LiverpoolWorld Double Match Preview: Liverpool and Everton
George Priestman previews both Liverpool's clash with Bournemouth and Everton's trip to face Leicester City this weekend.
With help from Bournemouth Echo reporter Alex Smith and Leicester Fan TV.
With help from Bournemouth Echo reporter Alex Smith and Leicester Fan TV.
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00:00This is George Priestman for Liverpool World, back with another video for another preview
00:05for a Liverpool game. This time it's Liverpool-Bournemouth in the Premier League. I've enlisted the help
00:11of Bournemouth Echo reporter Alexandra Smith to give me some insight into how the team
00:17from the south coast are getting on so far this season and what type of threat they can
00:21offer at Anfield at the weekend. So first off, thanks for giving me some time on a busy
00:26work day, I imagine.
00:27Thanks very much for having me. No worries at all. Happy to join.
00:32Let's jump straight in then. Liverpool have won all but one of their meetings with Bournemouth
00:39at Anfield since 2015. It's been very dominant in that arena. Just how is this game being
00:45viewed by Bournemouth fans?
00:47I think probably fairly pragmatically, fairly realistically. I think if Bournemouth come
00:54away with anything, if Bournemouth come away with a point, I think they'll be happy. Obviously,
01:01it's a tough place to go. I was looking back at results going back for the past decade
01:07or so and there's only been a couple of results really for Bournemouth. Obviously, there was
01:14that big 9-0 defeat a couple of years ago, which hopefully won't, which shouldn't happen
01:19again, I will just say. I don't see that happening again. But I think last season Liverpool
01:27beat Cherries 4-0 at the Vitality and 3-1, I think it was, at Anfield. So, I mean, it's
01:36a tough place to go for anyone. And especially after last week, I think it might be Liverpool
01:41licking their wounds a little bit and will want to bounce back. That's possibly made
01:47it a little bit harder for Bournemouth heading up there. So, I think it will be a tough,
01:52tough test, certainly, to say the least.
01:56What's the general feeling with the fans right now after a mixed start to the season?
02:03I think it's largely positive. People weren't particularly happy after the final whistle
02:10on Saturday, as you can imagine. But I think it's been a good start to the season. It's
02:18been interesting. I mean, football was summed up in the last two games, really, for Bournemouth,
02:24the Everton game, where Bournemouth probably deserved nothing and came away with everything,
02:28came away with all three points. And then last weekend against Chelsea, where they were
02:34the better side for the 90 minutes, but just weren't clinical at all and didn't finish
02:39any of their chances. And that came back to bite them and they ended up with nothing.
02:45So, it's been one of those starts to the season, though. I think Bournemouth, they've been
02:50playing some good football, started well, I think. And I think it will be a positive
02:57season for Cherit.
03:00Yes, speaking about those chances and taking them, sort of twofold question coming in with
03:06the striking element at the moment. Obviously, Yvain Nielsen signed for a lot of money,
03:11had a very good season last year, did miss a penalty at the weekend, which was a great
03:15chance for him to get a really positive start for him. How is he settling in overall and
03:21who would be the key men for Bournemouth at the weekend?
03:25I think, personally speaking, I saw some people on Twitter after the penalty miss sort of
03:33saying he looks out of his depth. He doesn't look like a Premier League striker. I think
03:38I disagree with that. I personally like what I've seen from him so far this season. And
03:44in my eyes, certainly for his first two appearances, he wasn't very good against Everton, I'll
03:52be honest. But then this weekend, he was good. He had a lot of energy, helped out Iriola
04:02and his system really well and seemed to fit in quite well. And obviously, that game is
04:06sort of overshadowed a bit by his penalty miss. But I think his first two games, Newcastle
04:15and then West Ham, where he came off the bench at half time in the cup, he looked really
04:20good. And West Ham, he changed the game, I thought, looked really dangerous and was a
04:24threat. And I think he's done everything but scored so far. He does need to get that first
04:29goal, though. And I think the penalty, it was one of those where you give it to him
04:34and if he scores it, there's his confidence through the roof. He starts scoring regularly.
