Merseyside Football latest: LFC champions hopes, Everton improving under Moyes and more

National World - LocalTV

A full version of our LiverpoolWorld Q&A with Will Rooney.

Transcript

00:00January window obviously a bit of a quiet window especially for them and we've mentioned before

00:06that they do tend to do a lot more of their business in the summer. In terms of the summer

00:12and looking ahead to that obviously you know it's a few months away and of course there could be

00:17title or you know champions league or multiple clubs in there as well before we get to the

00:23summer but who maybe are they leaving themselves for anyone to bring in in the summer is there

00:29any sort of potential targets I know they're obviously we're tracking Zubermandi again

00:34this window but haven't got that over the line. Yeah I don't I don't think that ever really come

00:38up Zubermandi just because Ryan Granbeck has done so well since he was converted into number

00:44six position I don't think a lot of as you said a lot of fans were surprised that the

00:50PIRL didn't get additions in the six points clear of the top of the league would support

00:55maybe like one or two foods or of course it was an ideal scenario but that didn't happen

01:01and then if you look for the summer could be a little bit of a big summer for Liverpool because

01:05I think left back is a position where they're gonna have to try and recruit Andy Robertson's

01:1231 next month and he looks like he's dropped off a little bit Costa Simacasa is he really

01:18gonna be a first choice I don't know left back so a left back you're probably looking at obviously

01:23likes of Miloš Čerkaš at Bournemouth and you know players like Ait Nuri at Wolves who've been

01:31on the on the radar. Stryker might be a position that Arnold Slot looks to resolve because Darwin

01:40Nunes is into his third season two and a half seasons in and he's still not threatening to be

01:46a regular starter in the Premier League and Liverpool have paid a lot of money for him and

01:51Diogo Jota just can't stay fit so those are the two positions that you're looking at maybe look

01:56at centre-back as well depends on what happens you know with potentially safety allowed one of

02:04them to go or what happens with Virg van Dijk's contract and of course then you're gonna have

02:08that as well because they could need two full backs they might need enough one for Trent

02:12Alexander-Arnold they're not going to solely rely on Conor Bradley and obviously with Mo Salah what's

02:17going to happen there still still there still no end game with with that one looks like both

02:27parts is still in the dark what's going to happen what is going to happen we don't know so look I

02:31think it's going to be a big summer maybe that's why Liverpool have kept their paths dry this

02:36month as well because they know it might be a busy one in the summer window and they won't want to

02:45still if they do go on and win trophies they'll want to make sure that they strengthen again and

02:49our slots come out said that we you know we're already working on the summer so we're always

02:53consistently challenging for silverware and looking at Liverpool and their title charge

03:00and obviously they're in an unbelievable position you know as we sort of come into February now as

03:05well that they're at the top of the table they've got that gap arsenal it's sort of on them to

03:11really keep the pressure on I mean it's a great position for them to be in obviously fantastic in

03:16in the likes of the Champions League as well looking ahead to to those you know European

03:21nights at Anfield as well something Arnie Schlott hasn't you know experienced with the knockout

03:25football you know the cup competitions as well but in terms of the title race you know is there

03:31is there a position that you can see in a world you can see that they actually slip up and don't

03:36win the title now I mean they're in the massive favourites and they are seeming to to just

03:41continue this this consistent form every week now yeah I mean they've still got some tricky

03:46games to go Liverpool you know they've still got to play Arsenal at home so they could you know

03:52potentially cut the gap there you've still got to go to Chelsea away they've still got to go to

03:58Aston Villa away trying to think probably other games they've still got Tottenham at home to play

04:04might just be a little bit tricky depending on what the business that they've done you know they've

04:08got some tough games left Liverpool and Flags of Fulham away even you know you're not guaranteed

04:13a win there are you but you know there's you know Michael Arteta say that at some I don't think he

04:22said this with any real malice or any provocation but he come out and said that you know teams

04:29normally slip up but Liverpool haven't slipped up yet Declan Rice after the Arsenal's win over

04:36Man City says we're coming to hunt Liverpool down well they can certainly well try but if Liverpool

04:42don't drop the points then it'll be impossible for them to hunt them down you know this time

04:48next week after the Merseyside derby Liverpool could be nine points clear of Arsenal and so

04:53even if Arsenal did come to Anfield and get a win then they'd still be six points clear

04:59the only the only one you know the one thing that might

05:03stop the momentum a little bit is if they go deeper in the cup competitions obviously

05:08you know into the last 16 of the Champions League depends on who they get there what's going to

05:13happen with with the FA Cup um Carabao Cup they're into the the semi-final second leg they've got to

05:20play Tottenham could get to the final there but maybe Arnold Slott will look at it pragmatically

05:26and think well do we really need to go and win the FA Cup the Champions League or the Premier

05:30League to balance and ask well let's just go for the Premier League I dare say some supporters will

05:36be quite happy with that they want to see a league title won they did you know sauceball 64 they

05:40didn't get to celebrate the last one properly um and you know it wasn't all that long ago Liverpool

05:47won the Champions League they've been to two finals and look I don't think when games come

05:52around you'd ever want to lose them and that won't be Liverpool's approach but if you ask supporters

05:56you can only win one trophy you definitely win the Premier League well looking at Everton and

06:02their sort of resurgence under David Moyes now obviously three wins um in the Premier League

06:07took them just from away from that gap um in terms of the relegation battle something they were

06:12certainly in and up until um David Moyes came in I mean he's just made a fantastic difference

06:18um where they sort of push on now from this and continue that that form obviously some some tough

06:23games coming up but I mean you know Everton seem really full of confidence at the moment and real

06:28you know that if you are looking at teams down there you know you look above them a little bit

06:32you've got the struggles of Tottenham at the moment with their injury crisis and and the way things

06:36are going there then underneath them it's it's sort of walls less their hips which they're sort

06:40of really really struggling um I mean Everton have made real good ground into becoming a side that

06:46are pushing away from that relegation zone how sort of impressed with them have you been after

06:51these um few results yeah it's been good it has there's definitely been a lift it's obviously

06:56visible to say that and performances as well it's not like Everton have ground out plucky 1-0 wins

07:02in the first game they lost narrowly to Aston Villa there weren't a lot of

07:08difference in the two sides by a proper goal scorer and Ollie Watkins putting the goal away

07:14um it just took the shackles off Everton a little bit now they're not you know they're not playing

07:21total expansive football but they're playing effective football it's it's nice to watch as

07:26well um it's quick gets the you know getting the ball forwards not passing it for the sake of it

07:31but not going long as much as well which I think you know a lot of fans were getting a little bit

07:38perturbed by those tactics under under Sean Dyche um you only have to look at the the goals he

07:44against Leicester um not like the first one was a long ball from a from a goal from the kickoff

07:50but that's what happens with every team you know the second goal the third goal were really nice

07:55free balls that the best all latched on to um played around a little bit from the back a bit

08:01more playing off from the back a bit more playing through the fairs a little bit more just giving

08:04players a little bit more confidence I think to to go out and express themselves rather than

08:10playing a game of percentages which it was a lot under under Sean Dyche and I think the players

08:16have been lifted obviously David Moyes has come in and tweaked a couple of things in terms of the

08:21team he's deployed Jake O'Brien as a as a right back he didn't really get a look in under Sean

08:27Dyche despite arriving last summer for 16 million pounds Jesper Lindstrom who really struggled after

08:34arriving on loan from Napoli has been given a bit of a lease of life um and yeah Illuminati as

08:42well David Moyes said he wants them to carry the ball a little bit more and I think that's what

08:49one player is benefiting as well and Vitaly Mikhalenko even get fours and put crosses in

08:54which which didn't really happen under Sean Dyche so the shackles have come off a bit

08:58David Moyes would be delighted but he knows there's a lot of hard work still to do

09:02yeah and just on Everton sort of resurgence in the goal department now we obviously you know

09:07mentioned Dominic Calvert-Lewin's latest injury you've got Armando Brozier out as well um Beto

09:13sort of coming he got the brace against uh less against Leicester City at home I mean that was a

09:18great day for him he's really trying to continue to prove himself do you feel David Moyes is the

09:22right manager to take Beto forward you know he he's come out and said he doesn't want all the

09:27credit for the goals but there's certainly been a resurgence under David Moyes in terms of

09:32how many goals they're scoring and and you know getting the fans as you say a bit more off their

09:36seats at Goodison yeah in terms of Beto I think it's playing to his strengths to be honest with

09:40you um he's had some criticism Beto but I've always thought he's all right especially off

09:49the bench causing a bit of havoc and he hasn't had that many chances to start um under Sean Dyche

09:56and if you're going to start and when he did start he didn't play to his strengths

09:59and the stems are getting the ball in behind on the deck in between the channels of the centre

10:05half and the full back putting into corridors where defenders don't like going with not in

10:11their lane and him causing a bit of havoc and that's what happened for both of the goals and

10:16he could well have had a penalty as well against Leicester um so that's definitely you know one

10:21positive to say it looks like David Moyes is trying to play to these players' strengths

10:27if it was Dominic Calvert-Lewin it was trying to get him chances you know one two touch chances

10:33ironically that wasn't the way he scored against Tottenham but a couple of other chances that

10:37created for him in in previous games for his injury that was the way that they were trying

10:42to go about it so I think it's definitely been a bit a little bit more flexible um David Moyes

10:47you know his asylum and he's given him a bit more freedom say go and carry the ball and

10:52and make things happen you can be our talisman you can everything can come from you even though

10:58he's playing off the left and Jesper Lindstrom's pace get crosses into the box and put two great

11:04balls into the box against Tottenham um and you know they've given a little bit of defensive

11:10stability in that in behind with Jake O'Brien say the two centre-backs are playing it around a

11:15little bit more and that just gives everyone a little bit of confidence so it's something that

11:21the David Moyes knew he would have had to remedy look strike situation isn't great he couldn't get

11:26one over the line at the end of the transfer window because there weren't too many out there

11:30and hopefully Beto stays fit now and Brosia comes back maybe a bit earlier than was initially

11:36expected as you said as well to to our bodies and then you're waiting on Dominic Calvert-Lewin to

11:41come back so look there will be a big burden on Beto um but Evan have just got to continue to

11:47play to his strengths and make him a real handful because that's what he come in as you know someone

11:53who's raw maybe needs a little bit of coaching but you know some of his attributes that could

11:58cause issues were there.

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