Liverpool Echo

Liverpool have unhappy memories of a particular Premier League referee, whom they will meet again in their clash with Tottenham this weekend.

John Brooks has been appointed to referee Liverpool's Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday. Liverpool have unhappy memories of Brooks, who sent off Virgil van Dijk during their match against Newcastle United at St James’ Park in August 2023.

Van Dijk was dismissed for denying his now teammate, Alexander Isak, a goalscoring opportunity. The Liverpool skipper received an automatic one‑match ban before being handed an additional suspension and a £100,000 fine by the Football Association after refusing to leave the pitch and remonstrating with Brooks and fourth official Craig Pawson.

The Reds went on to win 2-1 despite playing with ten men for more than an hour, with Darwin Nunez coming off the bench to score twice. In February, Brooks was previously dropped from VAR duties for Liverpool's derby with Everton and Arsenal's clash with Manchester City, following his controversial decision to rule out Brighton's goal in their 1‑1 draw with Crystal Palace.

Brooks has since refereed four Liverpool matches, most recently the 2-1 Premier League win over Chelsea in October.

For the match against Tottenham, Anthony Taylor will act as the fourth official, with Stuart Attwell on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty.

Last month, Attwell was criticised for a major decision in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

Amadou Onana avoided a red card after he appeared to grab Alexis Mac Allister by the throat as Villa prepared to take a corner.

"The fact they were pushing and shoving each other and all right, he's raised his arm, probably a bit higher than he wanted, but he's pushing," said former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports' Ref Watch programme.

"Stuart's [Attwell] got to decide, is it violent? Is it an act of brutality?

"He said: 'No,' he's obviously relayed to the VAR what he's seen, VAR has checked it back. The referee said, yellow card only."

On another occasion, during the League Cup semi-final first leg at Tottenham in January 2022, Attwell angered the Liverpool camp by failing to dismiss Lucas Bergvall, moments before that player scored the winner.

The 18-year-old was booked midway through the second half for a late challenge on Luis Diaz.

He then escaped a second yellow card moments before scoring after lunging in on Kostas Tsimikas.

Ahead of Saturday, it is another must‑win game for Liverpool in north London, with Slot's side aiming to secure back‑to‑back victories after recent draws against Sunderland and Leeds United.

Liverpool are set to be without a number of players when they take on Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday

Liverpool could be left without as many as seven senior players when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Arne Slot bemoaned only having 13 available outfield players ahead of the Reds’ clash with Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.

And while a Hugo Ekitike brace was enough to see Slot's side run out 2-0 winners, the victory came at a price as the Dutchman also saw his options depleted further.

Joe Gomez was forced off midway through the first half with a hamstring injury, while Dominik Szoboszlai limped off late on after injuring his ankle. And while Mohamed Salah came on to replace the former, Liverpool will now be without the Egyptian, too, after he departed for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Slot was only able to name an eight-man bench rather than the maximum permitted nine against the Seagulls. And even then, his reserve options included two players who are yet to feature in the Premier League in Wellity Lucky and Calvin Ramsay.

Liverpool will at least be able to welcome Conor Bradley back for the trip to North London in the Reds’ final outing before Christmas after he missed the win over Brighton through suspension.

But Slot will likely have to turn the club’s academy again to fill his matchday squad due to his side’s ongoing injury woes.

He has already confirmed that he expects Gomez to miss the trip to Tottenham, while Szoboszlai is also a doubt.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Jeremie Frimpong will be available as he closes in on a return, having been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the end of October.

"If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe (Gomez), that's normally not a positive thing,” Slot told the club after beating Brighton. "I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham Hotspur]. But sometimes you get a positive surprise.

"People now maybe understand a bit better why I was always so cautious not to play him so many games. I assume many people thought, 'If you have a defender, if you have a right full-back, why don't you play him?'

"And Dom (Szoboszlai), it was his ankle. It didn't look great when I just saw him. But he has unbelievable mentality so let's hope for the best.

"The good thing is that Conor Bradley comes back from a suspension and normally Jeremie Frimpong will train with us also.

"But we're also going to miss Mo (Salah) because he is going to go to the Africa Cup of Nations."