04:40If you give it to him and he misses, then you have to hope that he hasn't had his confidence
04:46dented too much by that. But I'm sure he'll bounce back. I think he'll prove to be a key
04:55player throughout the season. And I think it will be a case of when, not if, he starts
05:02scoring goals. In terms of key men, Antoine Simeoneau has made a really good start to
05:08the season. He's been brilliant so far. He was deservedly given Cherries Player of the
05:16Month for August. Before the Chelsea game, I think he was one of four players to have
05:21scored or assisted in every game so far this season in the league. He was one of the main
05:30driving forces behind that Everton comeback and just looks an absolute handful for defences,
05:37is fast, is powerful, offers both as provider and goal scorer. And I think he'll be a really
05:47important part to Cherries side this year. Beyond that, I think Cherries have a bit of
05:57an embarrassment of riches, I think, going forward in positions outside of that No. 9.
06:03The No. 9 position is Evan Ilsen and Asunao's comeback from injury now. But
06:08elsewhere in that forward line, you've got Justin Kluivert, Lewis Sinisterra,
06:14Dango Attara, who unfortunately got injured over the international break, Simeoneau, all sorts of
06:21players that look really good going forward and offer a lot of pace and a lot of power and will
06:28certainly trouble most defences in this league. I think an interesting performance at the weekend
06:35will be Kepa's. I'm imagining he'll come back into the side after obviously missing Saturday
06:42because he can't play against Chelsea. But the Everton game, he conceded two. But I don't think
06:51he could have done too much with either of those goals. But sort of one of those performances where
06:56he didn't do anything spectacular, made a couple of good saves, to be fair. But it'll be interesting
07:01to see how he does against Liverpool, where I imagine there'll be quite a lot of chances,
07:07you'd imagine, and see how he does under pressure. Yeah, and I think also look at the back line.
07:16Elia Zabani's been sort of ever-present so far this season. He's looked really good. I think it'll
07:22probably be Marcos Sanessi again, playing alongside him. They're quite a formidable
07:28centre-back pairing. If one of them doesn't play, then it'd be Dean Howsam, I think,
07:33who's new summer signing. He's like an absolute Rolls-Royce of a player.
07:39Links with Liverpool as well before this. He looked really sharp really early on,
07:43really young as well. He looks like a star for the future. Maybe someone that might not be at
07:48Bournemouth in about three, four years' time, but he's certainly a player with such ilk.
07:53You mentioned Semenya there. He's kind of come a little bit out of nowhere, I guess, because he's
07:57really exploded this season. Do you think that's come because Dominic Solanke's left and there's a
08:02little bit of a hole to fill, would you say? I think there was possibly one of those where
08:09Cherries were maybe looking for someone to fill that void for that star player. But I think they
08:15are two very different players. Obviously, Solanke was very much out and out, centre-forward,
08:23whereas Semenya, although he does sometimes play through the middle for Ghana,
08:28Iroilo sees him and has always said he sees him as a winger. But he has been a real threat.
08:39I asked Andoni about him last week and he sort of said one thing that he's been really pleased
08:45with is his attitude and also his fitness. I think last season he was sort of playing 60,
08:5365 minutes and then looking like he was struggling. But this season he's been playing full 90s and
08:59has been looking as sharp and as dangerous in the last five minutes as the first five minutes,
09:05which can be a really potent weapon, I think, for Cherries this year.
09:09Yeah, I think he is real key for this game of the weekend. And just lining into what
09:13Nottingham Forest did last week at Anfield, they soaked up the pressure extremely well.
09:19They competed really well. They needed a really strong performance from their defence on that day
09:24to really hold off Liverpool. Is there a possibility that, I mean, is that the blueprint
09:30now to go to Anfield and do this? But it's to not make any mistakes, to soak up pressure and then
09:35in the second half, look to explode on the counter-attack with pace. And like you said,
09:39plenty of options there. Could that be a real viable blueprint for Iriolo this weekend?
09:45I think potentially. I mean, Cherries tend to play quite, it's quite a high rhythm to their
09:54games. Iriolo always says, I want to play with a high rhythm, pressing from the front. And so
10:00they tend to try and take the game to their opposition. So I think sort of sitting back
10:04and sort of a bit more of a low block and inviting pressure on probably won't be his approach.
10:10But I think...
10:12Is that not something we can see, do you think? Is that something you might want
10:15to adapt or is it something that Liverpool might force them into?
10:18I mean, I think Cherries like to play with the ball and I think probably they'll have to adapt
10:24it. And I think Iriolo is a very intelligent manager and will make adaptations to suit his
10:32opposition. And I imagine there'll be sort of some sort of compromise. But I mean, that's been
10:40one thing from Cherries this season is something has happened in every single game in the final
10:45five minutes, whether that's a goal. There's been a goal in the final five minutes in every game,
10:50apart from the Newcastle game, when there was the disallowed goal at stoppage time.
