Everton manager Dyche aiming to add to Liverpool’s woes

MANCHESTER, England: Fresh from bringing Arsenal down to earth, Sean Dyche now has Liverpool in his sights and the chance to make himself an immediate icon among Everton fans. As one of English soccer’s ultimate disrupters, Everton’s new manager can upset the odds in Monday’s Merseyside derby and heap more misery on Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp. While Dyche has taken over a team in a fight for Premier League survival, Liverpool have troubles of their own.

“I have no words for it really. I’m sorry,” Klopp said after a 3-0 loss at Wolverhampton last week that left the team in 10th place. It’s now becoming a case of damage limitation for a team that challenged for an unprecedented four trophies last season, with Champions League qualification looking increasingly unlikely unless Liverpool goes on to win the competition this year.

Such problems must sound like the stuff of dreams for an Everton team that had not won in the league since Oct. 22 before Dyche ended that run in his first game last week against leader Arsenal. Even after that morale-boosting result, the team remains in the relegation zone and only three points above last-place Southampton.

In normal circumstances, a trip to Anfield might be considered the worst possible prospect — Everton have only won one of the last 27 derbies against their biggest rival. Dyche, however, has a history of upsetting the favorites, including a 1-0 win for Burnley at then-champion Liverpool in 2021. This is also not the same Liverpool that have dominated the Premier League — along with Manchester City — over the past four years.