Arne Slot is gearing up for his first Merseyside derby as Liverpool boss ahead of the short trip to Goodison Park on Saturday.
The two sides are separated by 21 points in the Premier League table, but with bragging rights at stake on top of three points, current form is usually thrown out of the window in such games.
The Dutchman has already shown his tactical strengths and attention to detail in his short time at Anfield so far and is someone who watches hours of footage to analyse opposition teams.
Ahead of the game tomorrow, Slot has shared what surprised him about Liverpool’s trip to Goodison last season
Arne Slot makes interesting claim about Everton vs Liverpool clash last season
The corresponding fixture turned out to be a damaging defeat for the Reds last season as their title hopes took a massive blow after their 2-0 defeat.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored for the Toffees as they spoilt Liverpool’s party to secure bragging rights.
The Reds’ Premier League title hopes fizzled out after that as they finished third behind Manchester City and Arsenal in what turned out to be Jurgen Klopp’s last season at Anfield.
After watching the game back, Slot said he was surprised by how many fouls Liverpool committed despite having the lion’s share of possession, suggesting that it’s something he wants to avoid tomorrow.
The Dutchman said in his pre-match press conference: “Last season we went there, I watched it back yesterday and in 30 minutes, I was surprised as Liverpool made ten fouls and only one by Everton and we had the ball.
“They are a big threat, so we can’t give away free kicks – that is not smart. So aggressive, yes, in a smart, concentrated way.
“We have to be very aggressive, they work hard so if you want to talk about tactics, you have to match their work rate, which we have shown. We need that at Everton. The team works hard and the fans will help.”
Liverpool injury news ahead of Merseyside derby
Slot confirmed that Allison Becker is still not ready to feature for Liverpool as he continues to recover from his hamstring injury.
The likes of Diogo Jota, Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate are also out, while Alexis Mac Allister is suspended after picking up his fifth Premier League booking of the season against Newcastle.
Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to replace Mac Allister vs Everton, with the Hungarian set to partner Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones at the heart of the midfield.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
