Merseyside | Everton fan Sarah looks ahead to Anfield trip

Sarah W looks ahead to Derby Day at Anfield.

Everton enter the Merseyside derby with renewed attacking threat and some cautious optimism.

Disclaimer | The views here are those of the fan, not those of Super Local Sports News

Evertonians turn their backs on YNWA in 2020

The dread and anxiety that haunts Evertonians during derby week is all too familiar and seems to linger season after season.

The short journey to Anfield is often undertaken with hope rather than expectation, under the weight of the seeming curse that still hangs over our old ground.

With the manager’s poor record at Anfield and the club’s own struggles there, it would be understandable to assume this weekend’s renewal of the rivalry might follow the familiar pattern.

"Yet this Everton feels markedly different from many of those that have gone before..."

Perhaps it is early-season optimism or simple enthusiasm, but there are signs of a side capable of carrying a genuine attacking threat, with flashes of ingenuity thrown in.

The arrivals of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, combined with the pace and unpredictability of Iliman Ndiaye, give reason to believe this attack can challenge almost any team in the league.

Grealish has been outstanding this season for Everton

For so long, fans have looked for moments of magic or individual brilliance at Anfield, only to fall short. Defeat often felt inevitable once behind. That sense of inevitability now feels absent.

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Saturday’s result will not define our season. Our opponents have spent £450m in a single transfer window, a reality that cannot be ignored.

Supporters are not getting carried away, and the hype train has yet to depart. Yet there is a renewed belief that the club is moving in the right direction.

Whether that belief will translate into success on the day remains to be seen, but when players and fans are aligned, extraordinary things can happen.