10:56So things happen to the end of Bournemouth games.
11:00Well, as a journalist, that must be tough. You must have everything written up already.
11:05The Everton game was a killer, I have to say. I rewrote the match report about three or four times.
11:11But yeah, it's one of those where I think it'll be... There'll certainly be some pace at the end
11:20and their fitness is really good. So they'll still be going to the 90th minute. So whether
11:32they can still be in touch, then they could potentially bag a goal or two. But they have
11:39struggled a little bit with their finishing this season and do need to improve on their
11:44being more clinical. But it'll be interesting to see how they soak up that pressure from Liverpool
11:50and try and convert their chances as and when they can.
11:56Yeah, for sure. Just before we go, just a very quick match prediction. Just give us a quick
11:59score prediction. I'm going to go with Liverpool. Liverpool were very good last night against
12:05Milan. So I'll be going with a 3-1 victory. I mean, I've always backed Cherries in these.
12:13So I'm going to back Cherries again and I'm going to say 2-1. Why not? Liverpool won their
12:20lap for most of the game and then two quick goals at the end to win it for Cherries.
12:25That's Liverpool versus Bournemouth previewed. And after the break, we will jump into
12:29Leicester versus Everton at the King Power Stadium.
12:32Welcome back after the break. Now we're going to preview Leicester versus Everton this weekend.
12:37And to do that, I've enlisted the help of Tom from LeicesterFanTV, who has kindly given up his
12:43time to discuss the game at the weekend. Tom, thanks for joining me. Just first off, just a
12:48quick one. How are you feeling about the game this weekend?
12:51Looking forward to it. I think our result away at Palace Pro wasn't justified to draw. We should
12:56have won the game. And I think the team will be full of confidence going into this game.
13:01Yeah, I think so too. From Everton's side, it's very much the opposite right now. It's very much
13:06doom and gloom. There's a lot of injuries. But if we're going to go off the two sides, performances
13:11and results so far, do you believe that Leicester come into this game as favourites?
13:17I'd say slight favourites. I think we all know this is a mini little league now at the bottom
13:22already starting to take shape. Everton, Wolves, Ipswich, Southampton. Still got our mini league
13:29already to start the season with teams having to pick up points. So it's a big game. I'd say
13:35we're probably slight favourites. But I think the Premier League, anything can happen. We've seen
13:39that many seasons.
13:42Yeah, I think personally Leicester have been pretty good value in most games I've seen so far.
13:46They've shown us something in every game, especially the likes of Jamie Vardy, showing
13:52he can still do it at this level, which is very good to see because he is a Premier League legend.
13:57But just basing off Leicester's strengths and weaknesses, from your opinion, what are
14:06Leicester's weaknesses that Everton could exploit? And then I will come on conversely to
14:10where they could hurt Everton. But just can you sum up a few areas that
14:14are a bit of a concern for Leicester?
14:17I think if you were to ask any Leicester fan, myself included, the first couple of games,
14:21we were very slow to start. The first 45 minutes seemed to went by without us even turning up,
14:27especially in the Tottenham game and probably in the Fulham game more. The whole game,
14:31we didn't seem to get to grips with what we were trying to do in those games.
14:34I think we saw a bit of a better performance against Villa and I think in the Palace game
14:38it got better. I think the one thing that concerns Leicester fans mostly is the defensive
14:43side of it. Obviously, we do give chances away. I think Palace had a hatful of chances
14:47they probably should have done better with at the weekend and scored goals from. We seemed
14:51to drop deep. I think that was one concern coming out of the game on the weekend and
14:56what frustrated Leicester fans was obviously we were 2-1 up. He took Connor Cody on, he
15:00took Hamza Choudhury on, we went very defensive. And that last 20 minutes, we invited the pressure
15:06and I think Leicester fans are trying to hope going into this game that we don't do that
15:09because we do look like we will concede goals and especially down the right-hand side, a
15:14lot of the goals have come down from James Justin's side this season. Down the right-hand
15:17side, right-back position has been one of those areas that teams seem to have got at us.
15:23You mentioned James Justin. Once upon a time, he was set for an England call-up. He was
15:30a really strong player, left-back, full-back. I really like the look of him. I thought he was
15:34a player who was just growing and growing. What sort of happened to him? What do you
15:38think is the reason for it? Obviously, there were injuries, but what do you think the real cause is?
15:43I think this season, tactically, he's been left a bit exposed. He's very much been the
15:47main man there. You're going to have to defend. We need players to get back, but
15:51he seems to be the one getting caught out more than anything. When people switch the play,
15:54our wingers play quite high. It leaves him basically two-on-one sometimes quite often.
