Koeman has yet to close gap on Reds

IT would put the cat among the pigeons in the top four if Everton beat Liverpool and Manchester United in their next two games.

Sadly, I’m not sure they are quite top-four material under Ronald Koeman yet, and losing Seamus Coleman for the run-in will not help.

Get well soon, Seamus. No one deserves to suffer a terrible broken leg playing for their country.

I fancy Liverpool to nick it in today’s Merseyside derby at Anfield, just as they did at Goodison in December. And for a bit of fun, I’ve jotted down my combined Merseyside XI, a composite team from either side of Stanley Park.

Don’t get too agitated – it’s only my opinion. The hardest part was the first name on the teamsheet. Can we play without a goalkeeper? I’m not 100 per cent sold on any of the options.

Here’s my line-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Coleman, incidentally, would have made the cut had he not been so seriously injured last week: Mignolet (Liverpool) Clyne (Liverpool) Williams (Everton) Matip (Liverpool) Milner (Liverpool) Henderson (Liverpool) Barkley (Everton) Lallana (Liverpool) Coutinho (Liverpool) Mane (Liverpool) Lukaku (Everton)

I make that 8-3 to Liverpool. But the derby should be a lot closer.

BORING, boring England. Yes, Gareth Southgate’s men got the job done against Lithuania but it was so dull. It’s an expensive business going to watch England at Wembley.

Surely it’s not too much to ask for a bit of urgency? England will qualify for the World Cup finals, they have reached all major tournaments since 2008 and learn nothing from strolling past minnows.

I like Southgate and thought him the right appointment. But, in his two home qualifiers so far, England have beaten Malta and Lithuania 2-0, and I could barely stay awake long before the end of either game.

Why not imagine you need at least five goals? England might then discover the clinical edge required to reach later stages of tournaments instead of going out on penalties or losing to Iceland.