As Liverpool prepare to host Everton on Monday night, the mood on Merseyside seems to have changed in less than a fortnight.
Can Everton move out of bottom three?
Sean Dyche takes his rejuvenated Everton side to Anfield knowing back-to-back wins would take the Toffees out of the relegation zone.
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While Dyche got off to a dream start with a 1-0 victory over leaders Arsenal last weekend, Liverpool's disappointing form continued as Jurgen Klopp's side lost 3-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It was their third Premier League match without a goal and fourth without a win.
Their seven defeats from 20 matches is form that, if continued to the end of May, would be their worst in the Premier League since 1993/94, when they lost 16 times.
Could there be a better time for Everton fans to cross Stanley Park and enter Anfield?
"You can’t guarantee that," Dyche told the club's official website. "It’s a derby game so we know the form goes out the window.
"There’s been a lot of detail going into this week, a lot of planning going into this week, but the players are aware. We’ve got to go again, and that’s going to be the constant mentality throughout the rest of the season."
Klopp hoping for turnaround
Liverpool manager Klopp is hoping his side can kickstart their season on Monday.
"I have no doubt that Everton will look at us and think that we are not in our finest moment because that is true, but it is up to us to fix that and no-one else," Klopp writes in his matchday programme notes.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -34 | 39 |
| 16 |
Nottingham Forest
NFO
|
38 | -30 | 38 |
| 17 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -23 | 36 |
| 18 |
Leicester City
LEI
|
38 | -17 | 34 |
| 19 |
Leeds United
LEE
|
38 | -30 | 31 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
38 | -37 | 25 |
Jota to add a spark?
Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a doubt, but Liverpool may be boosted by the return of Diogo Jota.
The forward, who netted a stunning goal in a 4-1 win at Goodison Park last season, has been sidelined since mid-October.
His return could help spark a misfiring Liverpool side who have failed to score in three Premier League matches.
The last time they went four without a goal was in January 2021, coincidentally Dyche's last trip to Anfield, when his Burnley side ended Liverpool's 68-match home unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Leon Osman believes fortune will favour his old Everton team.
"A week ago I was really not forward to this game," he says. "Everton look like a team with new life, with new desire and a more suited way of playing."