Liverpool are already without Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo after Slot confirmed last week they are both set to be sidelined for a number of weeks with muscle and ankle injuries respectively.

Elsewhere, Giovanni Leoni remains a long-term absentee after being ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery on an ACL injury suffered during his debut for the club back in September.

Meanwhile, it is unclear why Trey Nyoni was not included in the matchday squad to face Brighton, while the likes of youngsters Stefan Bajcetic, Jayden Danns (both hamstring) and Kaide Gordon (meniscus) are also still sidelined because of injury.

Szoboszlai, Gomez, Gakpo - Liverpool injury latest and return dates ahead of Tottenham

Liverpool injury news and return dates including updates on Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez following Saturday's 2-0 win over Brighton at Anfield

Anfield was overcome with joy on Saturday afternoon as Liverpool recorded their first home victory in over a month against Brighton. However, in doing so the Reds saw two more players added to their injury list in the process.

First, it was Joe Gomez who was forced off only 26 minutes into the action. The defender - after assisting Hugo Ekitike's 46-second opener - was struck down with a muscle injury and replaced by Mohamed Salah.

"If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe, that's normally not a positive thing," Arne Slot stated after the full-time whistle. "I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham Hotspur]. But sometimes you get a positive surprise.

"The good thing is that Conor Bradley comes back from a suspension [next week] and normally Jeremie Frimpong will train with us also."

The Dutchman has not featured since October's Champions League meeting with Frankfurt due to a hamstring injury, but looks set to ease Slot's right-back problem ahead of Liverpool's trip to Spurs on Saturday, December 20.

On Dominik Szoboszlai, who carried on with an injury suffered in before 70 minutes against the Seagulls until he was substituted in the 83rd minute, Slot added: "It was his ankle. It didn't look great when I just saw him. But he has unbelievable mentality so let's hope for the best."

Liverpool came to host Brighton already in the knowledge they would be without Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo at their disposal.

Gakpo last featured in the 3-3 draw with Leeds United at eight days ago, playing 83 minutes. He was replaced by Endo for the final stint of the match at Elland Road.

The former had suffered a muscle issue and it eventually proved costly for the latter too, who came away with a knee problem. Slot confirmed ahead of Brighton that both will be unavailable for a number of weeks, thus ruling them out until after Christmas.

The Reds host last-placed Wolves on Saturday, December 27, before welcoming Leeds to Anfield on New Year's Day.

Meanwhile, central defender Giovanni Leoni is out with a long-term knee issue and will likely miss the remainder of the season. This was suffered on his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup back in September.

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Former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz has urged Liverpool to target Micky van de Ven as a long-term replacement for captain Virgil van Dijk

Khalid Boulahrouz believes Liverpool should look to sign Micky van de Ven, labelling the Dutchman as the ‘ideal successor’ to Reds captain Virgil van Dijk. The 24-year-old joined Tottenham Hotspur in a move worth up to £43m from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023.

However, he had also repeatedly been linked with a move to Anfield at the time, having previously been signed by then-Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke for the Bundesliga outfit in the first place.

The centre-back has impressed for Spurs this season under Thomas Frank, bouncing back strongly after an injury-plagued campaign last term. Scoring six goals from 16 appearances, the Dutchman has also helped his side keep seven clean sheets so far this season.

And with Van Dijk not getting any younger, former Chelsea defender Boulahrouz insists that Van de Ven would be the perfect long-term replacement for the 34-year-old for both club and country.

“I think he's the ideal successor to Virgil van Dijk, both in the Dutch national team and at Liverpool,” the former Netherlands international told ESPN NL. "And Liverpool aren't crazy: if you're looking for a world-class left centre-back and you have the money, you'll quickly end up with Van de Ven.

"The same goes for the Dutch national team. I think Koeman has long since realized that Van Dijk's successor is already out there.

"He's (Van de Ven) really outperforming them. He's physically strong and incredibly quick. Opponents know that, so they don't even try to get past him anymore.

“He could still do better on the ball; he makes the occasional blunder. But overall, I think he's fantastic.”

Van Dijk signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool back in April before captaining the Reds to the Premier League title, but has come in for criticism this season as Arne Slot’s side continue to struggle.

