Could Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers bring an end to the Merseyside blood and thunder?
Former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish once joked of his first involvement with the Merseyside Derby in a goalless draw at Anfield back in October 1977: "I do not remember seeing the ball that day!" It was a reference to a fixture which although dubbed the Friendly Derby has even in recent years been far from amicable on the pitch.
It is officially the worst in terms of discipline in Premier League history, having seen 20 red cards - more than any other specific contest between two teams in England's top flight since it was rebranded in 1992. At the same time, there have been 166 yellow cards - the Premier League's fourth highest total. And, since Opta began keeping their own statistics in 2006/07, there have also been an eye-watering 618 fouls.
Last season, along with 2010/11, was a rarity in seeing no dismissals but there were still 10 yellow cards over the course of the two draws. The lack of red cards in 2012/13 means former Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell is the man to have been sent off most recently in the derby following his controversial dismissal for a challenge on Luis Suarez at Goodison Park in 2011. Indeed, it is Everton who have been given 13 of those 20 red cards - the most by a side against any single opponent in Premier League history. Eight of those have also come in the last 16 meetings. Meanwhile, two of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's five Premier League red cards have come in derbies and the dismissals were the first, in 1999, and most recent, in 2006, of his professional career. It should also be noted Opta's statistics do not take into account FA Cup games and so do not include Lucas Leiva's red card in Liverpool's defeat at Everton in a 2009 fourth round replay.
| Everton |
Merseyside Derby |
Liverpool |
| 2 |
Penalties |
8 |
| 94 |
Yellow Cards |
72 |
| 13 |
Red Cards |
7 |
| 339 |
Fouls since 06/07 |
279 |
|
The reason behind the high card counts can of course be attributed to the modern day standards of card-happy refereeing. It can also be explained by those old footballing ingredients of 'passion' and 'intensity' which are always used to describe why there is a degree of increased physicality in any derby worldwide.
But could this Saturday lunchtime's meeting at Goodison Park signal a new era in the Merseyside Derby? With Roberto Martinez now in charge of Everton after succeeding the 11-year reign of David Moyes this summer, will the Friendly Derby, which also relates to the strong bond between Liverpool and Everton fans off the field, become more a game of style than slaughter?
In Opta's time-span alone, Liverpool have seen managers Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson and Dalglish - in his second tenure - come and go while, since the beginning of last season, Brendan Rodgers has also been in charge. The presence of Rodgers combined with the arrival of Martinez, two managers who share a philosophy of possession, points to a new dawn away from the past blood and thunder.
Martinez, famously an FA Cup winner with Wigan Athletic last season, in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday said: "I think the two teams are now sharing a similar football style, which is going to make it a really fascinating game of football. I think from every single angle you want to measure a derby game, this one could be as good as any if you are looking throughout the football world."
Rodgers and Martinez, the latter a managerial successor of the former at Swansea City, are both disciples of the passing game. They like their players to use the ball intelligently, playing in an attractive manner and stifling the opposition. Rodgers frequently speaks about his players maintaining their "composure" and "relaxation" with the ball. Likewise, Martinez, who was approached for the Liverpool job at the same time as Rodgers, regularly preaches for his squad to have "arrogance", "belief" and "desire".
After just 11 Premier League games this season, it is clear Martinez is taking Everton in a different direction to the sometimes route one and conservative approach of Moyes. Statistics prove Everton are averaging more possession (57.9 per cent) than in any other season back to 2006/07. They are also incredibly already well over midway to their 2006/07 totals of successful passes in both their own and the opposition half (see table below). This is also reflected in the fact their passing accuracy (83.76%) is currently a higher average than at the end of any season in the past seven years. This is one of the reasons why they sit just three points behind second-placed Liverpool, who themselves are only two points off table-topping Arsenal.
