Premier League resumes with Everton and Liverpool on collision course
With another weekend of league football upon us after the two week international break has come to an unimpressive conclusion, teams and their manager’s gear up for what can be season defining fixtures for some. For others it will be the usual, the routine set of matches. English Premier League has become well known and followed all across the globe due to its unpredictable behavior.
This volatile behavior is a reference to the weekly hustle and bustle of football obviously not the final outcome of the league in May of every season. This season, teams like West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool have surprised everybody. Back in august though, no one gave these new boys a chance to make a mark on the first tier of league football in England but since then Ian Holloway and Roberto Di Matteo have responded in authoritative fashion. West Bromwich have already beaten Arsenal whereas Ian Holloway’s Blackpool defeated Liverpool at Anfield, confirming the fact that on any given Sunday anything can happen as Al Pacino so rightly highlighted in a very famous movie of his.
Getting back to football, it is going to be a crucial weekend for Merseyside. Everton and Liverpool both take on each other in a Merseyside derby which is coincidentally taking place at a time when both the clubs are going through a dire run of form. Not only that, it gets worse for Liverpool as the Reds are facing all sorts of shenanigans off-the-field as well. Recently, with all the news surrounding their court case, then an injunction and then share selling scandals, Liverpool may as well be a contender for the Oscars later this year.
With Roy Hodgson at the helm since the start of the season, Liverpool have been the exact definition of horrible. Maybe, some would think that the Reds are destined to be positive on the field now that their ownership troubles are behind them, well that may be right but what kind of a mind set to Liverpool take to this derby game against the Toffees. Yes, admittedly New England Sports Venture’s, John W Henry’s company have taken over the club but what next?
With the transfer window closed till the 1st of January 2011, Liverpool have to compete in the rest of the English Premier League season with the same set of players that they have right now. If that wasn’t damning enough, there is already talk that the new owners will replace Roy Hodgson after just seven games into the season with the fan favorite, Kenny Dalglish.
One would rightly think that after two weeks of utter nonsense news and court battles, after fourteen full days of drama and controversy surrounding Anfield, the players and the club itself owes their fans something of a celebration now. If Liverpool do indeed come out in full force against Everton, then there is no reason as to why such festivities will be delayed even a single bit but David Moyes’s men are no slouches themselves.
Everton have also had a slow start to the season but they still find themselves in the 17th place spot in the English Premier League table just one place above the 18th ranked Liverpool side that they are scheduled to face at the weekend. The Toffee’s secured their first win of the season just before the international break came into place as they won on their away trip to Saint Andrew’s, that win gave them all three points. But Moyes will be hoping that his side will build on that result and put Liverpool to sword at the Goodison Park.
Liverpool must absolutely win this match to get out of the bottom three whereas Everton can’t afford to lose this one given that they are already dropped a lot of points this season. Both teams can play football the right way but one can expect a very bloody encounter on Sunday at the Merseyside.
Tags: