Friday 31 March 2017 07:55, UK
Much has changed since Everton suffered a heartbreaking late defeat in the last Merseyside derby, but just how far have the Toffees come? And are they capable of getting a result in front of the Sky Sports cameras at Anfield on Saturday?
It was a tight, cagey affair at Goodison in December. Everton came into the match having come from behind to beat Arsenal the week before - a first victory in six league games - but a stoppage-time Sadio Mane winner gave the Gwladys Street End a familiar sinking feeling against their local rivals.
Ahead of Saturday's return fixture, live on Sky Sports, confidence is high on the blue half of Merseyside and it feels as though something is brewing at Goodison.
What has changed since the derby defeat? How has Ronald Koeman defied the naysayers to turn things around? We take a look…
Extra midfield man makes all the difference
Koeman had previously adopted a familiar 4-2-3-1 approach, deploying Kevin Mirallas, Gerard Deulofeu, Aaron Lennon, Yannick Bolasie or Enner Valencia down the flanks.
The rigid set-up proved easy to nullify in the early part of the season. Against Liverpool, the Toffees mustered just one shot on target all game, leaving Koeman's charges down in ninth, having scored just 21 times in 17 matches - a record bettered by 10 other teams. The boos rung out around Goodison upon the final whistle. Something had to give.
Koeman needed to be reactive, and the subsequent change of system has brought about a blue resurgence. The Dutchman scrapped his tried and trusted methods, added another midfielder at the expense of a wide forward, and the Toffees have tasted defeat just once in the league since their Merseyside derby misery.
The move was a bold one, especially when that extra body in the heart of midfield has often been the unproven teenager Tom Davies. However, the 18-year-old Liverpudlian has looked comfortable, slotting in alongside Idrissa Gueye with ease.
Davies' man of the match performance against Manchester City gave the whole club the lift they needed, and proved to be vindication for Koeman - his gamble paid off.
No player, not even N'Golo Kante, has made more tackles than Gueye this season. That sort of protection, with an extra man to cover when he does make a mistake, gives further attacking freedom to a man who hasn't had it all his own way this season.
Barkley reborn
Ross Barkley has been the main beneficiary of this tactical evolution. Utilised as a No 10 against Liverpool, Barkley was targeted by the Reds' defenders and pressurised into mistakes, ensuring he finished the game with a 56.7 pass completion rate and an average position slightly further forward than the halfway line. After having already come under criticism from Koeman, this seemed to represent Barkley's nadir.
The turnaround has been remarkable. With this forward sacrificed for another midfielder, Barkley has started games on either flank, but with the licence to drift inside, making him hard to pick up.
"I don't need Ross on the halfway line having eight touches on the ball," Koeman said after the 3-0 win over West Brom two weeks ago. "We need players like Ross between the lines and close to the box. We have enough players behind the ball. We need good players like him in front of the ball, between the lines. That is what we need."
Koeman's tactical switch facilitated this. Barkley is involved more regularly, averaging more than 13 more touches per game since defeat to Liverpool. Only Gylfi Sigurdsson has more assists in 2017 than Barkley, and only two players have created more chances in the top flight. The question may be asked: how much longer can Gareth Southgate leave Barkley on the England bench?
Lukaku better than ever
Are there any superlatives left to describe Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring exploits? The Belgium international became only the fourth player to score more than 80 Premier League goals before turning 24 after his late double against Hull last time out.
Lukaku is reaping the rewards of a summer of hard work, after he took a fitness coach on holiday with him to ensure he returned for the new season fitter and leaner than ever. The fact the 23-year-old can play so many games, and maintain his intensity levels, all while shouldering the goalscoring responsibility almost single-handedly, is testament to the level Lukaku is at right now.
Against Liverpool in December, Lukaku looked subdued, finishing the game having mustered one shot on target, during a run of just three goals in nine Premier League outings.
The tactical shift has in fact isolated Lukaku, but that is where he thrives. His record clearly shows that pressure of being his side's main goal threat does not affect him. Twelve goals in 12 since proves no support is needed.
Sky Sports' Tony Cottee insists that Lukaku is as close to irreplaceable as it gets as speculation over his future continues to escalate, but for now at least, the Toffees can enjoy the fruits of Lukaku's prolific labour.
