The race for the final Champions League place

Tagged with: David Moyes Rafa Benitez

The race for the fourth Champions League spot took another twist this weekend as Everton slumped to a defeat at Craven Cottage as Liverpool impressed in a home win against Reading.

Liverpool now have a three point cushion over their Merseyside neighbours with goal difference also being in their favour but there will be no complacency shown from Rafa Benitez, especially as they are entering a difficult period of matches and in the remaining eight matches they are still to play five away games in comparison to Everton’s three.

Everton have the undoubted, if not welcomed, advantage of no longer being burdened with European ties after their penalty shoot-out heartache against Fiorentina and in fact won’t face a single mid-week encounter in the remainder of season. This reduced and neatly balanced schedule stands in stark contrast to that of their Merseyside rivals and they will be hoping to maximise this advantage.

The Toffees are still to host West Ham, Derby County, Aston Villa and Newcastle at Goodison Park in the eight remaining matches where they should be targeting a minimum of 10 points. They do face their share of difficult matches against Chelsea (h) and Arsenal (a) but they have the good fortune that both of these games coincide within four days of potential Champions League Semi-Final ties. They have already taken a point against Chelsea this season and they will be hoping to at least replicate that on their own patch. They also travel to St Andrews to take on Birmingham City on April 12th.

The crucial game in this battle could well be at Anfield on March 30th when these two rivals collide. Liverpool have only lost three league games all season and it will be a tall order for Everton to come away with a result, but it is imperative they don’t lose. Should Everton lose this game, the blow to their bid to break into the top four will be difficult for them to overcome both in terms of points and psychologically.

Defensive discipline and determination are the attributes that have brought Everton this far however and they will need to demonstrate them once again in their biggest game of the season. Everton fans could be forgiven for casting a bitter eye back to the reverse fixture in October when Liverpool were extremely fortunate to snatch a highly dramatic 1-2 victory. Dirk Kuyt scored an injury time winner from the penalty spot that day as Mark Clattenburg (who also sent off two Everton players) turned down strong penalty claims from Everton when Jamie Carragher hauled down Joleon Lescott in the Liverpool penalty area. It is that result alone, and that decision alone, which now separates them.

Liverpool are the form team in the league at the moment with Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard having formed a thriving partnership but they will need to maintain these performances through a flurry of difficult games. They visit Old Trafford to face Manchester United next week and then host Everton in that crucial derby game. After facing two of their fiercest rivals they must face Arsenal three times in seven days, twice in Champions League encounters. The following matches against Blackburn (h), Fulham (a), Birmingham (a) and Manchester City (h), all teams with much to play for, may be tempered by progress in the Champions League as so often has been the case in previous seasons.

It is worth noting that in recent years no other ‘Big Four’ team have dropped nearly as many points as Liverpool in the games preceding and succeeding matches in this competition. They visit White Hart Line on the last day of the season and they are likely to need a result.

It is ostensibly becoming harder to attain the final Champions League spot in the Premier League. Four years ago Everton clinched this place with only 61 points and 68 points have been enough to secure fourth place in the previous two seasons. This time both Merseyside clubs can be confident of surpassing that tally.

The contest then is still finely balanced. Everton in some quarters may even find themselves being talked of as favourites when assessing the remaining fixtures, a remarkable achievement for David Moyes and his cheaply assembled squad. Moyes won’t forget 2005 however when Everton last finished in fourth place, Liverpool went on to win the Champions League and gave UEFA a major headache. Should history repeat itself, this time Everton’s efforts will have been in vain.

Remaining games:

LIVERPOOL EVERTON

Man United (a) West Ham (h)

Everton (h) Liverpool (a)

Arsenal (a) – Champions League

Arsenal (a) Derby (h)

Arsenal (h) – Champions League

Blackburn (h) Birmingham (a)

Fulham (a) Chelsea (h)

Champions League Semi Final Leg 1

Birmingham (a) Aston Villa (h)

Champions League Semi Final Leg 2