RED, SPITE
IT IS a strange quirk of the fixture list that in a pivotal week for Liverpool’s title challenge they have been made to visit the two clubs who would most hate to see them lift the trophy.
Manchester United last weekend was bad enough for the Reds, the atmosphere lifted way beyond the quiet church Old Trafford has now become.
But Goodison is a bear pit, the emotion of the Mersey derby boiling over into something more intense and aggressive in recent years.
For the laid-back Virgil van Dijk, though, the desire of their opponents to not only defeat Liverpool but inflict lasting damage on their title hopes is an inspiration.
When asked about a visit to another club that would hate to see his side win the Premier League, he replied: “I like it. It is something which motivates you even more. “This is a great game to play in. It’s the derby and it’s special.
“We want to show our quality and win the game – hopefully through good football but, if not, through fight.
“I’m looking forward to it. We should all look forward to it and all be full of confidence too.” That confidence is based on a season in which Liverpool have lost just one league game.
The Reds have come so far this term that draws at Manchester United and at home to Bayern Munich are considered disappointing.
But now they must defeat a motivated Everton on their own ground, where five of the last six meetings between the two have been drawn.
The Dutch defender believes the lure of the title will act as a huge inspiration for his own team.
“It will be a game that can go either way and sometimes in these type of games it is who wants it the most,” he said.
“We are in a position where we definitely want it the most and hopefully we can show it on the pitch.”
Everton can pinpoint exactly where their campaign took a nosedive this season – directly after the derby at Anfield, where they succumbed to a cruel 95th-minute
Divock Origi winner for the Reds.
Since then, their issues with zonal marking at set-pieces have undermined their Premier League form and seen them drop tamely out of the
FA Cup.
And with perfect timing, Van Dijk – who scored a late winner against the
Blues on his rivals Liverpool debut just over a year ago – has rediscovered his goalscoring instinct at set-pieces and netted twice from headers against Watford in midweek.
It is something he has worked hard on, and there will be even more work in the hours before the derby.
“It is something I am aware that I need to improve,” he said. “Most of the time at set-pieces I’m marked by the opponent’s best header.
“I am working on it, trying to get better with it, and the only way to improve is to train and work. To get two goals against Watford was very important.
“But the crosses were amazing. They have been doing it throughout the whole season and the quality of crossing is always good from both full-backs – for Trent (Alexander-arnold) to get three assists and Robbo (Andy Robertson) two was outstanding.”
PLF