Toffees have grim recent derby record but on Saturday Klopp’s Reds host a side with three wins from their last four games
“You saw so many teams here growing in the direction we wanted and all became better step by step or the manager had to go,” said Klopp on the demands of his particular job. “We will try together to get better step by step and show our real face more often than not.”
The 243rd edition of the most played derby in English football offers an ideal opportunity for Liverpool to grant Klopp’s request given the one-sided nature of the fixture on his watch, regardless of another early kick-off after an international break playing havoc with preparations. Klopp has lost one of his 17 encounters with Everton, Liverpool one of the past 23 Premier League meetings at Anfield and one of the past 25 league derbies home or away.
Liverpool’s defensive concerns, heightened by the loss of Andy Robertson for up to three months with a shoulder injury, are offset by the visitors’ troubles in front of goal. A 3-0 defeat of Bournemouth last time out was only the eighth time Everton have scored more than once in a Premier League match in the past 12 months. The overall improvement in Everton’s performance, however, coupled with three wins in the past four games, raises Sean Dyche hopes of capitalising on any post-international fatigue in the opposition ranks. Klopp’s compliments towards Dyche and his local rivals were of the back-handed nature.
“Everton are in a good moment,” he said. “Burnley in their best moments [under Dyche] were a super-difficult team to play against and you can see that again; it’s similar with different players. We have to be ready for second ball fights, runs in behind, a compact defence. It will be a tough one. Burnley games were always tough. We have to have football understanding, patience, put a proper shift in and take the fight.”
