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Match Preview
When Everton take the field for the 205th Merseyside derby this Saturday they will be in the midway point of an eight-day spell that will likely be a milestone in a season that is shaping up to be every bit as disappointing as was feared when the hotly-anticipated new summer signings failed to materialise by the time the campaign kicked off in mid-August.
The Blues' Carling Cup adventure is already over before it began, ended on Wednesday evening by a mediocre Blackburn side that began the season in a fair amount of disarray themselves but who have beaten David Moyes's side twice already. Now they face the prospect of a date with Liverpool at a time when they appear to be ill-prepared for the blood and thunder of a fixture that has, on balance, not been kind to Everton in recent years, followed by a do-or-die Uefa Cup second leg clash with Standard Liege next Thursday.
As we've seen in 2005 and again last season after the heartbreak against Fiorentina, this Everton team takes the ending of their European dream incredibly hard and the repercussions on Premier League form have in the past been significant and lasting. Coupled with a defeat to Liverpool, it's conceivable that elimination from the Uefa Cup in the second leg in Liege could send the team's form into a nosedive from which it might not recover... and that would rule out repeat qualification for Europe next year which, coming on the back of last season's relative success, would be a massive let-down.
So, while the derby may illustrate how the Blues currently measure up against the Sky Four and, depending on the result, is unlikely to prove a defining moment in the season, it could be vital in terms of its psychological effects on the club as it prepares to spring a surprise in Belgium five days later. As opportunities to stand up, be counted and deliver go, derby is as good as it gets.
Certainly, Everton will be meeting a Liverpool side that is hardly firing on all cylinders itself. Last weekend's 0-0 home draw with Stoke City left the Kop mightily frustrated and the Reds only just scraped past Crewe Alexandra in the Cup on Tuesday. Fernando Torres is still making his way back from injury and Steven Gerrard has yet to find his best form after making a surprisingly quick return from surgery earlier this month.
The Blues's own problems are no secret, though. In disarray in defence where they have failed to keep a clean sheet all season and shipped 11 goals in five games in the League and unsettled in midfield where Marouane Fellaini in particular has taken his time in settling in following his high-profile, deadline-day move, Moyes's team will have to find their feet quickly if they are to stop the rot and boost morale.
Been there 5 minutes 
Joleon Lescott has struggled for form while the three other first-choice members of the back four have all scored own goals which seem to be representative of the uncertainty that pervades the Blues' rearguard at the moment. Up until now, Moyes has really only been able to turn to Leighton Baines to make changes in defence but Tony Hibbert's appearance on the substitute's bench at Blackburn in midweek may finally give him another option in the opposite full-back position.
And as unpalatable as the thought of Phil Neville in midfield is, it would not be a surprise to see the captain replace either Castillo and Fellaini in central midfield for the derby this weekend in an attempt to tighten up that area of the pitch... that is if Hibbert is even fit enough to start. Fellaini, who has looked unsure of his role thus far, at least has experience of playing against Liverpool — indeed, it was his performances against the dark side for Liege in the Champions League qualifier that persuaded Moyes to sign him before the transfer deadline — but Castillo has made by far the more assured start to life at Goodison than the Belgian.
Not an easy decision, and it could be that both are sacrificed if Moyes opts for Neville in a four-man midfield completed by Cahill, Arteta (expected to return after missing the cup tie with a virus) and Osman.
It's up front where the Blues finally have depth, though, thanks to the fitness of Louis Saha. The Frenchman is in line to make his Goodison bow this weekend and could start in a 4-4-2 formation alongside Yakubu. In that pairing, Everton have the makings of one of the deadliest strikeforces in the division but, as ever, the key will be in getting enough of the right kind of service to them, something they failed to do at Ewood Park on Wednesday night.
Arteta can provide that service, as can Osman on his day, but the physical nature of derby matches means that they will have to be on the top of their game. Thus far, the Blues have looked considerably less than the sum of their individual parts and a rousing performance against the arch enemy in front of a racous Goodison crowd could just be the catalyst they need to get their season going.
Liverpool will be the sternest test that Moyes's boys have faced so far this season and while they've looked less than convincing against inferior opposition, they have what it takes to claim local bragging rights if they can get their act together on the day — that is, of course, if they're not scuppered by referee Mike Riley...