Boulahrouz has defended his compatriot though, insisting he is still world class. But he concedes that after so many years at the highest level with Liverpool, Van Dijk might be nearing a time when he starts to slow down.

"Virgil is still undisputed in the Dutch national team,” he said. “Even though Liverpool haven't been performing quite as well lately. Diogo Jota's passing has had a huge impact on the squad.

“In addition, many new players have joined. That has an impact, and you can see that with Van Dijk. But despite that, he remains a world-class player.

“The question, of course, is what Virgil will do after the World Cup. Playing in the Premier League for years has taken its toll. You might long for a bit of a break.”

David Moyes will be angry over Spurs goals - Jordan Pickford must learn from Everton legend

EXCLUSIVE: Former Everton striker Tony Cottee believes Jordan Pickford should have been more proactive dealing with corner-kicks taken by Tottenham Hotspur

Tony Cottee believes that David Moyes is building a team around Jordan Pickford, but he reckons the England number one should have taken a leaf out of Everton legend Neville Southall’s book when it came to dealing with the corners that resulted in the first two goals for Tottenham Hotspur in their 3-0 win at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Going into their fixture against Thomas Frank’s side, Moyes’ men were the only team left in the Premier League this season not to have conceded from a set-piece. However, lightning struck twice in the same place as Spurs captain bagged a brace of headers from corner-kicks to ensure the Blues suffered their first defeat in a competitive match at their new 52,769 capacity home on the Mersey waterfront.

Cottee told the ECHO: “I think David Moyes will be really angry with the fact that they conceded the two goals from the corners. I know it’s a bit harsh but I’m a bit old school and I always feel like it’s a goalkeeper’s ball when it’s in the six-yard box.

“I know what Neville Southall would have done. He’d have smashed everyone out of the way and punched the ball as far as possible.

“There was a lot of jostling going on in the box and they were just really poor goals to concede, which is unlike Everton when you’ve got those good centre-halves James Tarkowski and Michael Keane while Jake O’Brien is also a big lad. I’m pretty certain David Moyes and his Everton players will pride themselves on good defending, so that will have annoyed them but if you go a couple of goals down to a good Spurs team, it’s always going to be difficult.”

Cottee, speaking in association with best mobile casino UK, believes the problem is part of a larger football-wide issue though. He said: “I don’t think it’s just Jordan, I’m not picking on him, it’s modern day goalkeepers. I feel that sometimes now, not just goalkeepers but outfield players too, they’re almost more focused on trying to get a foul than dealing with the situation and doing their job.

“From a forward’s point of view, get a nick to the ball, let the defender take you out, then you get your penalty. Don’t always go looking for the penalty.

“If you reverse it, when I played my job was to stand on the goalkeeper for corners. I’m never going to head the ball in, I’m 5ft 7in, but stamp on the goalkeeper, make it awkward, give them a nudge and try and make it difficult to get round you.

“I know goalkeepers are well protected now but it feels to me that they’re almost waiting for the referee to blow the whistle, rather than coming out and smashing everyone out of the way.”

The 60-year-old reckons Pickford, who has broken Gordon Banks’ record for consecutive England clean sheets and Peter Shilton’s record for the most clean sheets in major tournaments, is still undervalued by many across the country though, and believed that manager David Moyes will be considering him to be a key figure now that the goalkeeper has penned a new four-year deal. Cottee said: “I don’t want to be too critical because Jordan has been a fantastic servant for Everton and England as well. Maybe it sounds like nit-picking but when you’re a goalkeeper and six-foot odd, be strong, push everyone out of the way and take them with you – that’s what Neville would have done.

“Jordan probably still doesn’t get the credit he deserves nationally. Of course, goalkeepers are going to make mistakes but because of their position, when something happens it gets blown up even more.

“As a striker, you can miss a chance and people probably don’t say anything, but as a goalkeeper, if you make a mistake, it’s all: ‘He was useless,’ and blah, blah, blah. I think it’s easy to pick on Jordan but in general his game has really improved in recent years and he seems like a really vocal character and the kind of dressing room leader that you want.

“He thoroughly deserves his new contract and going forward, he’s the type of player that you want to build your team around. I know David Moyes will be doing that.”

