Eliminate mistakes or pay heavy price
THERE might be a game to play beforehand but really only one thought is consuming the minds of Evertonians this week - the Merseyside derby.
Those of us who have been fortunate enough to play in this encounter would give anything to play once more and I'm no different; I'd do anything to be involved in the squad on Saturday but, unfortunately, the state of my ankles dictate otherwise.
But, rest assured, I'll be kicking every ball from my vantage point and I see no reason why we can't get a result that will be as wildly celebrated as those famous victories in December 2004 or September 2006.
A word of warning, however. If we continue to make the mistakes at the back that have been so evident and alarming in the last two matches, Everton's hopes of securing local bragging rights will disappear in a flash.
I touched on the importance of keeping a clean sheet last week before the game with Standard Liege but, seven days on, we find ourselves in a similar position, talking about the same mistakes.
What is making the situation all the more puzzling at the minute is the fact the lads at the back are so experienced and have basically been playing with each other regularly for the past 18 months - there should not be any communication problems.
If this worrying trend continues, Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane will take full advantage. They may be out of sorts at the minute but they are strikers who will capitalise on the slightest opening and won't need a second invitation to end their goal droughts.
It will be interesting to see how Robbie does. He is a player I know well from our time together at Leeds and we were also nearly reunited at Goodison Park three years ago - I've no doubt he would have been a terrific signing for Everton.
He always had a tendency to do well against us and that struck a chord with David Moyes, so much so that he wanted to sign him after we had qualified for the Champions League. But Spurs did not want to sell.
Robbie is a bright, chirpy lad with a lot of self confidence but it just looks to me as if he is trying that little bit too hard at present. That said, he will see this game as the perfect opportunity to get his Liverpool career up and running and we will have to be on guard.
To have any hope of winning, we will have to do to our neighbours what they did to Manchester United a couple of weeks ago - hussle, harry and bustle them out of their stride. Above all, though, we will have to rediscover that one missing ingredient - defensive unity.
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