| Season |
Team |
Games |
Passes |
Passing Accuracy |
Passes, Successful Own Half |
Passes, Successful Opp Half |
Possession |
Total Shots |
| Season 2006/2007 |
Everton |
38 |
12274 |
65.19 |
3342 |
4659 |
46.92 |
364 |
| Season 2007/2008 |
Everton |
38 |
12397 |
69.34 |
3402 |
5194 |
47.24 |
361 |
| Season 2008/2009 |
Everton |
38 |
15024 |
74.64 |
4615 |
6599 |
52.05 |
387 |
| Season 2009/2010 |
Everton |
38 |
14832 |
75.59 |
4428 |
6784 |
51.23 |
415 |
| Season 2010/2011 |
Everton |
38 |
14371 |
76.1 |
4100 |
6836 |
50.41 |
407 |
| Season 2011/2012 |
Everton |
38 |
15063 |
77.34 |
4758 |
6892 |
47.57 |
381 |
| Season 2012/2013 |
Everton |
38 |
15814 |
79.45 |
4881 |
7683 |
52.47 |
460 |
| Season 2013/2014 |
Everton |
11 |
5494 |
83.76 |
2079 |
2523 |
57.9 |
112 |
Similarly, statistics show Rodgers has brought a transition in Liverpool's style of play. Although the Anfield club are currently averaging a lower share of possession (53.77%) than almost any season in the past seven years, with the troubled 2010/11 campaign (51.94%) - which began with the doomed Hodgson reign - being the exception, their passing accuracy (84.62%) is at a high. Sacrificing some possession, mainly too many passes in their own half (8385), from Rodgers' first season in exchange for greater passing accuracy is viewed by many as a reason behind their current success. That argument, though, is contradicted by the fact Liverpool's best Premier League campaign to date, when a Benitez squad finished runners-up to Manchester United by just four points in 2008/09, included seven-year highs in terms of shots (572), successful passes in the opposition's half (8507) and average possession (59.6%).
| Season |
Team |
Games |
Passes |
Passing Accuracy |
Passes, Successful Own Half |
Passes, Successful Opp Half |
Possession |
Total Shots |
| Season 2006/2007 |
Liverpool |
38 |
17154 |
76.2 |
6005 |
7066 |
57.45 |
540 |
| Season 2007/2008 |
Liverpool |
38 |
16360 |
77.07 |
5740 |
6869 |
55.14 |
535 |
| Season 2008/2009 |
Liverpool |
38 |
19505 |
80.94 |
7281 |
8507 |
59.6 |
572 |
| Season 2009/2010 |
Liverpool |
38 |
18575 |
78.85 |
6617 |
8030 |
58.51 |
458 |
| Season 2010/2011 |
Liverpool |
38 |
16728 |
77.15 |
6212 |
6693 |
51.94 |
434 |
| Season 2011/2012 |
Liverpool |
38 |
18794 |
80.95 |
7268 |
7945 |
55.25 |
515 |
| Season 2012/2013 |
Liverpool |
38 |
19802 |
84.17 |
8385 |
8282 |
57.05 |
528 |
| Season 2013/2014 |
Liverpool |
11 |
5676 |
84.62 |
2287 |
2516 |
53.77 |
143 |
Of course, other factors - the interaction between individuals and sets of players, such as Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin attempting to deal with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez, Liverpool's defence trying to shackle Romelu Lukaku, or the influence of a Goodison Park crowd demanding guts and glory - provide the derby with ingredients which cannot be measured by statistics and could mean a typically feisty encounter awaits.
That this is the first Merseyside meeting of the season, with both clubs having enjoyed excellent starts to their campaigns and being separated by only three points, has also heightened the sense of anticipation. Coming on the back of a long international break has at the same time provided a slightly unusual feeling to this particular pre-match build-up.
Consequently, whether both sides can stick to their managers' principles amid the cauldron atmosphere on Saturday remains to be seen. But it is clear both clubs are developing and the stylish derby which has been predicted could well be on the horizon.