Thousands of fans saw a helicopter taking off next to Hill Dickinson Stadium before Everton's game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday

Details behind the helicopter spotted by Everton fans attending their home game against Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday have now emerged.

The Blues’ move from Goodison Park, the first purpose-built football ground in England, venue for the most top flight matches and host of two FA Cup finals and five World Cup games, including a semi-final, after 133 years in Walton came this summer as they relocated to the Mersey waterfront. Financial experts have calculated that the move will bring in approximately £60million a year in additional revenue for the club who, if they keep filling the 52,769 capacity arena, will be able to play in front of the biggest regular crowds in their history.

Although Goodison attracted no fewer than 16 attendances of 70,000 plus between 1948-62 for Everton games, the Blues have only ever enjoyed an average home game north of 50,000 over a season (51,603 for the 1962/63 title-winning season). But even though Everton suffered their first home defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday as Spurs triumphed 3-0, there are other things taking off down by the river – literally – like the chopper that was seen by thousands of those attending the game, including this correspondent, when it whirled into the Liverpool skies at 1:52pm on Sunday, just over two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.

The helicopter took off from Nelson Dock, which is southerly adjacent to the Bramley-Moore Dock site of Hill Dickinson Stadium, and although it’s understood that there is no purpose-built heliport on the land, it is leased by the club and used as a matchday car park. Senior Everton insiders have told the ECHO that it was members of the owner’s family, specifically his wife and daughter.

OPINION

Debra Lynn Friedkin has supported her husband Dan on a number of conservation, ecological and archaeological initiatives over the years and the couple have four children, including son Ryan, who attended Everton’s inaugural first team game in front of fans at Hill Dickinson Stadium against Roma, who are also owned by The Friedkin Group, and who joined his father to play golf at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland earlier this month.

As previously reported by the ECHO, although Friedkin senior, who is Everton chairman, was in the UK the day before their home game with Crystal Palace, he has still not attended a game at Hill Dickinson Stadium, although there are representatives of TFG at all matches. After the billionaire, described as an avid golfer made what has become an annual pilgrimage for him in recent years to St Andrew’s, he then flew to Rome for the 32nd General Assembly of the European Club Association between October 7-9.

Friedkin, currently placed at number 307 with an estimated fortune of $11billion (approximately £8.26billion) by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s wealthiest people, has been a member of the ECA’s Executive Committee since 2021. While in the Eternal City, the 60-year-old visited Roma’s Centro Sportivo Fulvio Bernardini training complex and was photographed shaking hands with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and player Stephan El Shaarawy.

Michael Ball tackles the big issues at Hill Dickinson Stadium following Everton's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Walking away from Hill Dickinson Stadium, I felt that Everton hadn’t played that badly and while we didn’t deserve to lose 3-0, that’s the truth of the Premier League. Speaking to Evertonians on the way home there was a lot of chat about how we’re having a good season, are playing well and you’ve got to remember where we’ve come from, but I don’t like that talk. I understand that you’ve got to be realistic, but you’ve got to remember who we are. We’re Everton Football Club, we’re expecting to win games at home and it’s disappointing that we’ve suffered a first loss at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Look at teams like Bournemouth, look at Sunderland – who we’re playing next – where were they last year? We don’t want to be sucked into a cesspit and I don’t think we will because the way we’re playing football is a breath of fresh air, but it’s now up to David Moyes to try and find an answer, you need to find another way to try and win games. We’re level with Leeds and they’re probably thinking they’re having a poor season. Look at the teams who are now above us, Aston Villa had a slow start, but they’ve picked up a lot of points in the last few games and so have Manchester United. I don’t think we’re in trouble but as the last game of the weekend you think ‘we need a win here’ just to keep the momentum going up. To be fair to the players, I thought we came out really strong.

