Talking points before Everton face Liverpool at Anfield | OneFootball

Everton face familiar foes Liverpool in the first Merseyside derby of the season at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

Confidence will be high in the Blues camp after a three-game unbeaten run in the league that has seen them beat Brighton and Wolves before a goalless draw against Aston Villa at home. Everton are sixth in the league, having picked up seven points from a possible 12.

They will be looking for their first Merseyside derby victory since April last year, when they won 2-0 thanks to goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The two matches against Liverpool last season ended 2-2, after a famous last-gasp equaliser from James Tarkowski at Goodison,and 1-0 at Anfield after an offside goal was allowed to stand.

Here are the biggest talking points going into the match against Liverpool on Saturday:

Who should lead the line?

Everton’s biggest headache going into the derby concerns the number nine position. Beto was woeful against Aston Villa, missing a string of chances that would’ve seen the Blues pick up three points instead of dropping two in a game where they had 20 attempts.

The thing about Beto is that when the Guinea-Bissau international is not scoring, he can often be underwhelming. His overall game is rough around the edges and his hold-up play and ability to combine with and create chances for teammates aren’t extraordinary.

On the other hand, Thierno Barry is still young and raw and lacks a killer instinct in the box. He’s a bit lightweight whenever he has been up against tough and sturdy centre-backs and while his hold-up and associative play is far better than Beto’s, the 22-year-old Frenchman is yet to get off the mark for his new club.

Beto, meanwhile, has scored twice against Mansfield Town and Wolves this season and he also found the back of the net in the derby at Goodison Park last season. Ultimately, David Moyes will probably be tempted to value Beto’s experience and Evertonians can only hope that their number nine laces his scoring boots at Anfield on Saturday.

Will Röhl displace Iroegbunam from the starting XI here?

Merlin Röhl, signed from SC Freiburg on Deadline Day, made a wonderful impression off the bench in the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. He ate up a lot of ground, was constantly involved in give-and-gos with his teammates and won seven duels in just 24 minutes on the pitch.

Röhl also brings a towering physical presence in the middle of the park and is not afraid to show for the ball.

Tim Iroegbunam, meanwhile, has had a mixed start to the season. He’s been brilliant in a few games but a passenger in others. Despite bringing a lot of off-the-ball work, there are moments when Iroegbunam is guilty of lacking composure on the ball and not utilising passes and switches more effectively.

Röhl, however, has played only 24 minutes of football with his new side and only time will tell whether Moyes decides to stick or twist his midfield partnership ahead of this big match.

The battle against intangible elements

Referees giving non-existent fouls, offside goals not being ruled out, imagined penalties being given, career-ending challenges going unpunished and VAR interventions not making sense are all actions that can be filed under the “intangible elements” that Everton will be up against on Saturday.

Let’s be clear, the Merseyside derby has rarely provided a level playing field and Saturday is probably not going to be any different.

Arne Slot’s side, fresh off the back of spending more than the GDP of entire Pacific island nations this summer, have also been extremely lucky this season. Sure, they are yet to drop points in the league but make no mistake, they have ridden their luck to wins against Arsenal, Burnley and against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League recently.

As such, David Moyes’s side will not only be up against 11 players on the pitch, but also media narratives, refereeing biases and an element of fortune that might inexplicably sway in favour of the other half of the city at any point.

A shot at winning

Continuing from the previous point, should Evertonians give up all hope and wave the white flag already? On the contrary, the Blues have a genuine chance of securing their first win at Anfield since 2021.

The arrivals of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have elevated the side’s ability to fashion out a variety of chances. Iliman Ndiaye has taken to the right wing like a fish to water, while Grealish won the player of the month award in August after registering four assists in two starts.

Liverpool are weak on the flanks and the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are better going forward than defending, while Dominik Szoboszlai has been used as a stopgap solution and Andy Robertson is past his prime.

Liverpool can be beaten. For all their attacking strengths, they are vulnerable on transitions and I’d like to see Everton taking the game to the opposition. David Moyes has often been guilty of adopting a passive approach in matches against the big sides, but this is a real test of where the Blues stand early in the season. I hope we’re prepared to go to war at Anfield.

Kieran Kinsella 5 Posted 19/09/2025 at 16:42:52

I think it would be best if Liverpool take an early lead because otherwise Moyes will adopt a defensive "we have what we hold," mantra that will end in a couple of dubious late goals/penalties in injury time being conceded. If on the other hand we go behind after two minutes then we have to attack and hopefully, we equalize in injury time, then before Moyes has a chance to communicate plans to shut up shop we score another and win.

Weirdly, I think Beto should play in this one precisely because he is pretty useless. The RS will close down Grealish and Ndyiae and not give him a second thought. This might enable him to get a bit of space where he can do a gangly run and score a flukey goal. If Barry plays, he is more likely to follow Moyes instructions and spend all night running down channels or trying to win knock downs against VVD.