15:59We don't seem to cover that side as well as we do on the left-hand side. So,
16:03it'll be interesting to see the team selection that Cooper goes for. Is he going to give James
16:08Justin cover? Does he bring Ricardo Pereira into the team? He's not playing in the Premiership
16:12this season, but it was a stonewall for him over the years and last season, especially
16:16in the Championship. Does he come in right-back and he swaps JJ to the left-back position to try
16:20and shore this defence up? I'd say Jadon hasn't really gone off the ball. He's just very exposed
16:26at times with the way we play.
16:27We know about Wout Ves, but I don't think many fans will know too much about Caleb McAuley.
16:34What have you seen from him early on? Coming up against someone like Carver Lewin,
16:38it's going to be a very physical battle, very much in the air, whereas aerial prowess is really
16:43strong. Do you think that's going to be an area that could be an issue?
16:48I think we saw in the Villa game, he tried to go up with Durham, but he didn't really jump with him.
16:51He pushed him in the back of the net. I think that's going to be an area that's going to be
16:56a bit of a challenge. I think we've seen with Auckley, he's grown in every game. Every game,
17:04he's got better and better. In the last couple of games, especially Palace away,
17:08him and Faz at the back were strong. Yes, a little bit of stakes, but you can expect that
17:14from a young centre-half still learning the Premier League. I like that Auckley's got pace,
17:18he can move, he can cover ground quickly to cover the full-backs if someone's out of position.
17:23Physical, there's no one matching him for me. He's a beast. He knows how to
17:29handle big strikers. I think he'll be an interesting contest if Carvalhoon's fit.
17:34I don't know how likely he'll be available. They've said the possibility. He is fit. It'll
17:39be a great battle at the weekend because Auckley seem to be able to manage players in this division
17:43quite well. Looking forward to that one, for sure. Just looking at the opposite now,
17:49the strengths that you have in this team. I like Winks and Skip. I think they're both
17:54solid on the ball. I think it's a decent midfield pairing. You've got pace in the wide areas with
17:59Modigi and Vettaro as well, and experience with Ndidi and experience again with Ayo,
18:04who just is an absolute workhorse we've seen over the years, who always gives 110% and knows the
18:09dark hearts of the game. And obviously, Jamie Vardy, of course, with that experience, and
18:14Oddson-Edward as well, who potentially could come into the fray this weekend.
18:19What areas are you most happy about with this Leicester team?
18:24I think you'd have to ask the first couple of games. We're still saying where the goals are
18:27going to come. I think you've seen the team starting to grow. The Palace game, I think
18:31Leicester fans were happy for about 65 minutes. We really took the game to Palace. It was the
18:36first time this season we've actually taken a game to a team. We weren't scared to get the
18:40ball forward. The first few games, it was very slow. The ball was going sideways. It was about
18:45being better shape, but then really attacking threat. We saw a bit of it in the Tottenham
18:49game in the second half when we took it to them. We actually looked all right. You also got young
18:53kids in El Canoes and Benotti in there as well. So the attacking threat is to come into the team
18:58if we need to. Obviously, Benotti is on loan from Brighton. I think he made 30-odd appearances last
19:02season for them. There's a lot of attacking threat. Mavadini, we've been crying out for
19:07him to start. He started last weekend his first game. He obviously got a goal in his first game,
19:11which was brilliant. His confidence is up there. Abdul is young, very rash at times,
19:16still probably learning the Premier League and defenders, what he's going to be up against.
19:22Going forward doesn't worry me now. It's the other side of it defensively. For me,
19:26skip and winks are crucial to how we play. I love Ndidi, but for me, I think skip and winks
19:31are the heart of that team. They really make a tick at times.
19:34Yeah, for sure. I think it's going to be really interesting because Everton have had a really
19:38good start with Timur Abunim. He came in from Aston Villa for £9m. He's actually been probably
19:43their most brightest light so far this season with Dwight McNeil. He's really sharp in midfield,
19:48loves to tackle. I think he's going to be real key in this game, as he has been in all games so far.
19:53In terms of Everton, their strengths really lie within Dwight McNeil. He's actually led the chances
19:59created this season and has been a real key player for them in set pieces. He scored a good
20:06goal at the weekend against Villa as well last time out. Is he someone you'd say is a key player,
20:11someone you'd want to stop the chances from him?
20:14Yeah, because obviously he's playing on James Justin's side. He plays on that left-hand side.