We started well and were putting them under a lot of pressure, but we didn’t have the answers. Beto had an opportunity to throw his body in while Jack Grealish had a shot blocked. I thought we were looking the better team with our all-round game and were playing really well. Then, at a crucial moment, we just switched off. I think Jordan Pickford really struggles in those situations, as, while he’s a shot stopper, he hasn’t got the biggest presence. Yes, everyone needs to do their job but as we’ve seen this season, a lot has been highlighted on set-pieces and throw-ins. Teams are realising that if you get it in the box, you cause problems. We’ve been great at defending set pieces all season, but Spurs had done their homework and knew that Jordan wouldn’t command his box. It looked like we’d equalise and from that point we might have gone on and won the game but unfortunately, we’d impeded the goalkeeper. Like Liverpool do and like Arsenal do, when the corner comes in, they all get out rather than leaving players on the front and back post so Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye were caught in offside positions. There’s a question over whether the keeper would have saved it anyway – I don’t think he would have – but that also went against us. We were then naive because we got caught again and once more it was up to Jordan to come out and command it as he can use his arms. This ensured that Spurs had something to hold on to in the second half as while we had the play, tried to get back into it and huffed and puffed, we didn’t really find the answers. I’ve got to credit the players and the fans because until around the 87th minute, the ground remained full. There was a feeling that if we scored, we could still get something out of the game. At the end though as we were chasing it, Spurs broke and Richarlison got a fantastic assist.

Playing to your strengths doesn't mean we're predictable

There’s been talk that our attacking play has become predictable because the ball is going out wide to Ndiaye and Grealish, but that’s what I want. I don’t want hit and hope towards Beto, I don’t want it back with Michael Keane or James Tarkowski for too long, or Pickford. Some people might be crying out for changes and if the starters aren’t creating then they need to come off, no matter who they are, whether it’s Grealish or Ndiaye but I remember that Sven-Goran Eriksson was a master of that as often someone like Martin Petrov on the wing might be very poor all game and wouldn’t be involved but the manager trusted him to find that half a yard when the opposition tired, to create an opportunity. We’ve spent a lot of money on Tyler Dibling but he probably needs to be doing more in training to get in the manager’s eye. It’s sink or swim in the Premier League and when you get your opportunity you’ve got to take it.

Sunderland loving life but Blues must show their quality

It’s not often that you see a newly promoted team start as well as Sunderland have done. I remember Blackpool coming up and starting really brightly. You’re thinking, how have they gone from the Championship to fourth in the Premier League? They’re loving life right now and they’re all about strength, speed and mentality, having earned those stripes in the second tier which is a very difficult division to get yourself out of. They’ve come up to the Premier League and they’re just having a go. They might not have the most ability, but they’ve got plenty of spirit and are getting the rewards of playing to their strengths. It’s going to be a big moment for Pickford going back to Sunderland, but he needs to stand up and be counted. It’s time for us to show them our quality and why we haven’t been relegated for so many years, we need to be fast and sharp. They got a fantastic win against a quality Chelsea side and will be full of confidence, but we’ve got to go there and try and cause them problems.

A look at some of the moments beyond the headlines from Everton's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Everton fell to a frustrating defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, their first loss at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Under the lights and in the prime time Sky Sports Sunday night slot, this felt like an opportunity to showcase the club’s progress to the world. Instead, the Blues are now nursing their wounds after Thomas Frank’s set piece prowess proved the difference between the sides.

For all the disappointment with the result, Everton again created chances and had they taken them - or had any of a number of close calls gone their way - it could have been a very different night on the banks of the Mersey. It was not to be, however. Here are some moments from behind-the-scenes of a tough result for David Moyes and his team.

Richarlison retains status as fan favourite

Richarlison once again caused Everton problems as he returned to his old club but there was, as usual, no sense of animosity from a favourite of the home faithful His introduction in the second half was met with applause from the Everton fanbase and he shared a friendly moment with Jordan Pickford after the goalkeeper kept out his effort when he capitalised on confusion between James Tarkowski and Vitalii Mykolenko.

He finished the match with an assist for Pape Matar Sarr’s late third goal but made sure he had time for both sets of supporters at the end. After giving his shirt away he walked the perimeter of the pitch and stopped to sign autographs and chat with Blues.

Jack Grealish putting in the dirty work

Much is rightly made of what Jack Grealish can do in attack but last night was another match in which his desire to do the hard work was clear. In the opening minutes, Vitalii Mykolenko found himself chasing balls over the top as Everton sought an early breakthrough.

