What happened to Liverpool at the end of Wednesday night’s stormy Merseyside derby will be a blessing.
Everything has gone right for Arne Slot’s team this season, from beating Real Madrid to drawing at Arsenal. Their only Premier League defeat, against Nottingham Forest, was followed immediately by a 3-1 win away to AC Milan.
When things click to that extent, a feeling that you only have to turn up to win can creep in.
In that sense, the late goal conceded at Everton and the subsequent red cards for Slot, his assistant Sipke Hulshoff and Curtis Jones will concentrate minds for tough trips to Aston Villa and Manchester City after Sunday’s home game against Wolves. The 2-2 draw at Goodison may have felt like a loss in the immediate aftermath but they did get a point and the late drama will kick them up the backside and galvanise everybody.
Liverpool will have taken heart from the togetherness in fighting for each other — and Slot’s reaction endeared him to the supporters who loved Jurgen Klopp’s passion — but within 24 hours there would also be a determination not to let the same hot-headedness happen again.
It may not be Slot who leads the message for future calm — he was one of the guilty parties — but experienced campaigners like Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who I’m sure will make it clear to their colleagues that success depends on keeping discipline and not risking a free-for-all.
Liverpool’s Merseyside Derby draw against Everton felt like a loss after the manner of the Toffees’ equaliser
Arne Slot further endeared himself to supporters after his reaction to the dramatic draw
Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier would tell his troops before big games: ‘Fire in the heart and ice in the brain’
My manager at Liverpool, Gerard Houllier, had a saying he always used before big games, particularly derbies at Goodison: ‘Fire in the heart and ice in the brain.’ If Liverpool need to quote one mantra to finish off the job and become Premier League champions, it’s that one. It was interesting to see Slot lose his rag a little bit. He’s already picked up more cards in a few months in England than he did during three years at Feyenoord.
He’s been articulate and modest for the most part during his tenure at Anfield. Liverpool fans will certainly forgive him confronting referee Michael Oliver — it’s probably made him more relatable in their eyes — but he’ll know it has to be a one-off. Yes, it’s important for a team to show they care. But there is no need to be dragged into chaos when you’ve got a handsome lead at the top of the league.
I don’t think it will trigger any more meltdowns in Liverpool’s behaviour. A derby at Goodison is a one-off in terms of intensity. They will know for the rest of the season that being over-pumped won’t enhance their performances.
I found it interesting that Darwin Nunez, who has a reputation for being Liverpool’s most hot-headed player, was largely calm during the fracas.
It’s as if he’s learned his lesson after an altercation with fans when he was playing for Uruguay in the Copa America led to a five-match international ban. In the same way, I think Jones — a local boy who will have felt the passion of a derby so strongly — will now avoid any future dust-ups like the one he had with Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Liverpool are an outstanding team because they can compete physically and technically. They can win either way as long as they channel any anger correctly.
It’s important they stand up for each other but they mustn’t be derailed by brawls and crowding the referee.
I believe they are good enough to get over the line this season. I don’t think a repeat of the late madness at Goodison will happen again.