EPL Derby Weekend: Liverpool vs. Everton; Arsenal vs. Spurs

This coming weekend in the English Premier League is all about rivalries, or if you prefer “derbies.” I suppose you could quibble why someone in America would use the term derby when rivalry would suffice just as well. The proper or preferred nomenclature isn’t that important, but it’s something to think about. Although the games themselves are played in England, increasingly the EPL (or BPL, technically) belongs to the world thanks to the joint powers of satellite television and gambling.

The weekend starts with a bang — Liverpool vs. Everton, the Merseyside derby — in the early Saturday a.m. game. Saturday closes with another geographical derby, this time in North London between Arsenal and Tottenham. We’re probably past the point of looking on in wonder in amusement over American fascination and fandom about soccer in Europe, or specifically England, even if some people will still click on a post that is clearly labeled about soccer and to complain that it is, indeed, about soccer.

On to the derbies, err, rivalry games, err, you get the point…

Game of the week #1 Liverpool vs. Everton (7:45 a.m., NBCSN)

Ah, the Merseyside Derby, which as always figures to be a 90-minute passion play at Anfield. If you’re a betting man, take the over on goals scored and red cards since historically these games are never dull. Statistically speaking, Everton matches average 4.8 goals per game in the new season, while Liverpool has kept but one clean sheet in its last 11 EPL games dating back to last season.

Both Liverpool-based clubs spent money this year. Liverpool brought in over half-dozen new faces (for almost $200 million), funded in part by the sale of Luis Suarez, while Everton spent a sizable chunk of cash ($61 million) to retain Romelu Lukaku ($45 million from Chelsea) and to a lesser extent, Gareth Barry on a full-time basis. Nether the red or blue side of the River Mersey rivalry has seen an immediate return on their investments, with Liverpool sitting in 11th and Everton in 14th place in the nascent table.

It’s far too early to compare Liverpool’s summer overhaul to Tottenham’s after selling Gareth Bale a year ago. Five league matches, one Champions League and one League Cup affair do not a season make. With Daniel Sturridge (most-likely out on Saturday) on the sidelines, however, Liverpool does look like a completely different side than last season with 3/4 new players in defense and the inclusion of Mario Balotelli to the lineup, saying nothing of Suarez’s departure. There are a lot of pieces of Brendan Rodgers to tinker with, but the Northern Irish manager has yet to find the right combo in any third of the field.

And yeah, speaking of betting, we can safely assume Balotelli will do something during the game on Saturday that will result in 97,400 people posting the same Vine to Twitter. The Italian striker should have chances given Everton has allowed a league-high 13 goals in five games.

Whatever Balotelli contributes, Liverpool have looked like an unsure team in September, losing league games to Aston Villa and West Ham, along with shaky victories over Ludogorets and Middlesborough in the Champions League and League Cup. Anything but a win here going into Wednesday’s game at FC Basel in the Champions League and the grumbling about Rodgers is going to grow louder.

Game of the week #1(a) Arsenal vs. Tottenham (12:30 p.m., NBCSN)

Arsenal, there’s no other way to put it, owns Tottenham at home. The Gunners no longer play games at Highbury, but the move to the Emirates in 2006 hasn’t made much of a difference. Arsenal has only lost once in its last 21 home league games vs. Tottenham in the North London Derby, which is as close to domination as it gets.

Of course since it’s Arsenal and Tottenham there will be a lot of upset stomachs and murmuring on both sides.

Arsenal comes into Saturday game off a loss to Southampton in the League Cup. This shouldn’t be too dispiriting to Gunners fans. Southampton’s current form is good enough for second place in the table. Arsenal’s trophy-less run is over, too, so Arsene Wenger not needing to juggle extra midweek fixtures with a mix of young players and important players is probably a good development long-term.

The Gunners still don’t have a defensive midfielder to help off-set the lack of speed in the center of defense, nor does Arsenal have very many healthy, capable wide defenders. Do Spurs have the players to trouble Arsenal in a transition game? Emmanuel Adebayor loves to stick it to his former club, but isn’t the most fleet of foot these days.

Worth noting, this is the first North London Derby for Mauricio Pochettino, who will be the 12th different full-time manager employed by Spurs during Wengers’s 18-year tenure.

Granted the sample size is small, but Spurs results have been all over the map in barely two months of action. One week they can destroy QPR 4-0 or come back vs. Nottingham Forest in the League Cup, but Tottenham remains just as likely to lose 1-0 at home to West Brom or get blown out by Liverpool. Yet in the table, Spurs are only two points worse off than Arsenal.

Perhaps that’s a good reminder nobody except for Chelsea has really got it going out the gates this year in England.

One other thing:

FIFA is taking steps to ban third-party ownership, a potentially big development if it’s actually enforced.

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