20:19We're weak at the right-hand side at the moment. He's playing on the left. Obviously,
20:22that is the key position when you look at Everton. If they can get down their left-hand
20:27side or right-back, they could cause us problems. You obviously, boys, have got plenty of Premier
20:31League experience in that team. You know, he's done the count for Leverkusen. But,
20:35Dwight McNeil, you know, Tchaikovsky, he's fit and available. Pickford in goal.
20:40I don't get why it's gone so wrong at the beginning of the season for you boys.
20:43Is it a confidence thing? Have the players given up on Sean Dyer's tactics and not
20:48really wanted to play for him anymore? We've seen that at times with managers,
20:50when they want them gone, they stop playing for them. But in games I have seen in the season,
20:55especially the Bournemouth game, the first 25 minutes against Villa, I was sitting there
20:59thinking, God, this is going to be a tough game now. But I genuinely believe that if we can get
21:03that first goal, then you'll crumble. And that's the thing about it. I think if someone can get
21:08the first goal against you, you won't know how to come back into a game. I watched it against
21:12Southampton the other night. I watched a full game on that. Again, the first 25, 30 minutes,
21:18you look solid. But once again, your weakness is defending set plays. For some reason,
21:23Everton are struggling to defend the set pieces. So there's plenty of areas for Leicester fans to
21:28be optimistic that we can get it yet. But we also have to be careful what we're doing at the back.
21:32And if we can defend solidly, I really believe we'll get enough chances to get the win on the
21:36weekend. One player who has been in the mouths of fans this week, all over social media and
21:42recent weeks, is Michael Keane. Fans just can't understand why he remains in the team. His record
21:49under Dyche when starting is really poor. They concede an average over two goals per game
21:54every time he has started. They have Jake O'Brien in the wings waiting to come in. It looks like
21:59James Southampton should be back for the weekend. Would you be happy to see Michael Keane in that
22:04line-up ahead of O'Brien? Of course you would be. Of course you would be with those kind of stats.
22:09You want Michael Keane to play. Michael Keane's an ex-Leicester player as well. And so we know
22:13all about Michael Keane. He was with us for a season and back then he looked a quality young
22:17man. And there is quality in Michael Keane. But at the moment he's going through some really poor
22:22form and nothing seems to be working for him. Is there a Leicester fan hoping that I would rather
22:27see Michael Keane in the back line than James Ganskoski playing if he's not available? It
22:32gives you that bit more hope going into games. Because we know James Ganskoski, that experience
22:36probably boosts your back line-up more than seeing Michael Keane there.
22:40Yeah, it's not a disrespect thing. It's just the level of quality that he is playing at the
22:44moment. And the fact that Everton have really struggled with 13 goals conceded in four games
22:48and they were the fourth best defence last season. So it is a massive disparity. Obviously, a lot of
22:53that's down to Gerard Brantley not being available as well. He will be back soon, but not in time for
22:59this weekend. And just lastly, I just come on to the idea of this being a relegation six-pointer
23:03so early on in the season. It's that phrase that always comes up. Obviously, this type of game is
23:09a game that you will look at as a very winnable game in the Premier League. I'm sure you'll look
23:13at a lot of games like that. But the quality in this division now is just incredible coming up
23:18from the Championship. This is a game that you're just dying to get out of Everton and get three
23:23points on the board, right? It's all about getting that first win. You guys are five games
23:30losing run at the moment. Leicester obviously haven't won a game back in the Premier League yet
23:34with one in the Cup. But to get that first Premier League win could be crucial to kick-start both
23:39our season in some way. So yes, it's a relegation six-pointer. As I said earlier,
23:44there's already a little mini-league already forming at the bottom of the table because
23:47there is a bigger gap now between when we last came into the Premier League 10 years ago.
23:52And you've got to get these points on the board quickly to pull yourself away from those mini
23:56leagues or give yourself a gap that if you do go on a one or two game losing run, you don't get
24:00dragged into it too quickly. And lastly, just give me a very quick score prediction. I am going to go
24:06for a 2-1 Everton away win just to hope for any spirits to be lifted. What about yourself?
24:11I was going to go for a 3-1 Leicester win. I've got a good feeling about this weekend. I think
24:15there's a lot of doubt around Cooper. Cooper, from some fans, job's already on the line. If
24:21you lose it the weekend, there'll be a lot of pressure turned on to Steve Cooper. So
24:24I think he'll pull something out this weekend. I think we'll get our first win 3-1 to Leicester.