Lyndon Lloyd
Match Preview
When Everton take the field for the 205th Merseyside derby this Saturday they will be in the midway point of an eight-day spell that will likely be a milestone in a season that is shaping up to be every bit as disappointing as was feared when the hotly-anticipated new summer signings failed to materialise by the time the campaign kicked off in mid-August.
The Blues' Carling Cup adventure is already over before it began, ended on Wednesday evening by a mediocre Blackburn side that began the season in a fair amount of disarray themselves but who have beaten David Moyes's side twice already. Now they face the prospect of a date with Liverpool at a time when they appear to be ill-prepared for the blood and thunder of a fixture that has, on balance, not been kind to Everton in recent years, followed by a do-or-die Uefa Cup second leg clash with Standard Liege next Thursday.
As we've seen in 2005 and again last season after the heartbreak against Fiorentina, this Everton team takes the ending of their European dream incredibly hard and the repercussions on Premier League form have in the past been significant and lasting. Coupled with a defeat to Liverpool, it's conceivable that elimination from the Uefa Cup in the second leg in Liege could send the team's form into a nosedive from which it might not recover... and that would rule out repeat qualification for Europe next year which, coming on the back of last season's relative success, would be a massive let-down.
So, while the derby may illustrate how the Blues currently measure up against the Sky Four and, depending on the result, is unlikely to prove a defining moment in the season, it could be vital in terms of its psychological effects on the club as it prepares to spring a surprise in Belgium five days later. As opportunities to stand up, be counted and deliver go, derby is as good as it gets.
Certainly, Everton will be meeting a Liverpool side that is hardly firing on all cylinders itself. Last weekend's 0-0 home draw with Stoke City left the Kop mightily frustrated and the Reds only just scraped past Crewe Alexandra in the Cup on Tuesday. Fernando Torres is still making his way back from injury and Steven Gerrard has yet to find his best form after making a surprisingly quick return from surgery earlier this month.
The Blues's own problems are no secret, though. In disarray in defence where they have failed to keep a clean sheet all season and shipped 11 goals in five games in the League and unsettled in midfield where Marouane Fellaini in particular has taken his time in settling in following his high-profile, deadline-day move, Moyes's team will have to find their feet quickly if they are to stop the rot and boost morale.
Been there 5 minutes Joleon Lescott has struggled for form while the three other first-choice members of the back four have all scored own goals which seem to be representative of the uncertainty that pervades the Blues' rearguard at the moment. Up until now, Moyes has really only been able to turn to Leighton Baines to make changes in defence but Tony Hibbert's appearance on the substitute's bench at Blackburn in midweek may finally give him another option in the opposite full-back position.
And as unpalatable as the thought of Phil Neville in midfield is, it would not be a surprise to see the captain replace either Castillo and Fellaini in central midfield for the derby this weekend in an attempt to tighten up that area of the pitch... that is if Hibbert is even fit enough to start. Fellaini, who has looked unsure of his role thus far, at least has experience of playing against Liverpool — indeed, it was his performances against the dark side for Liege in the Champions League qualifier that persuaded Moyes to sign him before the transfer deadline — but Castillo has made by far the more assured start to life at Goodison than the Belgian.
Not an easy decision, and it could be that both are sacrificed if Moyes opts for Neville in a four-man midfield completed by Cahill, Arteta (expected to return after missing the cup tie with a virus) and Osman.
It's up front where the Blues finally have depth, though, thanks to the fitness of Louis Saha. The Frenchman is in line to make his Goodison bow this weekend and could start in a 4-4-2 formation alongside Yakubu. In that pairing, Everton have the makings of one of the deadliest strikeforces in the division but, as ever, the key will be in getting enough of the right kind of service to them, something they failed to do at Ewood Park on Wednesday night.
Arteta can provide that service, as can Osman on his day, but the physical nature of derby matches means that they will have to be on the top of their game. Thus far, the Blues have looked considerably less than the sum of their individual parts and a rousing performance against the arch enemy in front of a racous Goodison crowd could just be the catalyst they need to get their season going.
Liverpool will be the sternest test that Moyes's boys have faced so far this season and while they've looked less than convincing against inferior opposition, they have what it takes to claim local bragging rights if they can get their act together on the day — that is, of course, if they're not scuppered by referee Mike Riley...
Lyndon Lloyd
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