Weary Klopp braced for pressure cauldron in final Merseyside derby
Departing manager’s strong record against Everton will be tested at Goodison Park with team’s title hopes on the line
Jürgen Klopp will not miss the Merseyside derby when his Liverpool reign is over. To hear him explain why ahead of a final encounter with Everton was further evidence of the Liverpool manager’s need to recharge once one more title race has been run.
Klopp could look favourably on the most played derby in English football, which reaches the 244th edition on Wednesday with the local rivals both in desperate need of victory but for very different reasons. He has lost only one of 18 Merseyside derbies, and that was behind closed doors during the pandemic. He has never lost at Goodison Park and a 10th win over Everton would also be Liverpool’s 100th in the fixture’s history. Beyond the release of victory, however, it is not an occasion that Klopp has ever truly enjoyed.