Jason McAteer: Everton should get David Moyes in before the Merseyside derby

Marco Silva probably has one game to save his job – and that could spell trouble for Liverpool.

If Everton lose at Leicester on Saturday I’m sure their board will think that enough is enough and send Silva packing.

That would mean a new face in charge for Wednesday’s Merseyside derby and an almost certain lifting of spirits at Goodison Park.

Will it be David Moyes? It looks like he is the man waiting in the wings and I can understand why. You could argue that the former Everton boss has been out of the game for a while but he’s very well respected at Goodison Park given his achievements there in the past.

He knows the values of the club and he’s a close friend of chairman Bill Kenwright, so he knows he will have his backing.

And if that’s the case then Farhad Moshiri would have to free up some cash for Moyes to spend in the January window.

I don’t think Everton are as bad as their league position suggests and a fresh face coming with new ideas, a difference in formation and a change of playing personnel could be all it takes to get them going in the right direction.

Moyes arriving would certainly give the club a massive lift going to Anfield.

His record in the derbies wasn’t the best but Everton always put in a performance under him. He’ll have them organised and hard to beat.

Silva’s days are numbered at Goodison which is not a great surprise to me. My surprise was that he was appointed in the first place, an appointment that I would suggest was the work of owner Farhad Moshiri rather than Kenwright.

I’m sure there has been meeting after meeting between those two over Silva’s fate, which many of us felt was sealed after Saturday’s desperate effort at home to Norwich. But there was no word on Sunday or Monday or Tuesday and I’m guessing Moshiri is winning the argument.

That said, if Everton lose at Leicester they have to pull the trigger.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be gone by Christmas

Marco Silva, Unai Emery and Manuel Pellegrini are all managing on a knife-edge at the moment and there’s another boss who I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see gone by Christmas – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Mauricio Pochettino is now available after being axed by Spurs and I don’t see the United board hesitating for fear of losing out.

We know they wanted him in the summer but obviously weren’t prepared to pay the money Daniel Levy wanted.

But now he’s available and there’s nothing to hold them back.
It isn’t as though there are real signs of progress under Solskjaer.
He would argue, and so would those around him, that he’s deliberately playing the Old Trafford kids and that there needs to be a degree of patience as they mature.

I get that. But this is Manchester United for heaven’s sake, one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Fans and backers of United crave success and they aren’t going to get it with this approach.

Unfortunately for Solskjaer he has been overshadowed by what Frank Lampard is masterminding at Chelsea.

Frank has taken a huge punt on the kids and it’s working out with Chelsea looking a really good side now despite not being able to buy any players.

But Frank has been clever. Yes, he’s thrown in a number of youngsters but they are being mentored by the likes of N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta and Olivier Giroud, all massively experienced, world-class operators.

Liverpool have been brilliant in bringing in the odd young star but introducing them into a side packed with experience. Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold who came in, went out again and has gone on to make the right-back slot his own.

And United under Sir Alex did the same but knowing that the kids he tried to introduce were playing alongside the Nevilles, Roy Keane, Cole, Yorke and Beckham. Solskjaer is chucking five or six kids in at a time and that cannot work.

Liverpool need to shape up at the back

Liverpool have been riding their luck and it’s a concern because sooner or later they will get caught out.

An eight-point cushion is an incredible bonus at this stage but Jurgen Klopp would be the first to admit they have dodged bullets against Chelsea, Sheffield United, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.

I don’t think Liverpool have quite been found out but teams can see that there is the potential is to exploit them and that’s a testament to the way other managers have done their homework.

And if you look at three of those sides – Chelsea, the Blades and Villa – you have teams managed by English coaches in Frank Lampard, Chris Wilder and Dean Smith, who have all done their preparation and done it well. They’ve looked at where Liverpool might have a perceived weakness and been brave enough to try to expose that.

And we know where the weakness is. We saw it against Napoli when Virgil van Dijk went to win a header, got a knock, was left stranded up the pitch and Napoli exploited the space behind with Dries Mertens scoring.

As good as Liverpool’s full-backs are they can be exposed and if you are a manager who is prepared to be brave, to break the lines and attack the channels, you can trouble a team as good as Liverpool.
Graham Potter is another innovative manager so if his Brighton side are well-organised and brave, they could make it a nervy afternoon at Anfield.

Liverpool can’t seem to string a run of clean sheets together and the rest of the Premier League will be acutely aware of that.

Reds can cope with Fabinho blow

Fabinho has become the first name on the Liverpool team sheet but Liverpool have the tools to deal without their midfield rock.

The Brazilian has turned the unfashionable anchor role into an art form, protecting the defence, breaking up play, dictating the tempo and he’s absolutely crucial to how Liverpool play enabling those ahead of him to play with so much freedom.

Seeing him limp off against Napoli was a real blow then especially as we head into this really hectic month.

But if he is out for a period then Jordan Henderson can slot in there and so too can James Milner, so I don’t see Liverpool being weakened appreciably.

You need players who are experienced, disciplined and can read the game and I’d trust Henderson or Milner to do that.

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