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On The Ball | Seething Evertonians preparing for a gloomy summer as Liverpool head to Goodison with the title in sight
- Liverpool need just six points to wrap up a first league title since 1989-90
- Jurgen Klopp’s side play their derby rivals at Goodison Park on Sunday with the hosts playing for pride
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It has been called the friendly derby but when Everton and Liverpool play at Goodison Park on Sunday it will be a different experience to any of the teams’ 235 previous meetings. This time it will be the antiseptic derby, played behind closed doors without the atmosphere that has made the game famous. This is unavoidable because of the Coronavirus crisis but it is a shame. The mood of Evertonians at the moment would have created as hostile an environment as this match-up has ever experienced.
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It would be hard to find a group of fans who are angrier that the Premier League has resumed. The bottom six teams wanted the season to be made null and void because they feared the financial consequences of relegation and it would be no surprise if their supporters backed their stance. Everton were not in this situation and their hierarchy maintained a sensible approach to restarting the campaign. Like the majority of their fellow clubs, they accepted the need to complete the fixtures as long as it was safe to do so.
That is in stark contrast to the attitude of some former players and a significant proportion of the fan base who have given the impression that finishing the season is an outrage.
Liverpool, of course, go into the derby 22 points clear at the top of the table. It is inevitable that Anfield’s 30-year title drought will end in the next week or two. Would diehard Blues be so enraged if, say, Manchester City were running away with the league? It is doubtful. Every Evertonian’s biggest footballing fear is about to come true. Liverpool will be crowned champions very soon and a historic level of gloating is about to break out on Merseyside. It will be no fun being an Everton supporters this summer.
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At least City’s 3-0 victory over Arsenal means that Klopp’s team cannot clinch the trophy at Goodison. That would be almost too much to bear for regulars of the Gwladys Street End. Nevertheless, the gap between the sides is cavernous. Liverpool are 45 points ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s team. To put this in context, Everton and Manchester United – the traditional rivals for Kopites – could combine their points total for the season and still only equal the tally of the champions-elect. And Liverpool would be way ahead on goal difference.
It is all the more painful for Evertonians because this was supposed to be the age of change. Farhad Moshiri became involved in the club in 2016 and acquired the major shareholding two years later. This caused an outburst of optimism among fans. After two decades of parsimony, Goodison had money available to spend in the transfer market. Liverpool appeared to be within touching distance. The Everton resurgence did not materialise. Instead, events across Stanley Park caught the attention of the football world. Klopp took his team into the stratosphere, winning the Champions League last year. That was bad enough for Evertonians but the German followed up by producing one of the most dominant top-flight campaigns in history until it was interrupted by the pandemic. This underlined Everton’s second-class status on Merseyside and hardened the mood among their supporters. It is bad enough being bad but far worse when your neighbours are great.
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