Grealish immediately covered as left back to give the Ukraine international licence to roam. Later in the half it was his recovery challenge on Brennan Johnson that saved Everton when the forward breezed past Mykolenko and into the box. Unfortunately, Spurs’ second came from the flurry of corners that followed.

Beto backed by staff after frustrating evening

Beto was unable to find the back of the net on another frustrating night for the Everton striker. The forward has won the backing of Moyes in recent games but missed a good opportunity in the opening minutes, when he failed to connect with Ndiaye’s inviting cross. His disappointment was evident later in the half when he chased down a long ball and looked to chop inside Kevin Danso only to stand on the defender’s foot and fall over in the process. He fought back after losing possession but bundled over an opposition player in his efforts.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Beto when Guglielmo Vicario somehow clawed away his acrobatic effort in the second half. When he left the pitch, every one of the coaching staff sat across the first two rows of the Everton seats have him a fist bump or hi-five, suggesting he still retains the backing of a dressing room that is desperate for him to find the breakthrough it is hoped will kickstart his season.

Lee Dixon makes his comeback after controversial comments

Lee Dixon was not the most popular figure on the Blue half of Merseyside over the most recent international break as he questioned why Pickford had not left Everton. The former Arsenal defender queried why the England number one had not joined ‘a bigger club’ as he kept another clean sheet in the demolition of Latvia.

The comment sparked outrage among supporters and Everton posted a response on X highlighting the club’s illustrious past. Dixon was on international commentary duty on Sunday night as he made his first return to Everton since the furore.

Familiar faces in the building

A few other familiar faces were also in the building on Sunday evening. Jarrad Branthwaite, after his hamstring surgery went well in midweek, was spotted in attendance on crutches. The centre back would have been a strong contender for a return to the starting XI in this match, had he not suffered his latest setback.

Former owner Farhad Moshiri was once again present, too, as he continued to maintain an appearance record that far outshines his visits to Goodison Park over the final years of his reign. As Everton struggled for goals one of their former youth players, Nathan Broadhead looked on fresh from returning from Wrexham’s draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday. Broadhead had scored against Oxford United in midweek to give his side a much-needed three points.

Merlin Rohl spoke about finding his feet in the Premier League after Everton's 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Everton’s latest signing Merlin Rohl admits that he and his Blues team-mates are going to have to conjure up some goals between them to combat the shortcomings of their striker’s scoring woes.

Tottenham Hotspur inflicted a first-ever defeat for Everton in a competitive match at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday as the 3-0 scoreline ensured David Moyes’ men failed to register for the second straight game while frontmen Beto and Thierno Barry, who cost approximately £55million between them, have netted just once in the Premier League all season. Rohl, who joined the Blues on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan deal from Freiburg with an obligation to buy next summer, came off the bench against Spurs for what was his third substitute appearance.

When it came to improving Everton’s goal output, the 23-year-old believes that everyone needs to chip in. Rohl said: “We all need to work on getting goals and creating more chances. Every player needs to focus on themselves.

“I have to look at my actions as I want to improve for the next game. That’s what everybody needs to do and then we come together as a team for the next game and try to do better.

OPINION

“I think I can bring a lot to the team. The focus doesn’t need to be on one position or certain players.

“I think I can fit in different roles and bring different attributes into our team. I like to go forwards with the ball at my feet, I like to go deep, I like to work behind to get the ball to the attacker, so there are a lot of positions and we shouldn’t focus on certain players, thinking: ‘that’s my position and where I want to play.’”

As £100million signing Florian Wirtz has found with neighbours Liverpool, the jump from the German to English top flight can be a big one but the Potsdam-born midfielder is enjoying his early days on Merseyside. Rohl said: “Of course there is a big difference in the playing style between the Bundesliga and Premier League. You can see here that it is more of a fast-paced style and both teams will go in both directions much faster.

“I think for me personally it fits really well. I think I find lots of room for situations where I can show my speed and I’m working to fulfil my potential on the pitch.

“I need to stay calm and train well, trying to improve and we’ll see from game to game.

“I’m pretty happy here to be honest. I really like the league, I like the club, I like the manager and my team-mates.

“I’m full of enjoyment, even after a bad game because I think it’s a great opportunity for me to showcase my abilities because I think the league is a really good fit for me and my physical attributes. I’m trying to show this on the pitch, even though it could take some time.”

