Ex-Liverpool star says Everton can win derby if they aren't 'Billy Big Time'
Former Liverpool star Stan Collymore is backing Everton to get a result against his beleaguered old club — as long as they don’t go 'Billy Big Time' after the Arsenal win.
Despite a miserable first half of the season, the blue half of Merseyside will head into Monday’s game with their tails up following the 1-0 win over the Gunners last weekend that heralded the dawn of the Sean Dyche era at Goodison Park.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are 11 points and eight places better off than their city rivals.
But so far below their usual standards have the Reds fallen in this campaign and so bad were they against Wolves in the 3-0 defeat last weekend that many fans will be fearing the worst.
Mirror Sport columnist Collymore said: “ Everton have to channel their inner-Dogs of War from the Goodison teams I used to play against in the derby.
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“Look, don’t get me wrong, Liverpool are wounded and they could easily come out and win 3-0 and everyone will say, ‘Where has that come from?’
“But if Dyche can get his messaging absolutely right in the build-up — and there’s no reason to think he won’t — then I can easily see Everton getting a result.
“I’m not saying they will win and, actually, I fancy a 1-1 draw.
The sides drew 0-0 at Goodison earlier this season (Getty Images)“But even if they can get a result like that after Arsenal then Everton really will have lift-off on their season.
“What Dyche must tell his players is that, ‘If you mirror the work, graft, passion and aggression against Arsenal, you’ll see you can get a result against all the best teams’.
“If Dyche gets the players to watch the Arsenal game again, he’ll say, ‘That’s what you need to do, that’s your bare minimum in terms of effort and aggression, and if you can keep doing that we can get out of this fairly comfortably with games to spare. But if you think after one result against Arsenal you’re Billy Big Time then Liverpool can come away and win 3-0’.
Sean Dyche will set up his side to frustrate Liverpool (Getty Images)“So it’s all about the messaging in the dressing room, and Everton will get a result that will back up a really good performance against Arsenal and it will raise further questions on Jurgen Klopp.
“On Klopp, I’ll go back to what I’ve said many times — he needs a lift and hug as much as anyone else.
“There are two financial divisions within the top six and Liverpool are in the second one.
“So what Klopp, who has won everything there is to win, needs is for someone with deep pockets to come along and say, ‘I trust you, I believe in you, and together we will breathe new life into this club’.
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“And until he gets that we will see a Liverpool team that in many areas is very old, in other ways is very young and will continue to creak around the edges.”
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