The Merseyside Derby Preview – Why it’s Time for Allardyce to Roll the Dice

Sam Allardyce faces his second Merseyside derby as Everton manager with questions over his future. Despite Everton being 7^th in the form table since he took over, he has been criticised by Evertonians for the quality of the football and his defensive style of play. The Merseyside derby is an opportunity for Allardyce to change the perception of Evertonians and the energy around Goodison and perhaps even guarantee his job next season.

 

City

Last week’s abject performance against Manchester City was a massive disappointment for Evertonians. No-one expected us to beat City 5-0 but the lack of fight that Everton showed was nothing short of disgraceful. No Everton player received a yellow card in the game and the majority of the players seemed to accept the beating they took. The lack of fight was telling and we took as big a beating as Manchester City’s bus at Anfield on Wednesday. Allardyce can’t afford a repeat of this against Liverpool. To achieve this might mean gambling with his team selection.

The Kids Are Alright

With the absence through injury of Idrissa Gueye, Allardyce’s team selection was entirely predictable. He brought in Morgan Schneiderlin and dropped Tom Davies, with the Frenchman expected to anchor midfield against Wayne Rooney. In doing so, he accomplished 2 things.

The first thing he did was remove energy, aggression and positivity from midfield. Tom Davies was unlucky against Stoke. He should have scored an early chance and suffered under the icy conditions before leaving the game with a head injury early in the 2^nd half. Despite the frustrating conditions, he never stopped running. Against City, Schneiderlin never started.

The Frenchman’s form has flipped from the dominant and confident midfield maestro that he was in his first few months at Everton. More often than not, he has hidden on the pitch, as visible as an MP in the middle of a scandal. Whether it is a poor attitude, lack of confidence or lack of recent playing time, Schneiderlin is a shadow of the player he was at Southampton. His lack of mobility and tracking of players has been noticeable, being outpaced by the 32 year old David Silva for City’s first goal. Evertonians are tired of seeing Schneiderlin in midfield so it’s time for someone else to step in. This is where the opportunity is for Allardyce to be adventurous.

Youthful Energy

In a game like the Merseyside derby, the midfield is key.  In the mid 80’s, the battles between Reid and McMahon were legendary. Kevin Ratcliffe described what was needed in the derby in his weekly column in the Liverpool Echo. “You have to compete in any match, win your battles and earn the opportunity to play your football. In any normal match that can take 20 minutes, half-an-hour, maybe an hour. In a derby you have to compete for 95 or 96 minutes or however long it takes.” This brings us to the question of Wayne Rooney’s role in the derby. On the evidence of this season, he should be a substitute.

Rooney’s return to Everton has been a great feel good story. He has been our most productive outfield player this season in goals and assists. He is still streets ahead of anyone on the pitch in terms of footballing intelligence and skill and possesses the ability to pick a killer pass. Unfortunately, he does not have the legs. It’s painful to see what Wayne Rooney has and what might have been if he had stayed at Goodison at 18. We now have the declining Rooney, shorn of his pace and strength and forced to play in a deeper role.

Rooney’s Role

In games against lesser opposition, Rooney can control the midfield. Against Stoke and West Ham earlier this season, he has kept Everton moving forward and played a decisive role in key victories. He has also shown the ability to read the game defensively, breaking up passes by the opposition in the manner that Gareth Barry did. Nowadays, he does not have the pace and legs to dominate against athletic sides like Liverpool.

The Manchester City game showed how exposed he is when facing athletic midfields who close him down, especially when playing alongside Schneiderlin. Without Gana and Davies energy, Rooney is a different player. Rooney is an Evertonian who knows how much the derby means but his best position is an impact substitute this weekend.

Vlasic

So who do you play in midfield if Rooney and Schneiderlin are dropped? Everton are not blessed with a lot of options in midfield. Gana appears to be fit and Tom Davies must be considered after his impressive cameo against City. Dominic Calvert Lewin started against City and may be considered because of his aggression and physical ability. He faded badly against Manchester City though and Everton may look to load the midfield. James McCarthy’s injury leaves Everton with 2 inexperienced options for the midfield, Beni Baningime and Nikola Vlasic.

Vlasic returned to Everton’s bench last weekend after a couple of months away. Allardyce’s preference for experience and the presence of Walcott and Bolasie in the side have meant limited opportunities for the Croatian. When Koeman was fired, Vlasic was Everton’s most consistent player and enjoying a run in the first team. When Unsworth took over, Vlasic was dropped and had limited opportunities since then.

Vlasic is a positive player who takes people on and makes runs into the box. His energy from midfield and goal threat would give Liverpool a different look to think about. He has played in the number 10 position before and can apply pressure to a changed Liverpool line-up. This would also mean that Tom Davies may play in a box to box role, roving around the midfield, disrupting and closing down. Davies also has the ability to play the ball forward. Vlasic’s potential is going to waste under Allardyce . There is nothing to lose by playing Vlasic at this stage of the season.

Baningime

Beni Baningime is another player who impressed earlier in the season but has found limited opportunities since. The midfield destroyer is a strong tackler and composed presence in midfield. His introduction, along with Tom Davies, gave the blues more energy in midfield against Manchester City. The 19 year old is composed and adept at playing the simple ball. He has played in derby matches at junior levels and could be a surprise choice to start  if Allardyce chooses to disrupt Liverpool.

A midfield 3 of Davies, Gana and Baningime would provide energy and be difficult to break down allowing us to hit Liverpool on the break.  This formation allows Davies to break forward in support. Baningime has been at Everton since he was 9 years old and knows all about the importance of the derby. This is an asset in a side which has been accused of lacking passion this season.

Stick or Twist

Allardyce has intimated that he is likely to play defensively against Liverpool. With the youthful options available, he can achieve this goal. If he starts the same side as last week, we will likely see more of the same. This is our last big opportunity this season to do something memorable. A derby win won’t compensate for the disappointment and misery for a season that promised so much. It may however, give Allardyce more evidence for keeping his job this summer. Stick or Twist Sam?

Who would you choose in your Merseyside Derby starting 11? Let us know in the comments section below. And don’t forget to listen to the Street End Podcast available on Stitcher and itunes. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.