The 227th Merseyside derby could dampen Christmas spirit for one half of Liverpool and reverberate all the way through to next month in Gabon. For the sake of their Africa Cup of Nations campaign, Senegal must hope peace and goodwill exists between Idrissa Gana Gueye and Sadio Mané once they have met as rivals at Goodison Park.
“It would be great to beat Liverpool because then I could be on Sadio’s back all the way through the African Nations,” says Everton’s relentless midfielder who, along with the Liverpool forward, is bound for Gabon and the tournament in mid-January. “Sadio is a real one for taking the mickey, a real character. Every time we go away on international duty he calls me dwarf and he’s only a little bit taller than me. If the result goes the wrong way on Monday he’s going to be even worse. I can’t let that happen.”
The Senegal internationals have settled impressively since arriving on Merseyside in the summer – Mané in a £34m deal from Southampton and Gueye for the £7m release clause that Everton activated in his Aston Villa contract. The two are friends but, as Gueye explains: “Not that close that we go round to each other’s house. He rang to say we should meet up and he would come round and see me. I’m still waiting.” It is not bias that shapes the 27-year-old’s opinion that his compatriot represents a major threat to Everton’s prospects of winning the derby for the first time in 13 attempts.
Gueye explains: “It helps if you know a lot about your opponent but Sadio is such an unpredictable player. It’s hard to read what he will do next; he might dribble there or go on this side of you or whatever. I will talk to my team-mates about him, of course, but he’s so unpredictable and so fast. His acceleration … he just touches the pedal and he goes from first gear to fifth. He’s one of the main threats, the main dangers at Liverpool. The ease at which he gets forward, his movement, he creates danger, space and chances for other people – but you could say that about a lot of Liverpool’s team, they’re a big threat. But if we concentrate on ourselves, on what we do best, we will have opportunities in this game.”
Given the characteristics of a Merseyside derby and the anticipation surrounding this latest encounter, the qualities Gueye has brought to Everton’s midfield may prove equally significant. Goodison would appear the perfect setting for a night of controlled aggression. Jürgen Klopp regularly demands that Liverpool “stay angry” and, given their last home performance, Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, Everton and their supporters need to do so, too. One brought the best out of the other as Ronald Koeman’s team recorded only their second win in 11 league matches.
“I always look forward to a match like this,” Gueye admits. “We know that a derby match, any derby match, is never easy. To earn the right to play football, you have to win the ball. First of all, I like playing football but the one-to-ones, duels, tackling, however you want to put it, they’re a big part of football. It’s about winning the ball back. It’s fair to say that being combative and tackling are strong points in my game and an area where I am not uncomfortable, but that’s one part of my game, one part of football. The other part is very important, being on the ball and being able to pass as well.”
Klopp and his Liverpool squad watched Everton’s game against Arsenal at Gisborough Hall, their overnight base before the 3-0 win at Middlesbrough that ensured both Merseyside teams approach the derby with morale repaired. The Liverpool manager expects, arguably even wants, a repeat of the raucous atmosphere that greeted the home team’s eventual improvement against Arsène Wenger’s side, admitting the onus is on the visitors to turn hostilities to their advantage.
“It is fact that atmosphere can make a difference but I don’t have any fears,” Klopp said. “The first 20 minutes Everton had been aggressive but they couldn’t get the challenges where they wanted. Then Arsenal opened the game for them and Goodison Park ran through. As a neutral football fan, things like this are nice to see. That is how it is. It is not easy, even in an outstanding atmosphere. Last year we had a really good away atmosphere in Manchester for the Europa League against United. We had a wonderful atmosphere against Dortmund, in both games. The job is to make it is a difficult as possible for the crowd to enjoy the game.
“The last half-hour against Dortmund [at Anfield last season] was the best I have ever experienced but the most difficult? Actually I am not like this. I’m not afraid of it, it’s only football. I like it. It makes the job a little bit different but, at the end, it is still the same job. There is always an influence on the atmosphere. You need to be really aggressive but not on the edge where you will be illegal. Concentrate on football. Use the noise. We are there to play football. We know that it’s not for us. It’s loud, it’s emotional. Use it.”
Koeman believes Everton have been guilty of “acting too nice” this season but that the performance against Arsenal, eventually, reminded his players of the benefits of tempo and temper. Not that he expects Klopp’s team to be quite so compliant, however.
“We knew about Arsenal,” the Everton manager said. “They like to play good football but they have difficulties when it is a fight to play their best level, and we showed that. We did it wrong in the first 20 minutes but we had a good reaction and that’s how you need to play and how we like to play every game, not just when we play at home. But we know Liverpool is different to Arsenal. Liverpool are more physical and play aggressive football. That is different but to get a good result we need to show the same as last Tuesday.”
