Everton vs. Liverpool: Complete Positional Breakdown of Merseyside Derby
Liverpool travel to Goodison Park to take on Merseyside rivals Everton on Saturday, and Brendan Rodgers' side could hardly be in better form, particularly when compared to their derby opposition.
The Reds have won five Premier League games from their last six, drawing the stray tie in that run, and are on a series of three consecutive wins away from home.
Conversely, Roberto Martinez's Everton have won one, drawn two and lost three in their last six league fixtures.
Liverpool look set to challenge for a top-four position in the league this season, sitting in seventh place and just four points off fourth-placed Southampton, while Everton are seven points from the relegation zone in 12th.
But these factors do not always play a part in these highly charged derby encounters, and it is often individual brilliance that makes the difference, so which of these sides outweighs the other, position by position?
Here, we have subjectively rated each player's individual form and overall quality and compared it to their rival counterpart by position, deciding who takes the advantage in each area.
Who will come out on top in our complete positional breakdown of Saturday's Merseyside derby clash at Goodison Park?
Goalkeepers
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Both Liverpool and Everton have suffered goalkeeping difficulties this season, with both managers on record as being interested in bringing a new shot-stopper into their squad in the future, although clearly not a pressing concern.
James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo declared in January that Liverpool could target "a new long-term No. 1" in the summer, while Phil Kirkbride of the same publication quoted Martinez as claiming that "we only have two goalkeepers in the squad at the moment so I need to keep an eye on it."
This shared situation comes as Liverpool's Simon Mignolet and Brad Jones and Everton's Tim Howard and Joel Robles have all struggled with either form or fitness this season.
On Saturday, it is likely that Mignolet and Joel will line up between the sticks.
Mignolet was dropped earlier in the season due to poor form but is now improving by the game, while Joel is reaching a level of consistency for the Toffees after being introduced for the injured Howard in December.
The former, however, is in much better form at present—on a run of four clean sheets in his last six league games, compared to Joel's two.
Advantage: Liverpool
Right-Backs
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While both sides play different systems, Rodgers and Martinez can call upon a fairly similar range of options at right-back.
In Liverpool's 3-4-2-1, Rodgers has utilised Lazar Markovic and Javier Manquillo on the different occasions.
The former has been used as a straightforward, attacking wing-back capable of tracking back to support his centre-back, whereas the latter is a primarily defensive option.
Everton can consider Seamus Coleman in the first category, while Tony Hibbert is the more conservative option in the Toffees' ranks.
It is both Markovic and Coleman who are their manager's regular first-choice selections, owing to the two teams' swashbuckling attacking systems, and they will likely line up on the right flank for their sides on Saturday.
While Markovic is a swiftly developing prospect on Liverpool's right-hand side, Coleman, six years his senior, continues to be the superior attacking option at present—Coleman has registered two goals and two assists in 20 games, whereas Markovic has scored just one goal in 13.
Advantage: Everton
Left-Backs
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In terms of left-backs, Everton can choose from Leighton Baines, Brian Oviedo or the youthful Luke Garbutt on Saturday, while Rodgers will decide between Alberto Moreno and Jose Enrique.
As selection precedent from this season suggests, the likely left-back candidates will be Baines and Moreno.
Moreno is a growingly important feature in Liverpool's 3-4-2-1, with his persistent attacking forays crucial to the way in which the Reds stretch play, and he will play a vital role at Goodison Park.
Furthermore, it can be argued that Baines, like Everton on the whole, is struggling for form this season and looks to be on the decline, with his previously deadly set-piece ability seriously lacking since the beginning of 2014/15, as Alistair Tweedale of WhoScored highlighted for ESPNFC.com:
"He has eight assists this season, but only a single one has come from a corner situation. In fact, he has a cross accuracy from corners into the box of less than 23 percent, and from the 61 corners he has taken, just five have led to goal-scoring opportunities.
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However, while Moreno is a left-back of the highest potential, and is constantly improving, the Liverpool man is still far from the consistent, all-round quality of Baines.
Like with Markovic and Coleman, Moreno can become better than Baines, but he isn't there at present.
Advantage: Everton
Centre-Backs
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Centre-back options for Liverpool and Everton are difficult to compare, with both sides toiling with varied partnerships this season.
But both are now arguably settled on their best options.
Everton will likely continue to deploy Phil Jagielka alongside John Stones, while Liverpool's back line should feature trio Emre Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho.
