It’s the first ever Merseyside Derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium this weekend as Everton host Liverpool – and Tyrique George should start the game.
The Toffees fought back twice against Brentford last weekend to take a point at the Gtech Community Stadium, in what was a decent result.
What changes would you make from the Brentford game? 😬
But Everton could do with getting three points on Sunday in order to lay down the gauntlet to their rivals.
Many fans have a good feeling heading into the game.
Liverpool are only five points ahead in the table, and have struggled for consistency all season.
No doubt David Moyes will be racking his brain right now as to which XI he should field. But hopefully it will include Tyrique George.
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Tyrique George should get second Everton start vs Liverpool
Moyes is likely to go with experience again for the first visit of Liverpool to HDS.
But the Scot really ought to strongly consider handing George what would be just his second start for Everton since joining on loan.
He came on for a cameo against Brentford last weekend and really unsettled Michael Kayode, who had previously looked fairly solid in the game.
George just injected a bit of urgency and unpredictability, and he was involved in the equaliser scored in injury-time by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen Moyes regularly turn to Dwight McNeil on the right side.
To his credit, he’s been good and has warranted his selections.
But George can just bring a bit more pace and directness – and this could be especially important given left-back is a weak area for the Reds.
He could also play on the left side, but perhaps he’d get more joy on the right. Because Milos Kerkez has drawn criticism this season and has still not totally nailed down that starting spot at Liverpool.
Sometimes Andy Robertson starts, and the Scot is just not the player he was a few seasons ago.
So while the fixture is slightly daunting, there are reasons to suggest that starting George could really pay dividends.
David Moyes wants to give George more minutes
After the draw with Brentford, Moyes gave George some praise, saying: “I like Tyrique. We’ll try to get him more opportunities and minutes when we can.
“He’s got good control, he wants to score and you saw that today.”
What is your prediction for this weekend’s Merseyside Derby? 🫣
Three points would be MASSIVE! 💪
Moyes has shown a bit of a reluctance to start young players this season, so it would be no surprise to see George benched again this weekend.
But starting him is a gamble that is worth taking, because that pace of his really could cause problems.
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