A recently unveiled statue of Liverpool’s Mo Salah has caused something of stir on account that it holds more of a resemblance to 70’s pop supremo Leo Sayer. The sculpture by Mai Abdallah , was unveiled this week in Egypt has been mocked online by thousands of twitter and facebook users who pointed out that its part of a long line of terrible sculpted tributes to footballing heroes (think back to the much derided bust tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo). While it captures Salah’s trademark Arms Outstretched pose, it would be rather generous to say that it actually looks much like the Liverpool star!

After a game against Juventus that made one of European footballs most aristocratic clubs look decisively second-rate, Manchester United need a pick-me-up. The draw against Chelsea was a confidence builder until Ross Barkley scored with the last kick to seal a point for both sides. Can United get back to winning ways at home against an Everton side who are beginning to look pretty decent?

Everton are slowly but surely picking up form, with a late win against Crystal Palace extending their decent run further. If they get a result here, though, it’d be a defining moment for Marco Silva. Can they?

Manchester United News

With only one loss in their last six things are improving slowly for United. However, they have scored a meagre 15 goals so far while they have conceded an alarming 13. Sitting down in 10^th place, their top scorer, Lukaku, with 4, has not scored for a while now.

Their only truly decent performer so far this season has been Luke Shaw, with Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba impressing in small spurts. United boast a decent record at Everton, though, and will be hoping that some of their more imperious performers can pick it up here.

Everton News

The Toffees are beginning to hit a decent run of form, with Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson beginning to produce better performances with regularity. With three wins on the spin now, they are beginning to look a bit more of a threat going forward.

If they can keep that up whilst cutting down on their concession rate at the back – 12 in 9 – they should have belief coming into this.

Verdict

We can see this being a score draw. Everton are feeling confident, whilst United can play well in small bursts: we cannot call a clear winner, but can see Everton posing them a threat similar to the threat Wolverhampton Wanderers did not too long ago. United, though, are becoming a touch more resilient and that could stop Everton getting all three points.

When the season started, Tottenham knew they would have to do a lot to equal or better their previous season in which they finished second with 86 points. This season they finished third with 7 fewer points. Harry Kane
fired 30 goals to send Tottenham into their third consecutive top four finish, ensuring that they will play in the Champions league come next year. Mauricio Pochettino’s men will be unhappy to have surrendered an impressive lead against Juventus in the Champions league last 16, although their ability to turn around
a late season dip in form and secure a top four position with a game in hand was a remarkable achievement. The team also reached the semi-finals of the FA cup and the fourth round of the Carabao cup.

Tottenham’s top players were consistent again this season, with Harry Kane, Delle Alli, Heung Min-Son and Christian Eriksen all playing vital roles in the team. Defensively, the team came only third best in the
division, although Danny Rose and Toby Alderweirld were absent for long stretches. Eriksen had an outstanding season in the midfield and will hope to continue the same come 2018-2019.

Some of the memorable performances for the team include their 3-1 win against Real Madrid during their game in the Champion’s league, which showed that they can compete with the elite in Europe. Their loss to
Manchester United in the semifinal of the FA Cup, on the other hand, was arguably the worst day of their campaign.

Tottenham will be impressed by their achievements this season though, especially given the fact that they’ve playing away from White Hart Lane. They might have dropped down one position, but given the circumstances, it was still a remarkable achievement for them. Next season should be better for them as they’ll be playing at their new stadium. That said, Tottenham will still need to invest more in the squad to mount a title challenge next season.

As far as title deciders go, the game at Anfield might just come too early to be quite so decisive. For Liverpool, though, it’s an opportunity to get ahead of Manchester City and set the early pace for the season. City done a similar thing last year to Manchester United, defeating them at Old Trafford to put paid to any plans of a title challenge in Manchester.

Can Liverpool recover from a challenging week to take City to the cleaners? Or will City finally make amends to their shocking record at Anfield?

Liverpool News

With the Reds due to go and play Napoli in Naples, there is a good chance that they’ll come back slightly more tired than City. With a day less to prepare and a more challenging foe on paper in midweek, this match will be a test of their title credentials as much as anything else. For that reason, there’s ample optimism around the ground that Liverpool will rise to the occasion – especially with a squad that is getting ever-closer to full fitness.

Expect Daniel Sturridge to miss out in favour of the effervescent front three Liverpool deploy in big games.

Manchester City News

For City, a late win against Hoffenheim will put them in a great mood for this most daunting of trips. With Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero on 9 goals between them, and with Aguero in particular adept at scoring against Liverpool, the Citizens arrive as confident as they could be.

After the shellacking they received at Anfield in January and in the Champions League, though, there is likely to be at least some doubt in the players. For City, the main challenge isn’t so much the line-up, but getting over their long-term recipe for disaster when coming to Merseyside.

Verdict

We can see a home win coming here; both side are among the best in the country, if not the world, but Liverpool are exceptional at home. So long as they can avoid periods of extensive pressure, and keep the ball better than they did at times against Chelsea, there is no reason why Liverpool cannot get a season-defining win.