Liverpool legend: Everton players expect to lose the derby

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The Anfield hero was speaking ahead of this weekend’s Premier League derby clash between Liverpool and Everton.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has suggested that Everton manager Ronald Koeman faces a challenge in altering the Toffees’ mindset when it comes to Merseyside derby encounters.

Carragher, who has been a pivotal figure in the post millennium Merseyside clashes, was speaking exclusively to Everton fan site GrandOldTeam ahead of this Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off at Anfield.

The defender, who made 737 appearances for Liverpool over a 17 year playing career with the club, possesses an admirable record against Everton – with 17 victories, five draws and seven defeats since his first derby game in 1998.

In the build up, former Everton fan Carragher has added an extra touch of spice to the already much anticipated match-up between the two teams – by claiming that players on the blue side of the city lack a winning expectation.

When talking to GrandOldTeam, Carragher explained that a “…big thing for Koeman is he’s got to change the mentality of the club, the players and even the supporters, in terms of derby games…I think Everton go into the derby game expecting to lose – I think the players do.”

The 39-year-old continued by recalling times from his own derby experiences, suggesting that the likes of Leighton Baines and Tony Hibbert were less focused on the game than he used to be.

Carragher provided an example to GrandOldTeam of a typical pre-game scene during his playing days – reminiscing that, “…players would be saying hello and ‘Hiya Carra!’ I’d be thinking, the games kicking off in a minute, why are you even saying my name? Why are you even speaking to me?”

“I wasn’t saying ‘Alright Ossie’ or ‘Alright Hibbo’ or ‘Alright Leighton’, I was like…I already thought we had the advantage. It’s like a boxer coming out and wanting to shake hands with other boxer, and it’s like ‘No! I wanna punch ya!”

“I never felt that they were as aggressive or as nasty as us – in the nicest possible way – about winning those games. I always felt we had the advantage mentally and physically…I always felt that was strange.”

Carragher just may have a point. Historically, Everton have won just 82 of the 278 games between the two sides and, incidentally, the last Toffees victory was more than six years ago – a game in which scorers Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta managed to get the better of Carragher during a 2-0 triumph at Goodison Park.