up front, Beto has cemented his place in the starting lineup, while Iliman Ndiaye should shift back to the right-wing to fit Tyrique George into the team.
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