Vladimir Smicer: The key to winning a Merseyside derby
As Liverpool prepare for a 227th Merseyside derby meeting with Everton at Goodison Park, one former player has revealed the key ingredient the Reds require for victory on Monday night.
In eight derby appearances across his six seasons with the club, Vladimir Smicer experienced defeat just once.
And the Istanbul hero has a word of advice for the current crop ahead of the latest clash with the Toffees, insisting they must be ready for a physical battle if they are to claim another win over their old rivals.
“I have good memories [from playing in Merseyside derbies] and most of the games we won,” Smicer told Liverpoolfc.com.
“It was always a massive game, a tough game, especially when you play away from home. When you play at home you feel safe and you have the backing of your fans but at Goodison Park it’s a really tough place.
“You need to be ready for the physical side of these games and then if you can play football it’s good.
“That’s how we won the games because we were ready physically and we wanted to play more football, and the quality was always on our side.
“I’m confident we can have a good game. I like the way this team is playing and I can see a lot of talent.
“Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are a great asset to the club. Every team would miss Philippe Coutinho, I like him, but I’m very happy with what I’m seeing from this team.”
Recalling his favourite derby as a Liverpool player, one game at Goodison Park stands out in particular for Smicer - the day a certain Scotsman achieved legendary status among Kopites.
“I remember mainly the one back in 2001 when Gary McAllister scored the winner,” he added.
“We needed the win to keep up our chances of playing in the Champions League. We won 3-2 and that was a great game.
“It was just a mad game. Robbie Fowler had a chance to score when we were 2-1 up but he missed a penalty and Igor Biscan got a red card. They made it 2-2 when they got a penalty and we felt like we would lose our season, so when Gary scored it was just a massive relief.
“That was a very important game because after that we played in an FA Cup final and the UEFA Cup final in Dortmund.
“Then the last game of the season we beat Charlton Athletic 4-0 to qualify for the Champions League. We won three trophies, it was an unbelievable year.”
Despite Chelsea setting the pace in the Premier League so far, Smicer is certain Liverpool have the quality and staying power needed to make it an exciting title race.
He said: “Chelsea might be ahead of us but the season is long, we’ve got a good squad, a good manager and we are playing good football.
“I can’t see why we can’t continue to fight for the title.
“Of course, the top four and Champions League for next season is the main target for the club but my hope for 2017 is seeing Liverpool win the title.”
Smicer was speaking from the second leg of the LFC World roadshow in Kuala Lumpur. The Czech ace is alongside Robbie Fowler, Patrik Berger and Bruce Grobbelaar helping to bring Malaysian Reds closer to the club than ever before through a range of activities and interactive experiences.
The former Czech Republic international enthused: “It’s very nice. We have had a very nice welcome. We had a quick tour of the LFC World, the staff are doing a great job and it’s well prepared for the fans.
“For fans here it’s difficult for them to go to Anfield so there’s some great things here to bring the club closer to them.”