- Jamie Carragher sends warning to Liverpool
- Names Everton’s ‘best player’
- Recalling watching him earlier this season
Liverpool face a must-win derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium to reignite their Top 5 hopes. With Jack Grealish out for Everton and Alisson sidelined for the Reds, Jamie Carragher warns Slot about the Toffees’ “best player.”
Liverpool face Everton on Sunday at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League, with both teams in desperate need of the three points.
The 248th Merseyside Derby will be the perfect way for Liverpool to get back to winning ways after suffering the 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League quarter final which resulted in elimination from the competition. The Reds also have a great chance to extend the lead on Chelsea, who suffered a 1-0 loss to Manchester United on Saturday.
Arne Slot’s side are set to be without Hugo Ekitike and Allison for the game, while David Moyes men are without Jack Grealish. The Englishman was one of the best players for the Toffees in the derby at Anfield earlier this season, and his absence will be a huge boost.
However, Jamie Carragher does not think the Manchester City loanee is the one Liverpool should be worried about this weekend, even if he were playing.
Jamie Carragher names Everton’s best player
Jamie Carragher was on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football earlier this week, and he named Iliman Ndiaye as Everton’s best player. He claimed that the forward played extremely well against Manchester City and has the qualities to play for the Cityzens.
The former defender added that the Senegal star was also their best player last season, and has maintained his level for the Merseyside club. He said:
“He’s an absolutely fabulous player – he’s brilliant. I watched him a couple of weeks ago against Man City; it looked like a Man City player was playing for Everton – that’s the best way I can describe him. This guy is Everton’s best player, and he was Everton’s best player last season by a long way.”
Ndiaye has scored six goals and assisted three times, including the lone goal scored by the Toffees in the derby at Anfield earlier this season.
David Moyes sends message to Everton players ahead of Liverpool clash
Everton are 10th in the Premier League table and can jump above Chelsea to sixth with a win on Sunday. David Moyes wants his player to use it as a motivation against Liverpool, as they try and get all three points from the derby.
“Well, if they don’t rise to it, then I don’t know what they’d rise to. Over the years, if it’s having a last game of the season and avoiding relegation, then that’s nothing to celebrate, really. I don’t think you can be a team in the relegation zone and just surviving. I think you can celebrate winning trophies or challenging for Europe, so I hope they can enjoy this side of it rather than the side we’ve seen before.”
Toffees come into the game in fine form, having lost just one of their last three matches in the league. They have three wins in those matches, while the Reds have just two wins in their last five league games.
Jamie Carragher’s assessment of Iliman Ndiaye serves as a stark reminder. Everton are no longer the “relegation survivors” of years past; they are a side with a “Man City-level” talent capable of single-handedly dismantling Liverpool’s Champions League ambitions.
David Moyes has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging his players to seize a moment that could see them leapfrog Chelsea and cement their own European credentials.
For Liverpool, it is a chance to silence the injustice claims, ignore the pundits, and prove that despite a trophyless outlook, their domestic resolve remains unbroken.
In a city divided, only one side can claim the spoils of this new era. Will Slot find the winning formula to tighten his grip on the Top 5, or will Ndiaye and Moyes ensure the first derby at the docks is a Blue affair
Follow all the build-up, live match updates, and post-game analysis right here on the ReadLiverpool website
