One of the most storied rivalries in all of professional sport is set to take center stage on Monday night when Liverpool and Everton lock horns in the 242nd installment of the Merseyside Derby, with a usual dominant Reds side under the microscope during what has been a season of torment in the Premier League for Jürgen Klopp.
New Toffees boss Sean Dyche has gotten off to a dream start in the Everton technical area after a fantastic 1-0 win against table-topping Arsenal at Goodison Park last weekend in his managerial debut after taking up the vacancy left by Chelsea icon Frank Lampard.
“It’s a derby game, form somewhat goes out the window” 👀
Sean Dyche shares his thoughts as Everton prepare to face Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby on Monday 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/iRKHrGQE76
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 10, 2023
In stark contrast, Liverpool remains in freefall in the league this season in what has otherwise been a spectacular fall from grace for Klopp’s perennial title challengers, with the Reds winless in their last four Premier League fixtures (0-1-3) while currently sitting tenth in the table and eleven points adrift of fourth-sitting Newcastle United.
Dyche cautioned that form means nothing in the run-up to a match of this magnitude, with Liverpool capable of turning up on a day against their bitter rivals while keeping Everton under their boot on the back of a period of sheer head-to-head dominance by the Reds to the tune of just two losses against the Toffees in their last 30 meetings in all competitions (15-13-2).
But with Liverpool looking like a shadow of their recent selves under Klopp, Dyche is not full of sympathy for his managerial opposite, but empathy, with additional comments via NBCSports detailing the former Burnley manager’s admiration of the German’s experience and understanding for a fellow professional when asked about the situation at Anfield.
“There’s no sympathy in football, it’s empathy. As a manager, you have an understanding of others. He certainly doesn’t want or need my sympathy. Trust me. As someone as experienced as him and what he’s done in the game, he doesn’t need sympathy from anyone.”
Whether or not Dyche will keep the same stance contingent on how events transpire on Monday night remains to be seen, but for the time being, there appears to be nothing but respect for his opposite rival.
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