Jagielka in particular was in exceptional form as Everton were 1-0 winners away to Crystal Palace in their last Premier League encounter, and the England international scored a sensational, long-range equaliser in the last Merseyside derby back in September.
However, in Can, Skrtel and Sakho, the Reds boast a formidable defensive trio who are enjoying a consistent run of stable form, having conceded just one goal in the five league games they have played together.
In comparison, Everton have conceded six in their last five league games.
Sakho, the most outstanding of the three, is reaching the imperious heights that saw him make a name as one of European football's most promising young defenders at Paris Saint-Germain, and he should continue to star.
Advantage: Liverpool
Central Midfielders
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In central midfield, Liverpool seem to have settled on a partnership of Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson in the 3-4-2-1, while injuries have forced Everton to field Muhamed Besic alongside Gareth Barry.
The other main option for the Reds is 24-year-old Joe Allen, while PremierInjuries.com suggests that James McCarthy may return from a hamstring strain in time for Saturday's game.
The Besic-Barry tandem is a fairly rigid prospect for Martinez, with both primarily defensive midfielders, and with Barry in miserable form in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, the introduction of Lucas to the Liverpool midfield has seen Henderson thrive, with an added freedom that was not available when Steven Gerrard was utilised by Rodgers in a deep-lying midfield role.
Henderson is developing into a supreme creative midfielder, with six assists this season.
McCarthy, Besic and Barry have registered just one assist between them in 2014/15, while the injured Leon Osman has made another.
In the interest of balance and form for this Merseyside derby, Lucas and Henderson is a more effective central-midfield partnership.
Advantage: Liverpool
Attacking Midfielders
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Both sides are perhaps both best-stocked in the attacking-midfield department, with both Rodgers and Martinez opting for a lone-striker system, ably supported by a selection of advanced midfielders.
With Daniel Sturridge returning to full fitness and increasingly likely to start on Saturday, Liverpool will have Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho, Steven Gerrard and Adam Lallana to select from in the two attacking-midfield roles of the 3-4-2-1.
Meanwhile, with Kevin Mirallas still at the club after the January transfer window, Martinez is able to call upon Mirallas, Ross Barkley, Aiden McGeady, Steven Naismith and new loan signing Aaron Lennon.
Mirallas in particular has been impressive this season, with five goals and an assist in 17 league appearances, while Barkley has a rare, game-changing talent and Naismith has a consistent quality.
But, as with the central-defensive area, Liverpool's attacking midfielders are just in better form at present.
Sterling, likely to drop into one of Liverpool's dual No. 10 roles, has scored five goals and made five assists in 22 league games this season.
Coutinho will in all likelihood partner Sterling and, after signing a new long-term contract on Tuesday, according to the club's official website, is truly beginning to hit a new level of consistency in his devastating playmaking.
Sterling and Coutinho are in exceptional form, and as such eclipse any combination Everton can muster.
Advantage: Liverpool
Strikers
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As mentioned, Sturridge could well return to the Liverpool starting lineup on Saturday, initiating an intriguing battle of the former Chelsea strikers with Everton's Romelu Lukaku at Goodison Park.
Liverpool's other options would be Sterling at centre-forward or one of Fabio Borini, Mario Balotelli or Rickie Lambert, while Martinez has Arouna Kone on standby.
Lukaku has been in miserable form for Everton of late, scoring just two goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances, but a goal in his last game—the 1-0 victory over Palace—could spark an upturn in fortunes.
Sturridge returned in emphatic style with a goal 12 minutes into his first game for five months, in last weekend's 2-0 win at home to West Ham United, and could be in a similarly inspired mood when Liverpool visit Everton.
Due to Lukaku's absent form and Sturridge's overall absence, this one is too tight to call.
Advantage: None
Managers
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"Rodgers out" and "Martinez out" were both prevalent shouts on either side of Stanley Park in the earlier stages of the 2014/15 season, with Liverpool and Everton both struggling
Saturday's Merseyside derby presents both with an opportunity to gain significant ground on each other with regards to their respective league placing—Everton, of course, may very well already be out of the running.
Rodgers has been commended of late for the way in which he switched systems following his side's run of poor form, with the 3-4-2-1 heralding an exceptional upturn in performances.
Meanwhile, Martinez was criticised for his rigid approach to a slow-building attacking system.
When Liverpool visit Goodison Park on Saturday, they will be led by a manager in much better tactical form than his Everton counterpart, and this could well sway the encounter.
Advantage: Liverpool
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
