There seems to be an air of inevitability for Rafa Benitez as the Merseyside derby looms on Wednesday night.
Just two years ago, a desperately struggling Everton came into the derby in December already sleepwalking towards the relegation zone.
Everton came into that derby on 14 points – they go into Wednesday’s on 15 points.
The Blues went into the match in December 2019 with their manager, Marco Silva, under intense scrutiny from the fans.
Fast forward 24 months and Benitez – the sixth Everton manager in five years – is the latest to feel the wrath of the Evertonians.
In truth, he has probably felt it since he was appointed.
If the Spaniard hadn’t already burned his bridges with the Blues’ fanbase, a barren uninspiring run of form as Toffees boss is definitely doing so – the Everton jury remains well out on ex-Red Benitez.
The 5-2 thrashing two years ago proved to be Silva’s last in charge of Everton.
Such embarrassments, especially in this fixture, can render irreparable damage.
All signs point towards a Liverpool victory, but if history tells us anything in football, and especially this fixture, nothing is a guarantee.
Despite the doom and gloom within the fanbase at the moment, and the toxicity which seems to be prevalent with each passing season as Everton continue to underachieve, if the unpopular manager can mastermind a win, it could change the whole picture.
There are several Merseyside derbies in the archives that show the fixture can make or break a season for either team.
It can be the same for managers, too.
In 1994, with Everton rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, Joe Royle used the Merseyside derby to turn around the Toffees’ fortunes.
With Liverpool starting the season brightly and sitting in fourth, and Everton desperately struggling, a Reds win seemed to be a banker.
Royle inspired his side however to battle and get under the skin of Liverpool, as Duncan Ferguson and Paul Rideout scored in a famous derby victory at Goodison Park.
The win and performance was archetypical of Royle’s ‘Dogs of War’ Everton tenure.
It was the springboard for the Toffees to steer themselves well clear of the danger zone and win the FA Cup that season.
That night is a reminder that Wednesday isn’t a foregone conclusion.
And Ferguson, who is now a part of Benitez’s backroom staff, will know this.
If Benitez is to ever start connecting with Evertonians, it has to start on Wednesday night.
The ex-Liverpool manager must try and recreate the same spirit Royle did and get his team to be aggressive and make life uncomfortable for Liverpool.
Recent Everton performances have been utterly abject and desiccated of any quality, as well as showing defensive frailties.
For Liverpool, the picture couldn’t be more contrasting, and Klopp’s team have proven time and time again they can blow opposition teams away.
Liverpool have already demolished rivals Manchester United on their own patch this season – it is imperative Everton don’t fall to the same fate.
It is indispensable Benitez sets his team up to be hard to penetrate through and put Liverpool under pressure by being direct.
This Premier League season is still only 13 games young, but to be brutally honest, a heavy defeat will almost certainly be the final straw already for the majority of Evertonians with Benitez.
Those scenes in the Everton away end at Brentford on Sunday illustrated the disconnect between the fans and the club at the moment.
Victory against Liverpool means more than any other for Evertonians, and the Spaniard can go a long way to fixing his flawed relationship with the fans.
It is now make or break already for Benitez and Everton.