Even though the Spurs game was a bad day at the office for Everton, Rohl believes the support of his colleagues and the fans can help drive him on. He said: “The whole team is frustrated and me personally. We expected more in terms of the result, with our build-up and our playing style.

“We had good control over some parts of the game but of course, in the important situations we didn’t make the right moves and conceded goals after set-pieces. We need to get better on this.

“I feel really good. The whole group and the staff welcomed me very nicely, especially the manager.

“He’s working with me very closely. He gave me some minutes on the pitch and then I was out with the injury.

“It’s not normal that you come back and get some minutes so quickly so I’m happy about that and trying to be better in training and in the games.

“The fans were fantastic today. They pushed us in the second half and it’s sad that we didn’t make a goal out of it.

“I really like this about English football how the fans are always cheering us on. It really motivates me to play better.”

An overview of the coverage from the national media of Everton's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur’s set piece prowess dominated the match reports of the national newspapers following Everton’s defeat to Thomas Frank’s side.

Reporters debated the merits of the decision by referee Craig Pawson to disallow Jake O’Brien’s goal from a corner but had little doubt over the value in Spurs’ effectiveness from the dead ball after Micky van de Ven’s first half double paved the way for a 3-0 win - the Blues’ first defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

While there were questions about the direction football was taking with set-pieces being the new weapon of choice in the Premier League, there was unanimous agreement that Everton’s problems lie predominately in their front line.

Paul Joyce wrote in the Times: “There are a number of reasons as to why Richarlison, a substitute for Spurs, remains revered in these parts more than three years since he was sold to Tottenham for £60m to try, unsuccessfully as it turned out, to avoid Everton falling foul of Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Two are Beto and Thierno Barry, who have yet to show they can replicate the output of the Brazilian in his final season when ten goals and five assists were a big reason why the club stayed in the top flight.”

Beto was praised for his effort, which has never been in question, and the striker was unfortunate to see his acrobatic second half effort clawed away by the excellent Guglielmo Vicario. His failure to connect with Iliman Ndiaye’s cross inside the first five minutes was a significant moment in this game, however.

Andy Hunter wrote in the Guardian that the hosts worked hard to find a route back into the match in the second half: “Everton responded well to the blows, particularly after the restart when Vicario’s superb reflexes were required to preserve a clean sheet from a Beto overhead kick.”

But, he added: “Given the glaring absence of a quality striker in David Moyes’s squad, the prospect of an Everton comeback always appeared remote despite the intelligent probings of Iliman Ndiaye, James Garner, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish.”

Chris Bascombe, in the Telegraph, added: “Spurs became the first visiting team to win at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday because they scored from two legitimate corners, while Everton were penalised after a disallowed goal followed their most successful one…Their failings were familiar as encouraging periods were undermined by the lack of a high-class centre-forward. Beto is willing but not particularly able at this level. Youngster Thierno Barry showed signs of improvement. He, too, is a work in progress.”

And finally, Dominic King wrote in the Mail: “There was nothing wrong with the commitment but Everton simply ran out of ideas when they went two goals behind and it was revealing when Grealish waved an arm in exasperation at Beto, who started up front, when he passed the ball backwards in the first half. It was all a little stop-start.”

In the ECHO, there was greater focus on the key decisions in this match, including focus on whether or not Jordan Pickford was fouled in the build up to van de Ven’s second and the lack of protection offered to Jack Grealish.

Ultimately, the report concluded: “There is only so much frustration they can direct at others in another game in which they prodded the seams of their own abilities. This is a team capable of playing free-flowing, intelligent football. At various points in this fixture the Blues looked set to harness their rage in positive fashion. It would have been a very different night under the lights, for instance, had Beto been able to fire Ndiaye’s cross in from close range inside the opening five minutes. For the third time in six weeks, the Guinea-Bissau international missed a golden opportunity in the opening stages of a game that Everton went on to drop points in. It may be unfair to have expected him to score all three. But that none ended up in the back of the net is a growing source of worry.

“The 27-year-old persevered again, but in a system that does not suit him, his limitations were clear, as were those of a side which has no natural attacking support from full-back to help Grealish and Ndiaye.”