Liverpool's Thrashing of Everton Shows Squad Strength and Improving Consistency

Liverpool cruised to the most comfortable of Merseyside derby victories on Wednesday, beating rivals Everton 4-0 at Anfield thanks to goals from Divock Origi, Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho.

In truth, the scoreline was kind on the visitors from across Stanley Park, who conceded a whopping 37 attempts on goal, with 13 on target. Roberto Martinez's side mustered just three efforts on goal, with none on target throughout the 90-plus minutes (stats via BBC Sport).

Liverpool's domination in the game was secured with the dismissal of Everton defender Ramiro Funes Mori minutes into the second half, with the Reds already 2-0 up thanks to headers from Origi and Sakho just before the interval.

It was a disgusting challenge from Funes Mori, and one that leaves Origi's season in doubt. The Belgian forward escaped without a broken ankle, but Liverpool must wait to find out whether there has been ligament damage, which would almost certainly rule him out for the rest of the campaign and make him a doubt for Euro 2016.

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

Funes Mori left the pitch defiantly grabbing the Everton badge on his shirt, acting more like Everton hero Duncan Ferguson than a player who has been at the club less than a year, won nothing and just left his side down to 10 men when already 2-0 down in a derby.

Prior to the match, Reds' boss Jurgen Klopp had spoken of his own players using "legal aggressiveness." "A red card can happen if you are a second too late but not because you want to show 'I am the man'," he said, per Press Association (via This Is Anfield).

After the match, Klopp admitted that Origi's injury had cast a "big shadow on the game."

With the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg in Villarreal next week, Klopp could do with the news on Origi's injury being positive, especially with first-choice midfield duo Emre Can and Jordan Henderson ruled out in recent weeks.

Positives

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Without Origi's injury, it was a perfect, sunny night on Merseyside for Klopp in his first derby. Able to make wholesale changes again—with nine changes to the side that started at Bournemouth, following the 10 changes made for the trip to the south coast on Sunday after the drama against Borussia Dortmund days before—Klopp's squad again showed their progress under him.

It's now four wins in a row (in all competitions), six games without defeat, and two defeats in their last 15 games—one of those being on penalties in the League Cup final. Of those 15 games, the Reds have won nine.

The only blot on the copybook in recent weeks is the capitulation at Southampton. Had the Reds won there, when they were 2-0 up at half-time, they'd now be four points behind Manchester City with a game in hand.

The major positive for Klopp is how well his squad as a whole are coping with the intense run of games his side are in. Midweek games are now the norm for Liverpool, and they have a midweek match every week between now and the end of the season.

Without Henderson and Can, James Milner and Lucas Leiva were the midfield duo in the starting XI vs. Everton, with Milner particularly impressing—the vice-captain adding two more assists to his name to make it 14 assists in his debut season at Anfield.

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

Lucas-Milner was the fourth different midfield combination in four consecutive games, with Kevin Stewart and Joe Allen having started at Bournemouth, Can and Milner against Dortmund, and Stewart, Allen and Milner against Stoke City the weekend before.

Klopp isn't making such changes for the sake of tinkering with his side, but more out of necessity and due to those aforementioned injuries. Time and again, he's stressed how changes to his side are purely in order to give the best opportunity to win that game.

Joe Allen and Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool's two best players on Sunday and whose introductions against Dortmund changed the game, found themselves back on the bench on Wednesday night. Again they both came off the bench to produce positive showings, with Sturridge notching his 50th goal for the club in just his 87th appearance.

The players know they are going to get games and chances to impress, but Klopp is rotating wonderfully, getting the balance just right, and it's creating healthy competition for places.

Consistency

The biggest issue these players have had over the last two years is finding consistency. They've produced impressive performances frequently, only to squander to a limp defeat the following week. That Southampton collapse is the most recent proof in the pudding. Without that, we could say a corner has been turned.

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

With five league games remaining, Liverpool's squad must now continue the form they've shown in the last fortnight, and therefore show genuine consistency for a sustained period. Those five games are against Newcastle United, Swansea City, Watford, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion—all teams placed 10th or lower in the table.

Of course, the main focus is and should be the Europa League, but that means Klopp will continue to rotate his side for the league games, which gives the hungry squad opportunity to impress the manager ahead of his first summer in charge.

Squad players are playing for their futures, and these final five league games are their final chance to catch the manager's attention before he has the opportunity to bring in new signings.

* Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.