Everton will face Liverpool as rivals, if not equal …

"The purpose of the exercise was to frustrate the opposition," said Sam Allardyce, smiling, after the greatest number of results from Sam Allardyce – a draw (1-1) in which the opposition sets a ball possession record at 79%, with 12 corners and 23 hits and yet emerged with a single point. Liverpool, you were indeed Allardyced.

Frustrated? Jurgen Klopp was completely furious after a match "when only one team was trying to win and the other team was never in our box".

And yet, you can hardly blame Allardyce for his ultra-defensive tactics; It was a Liverpool team that had scored 19 goals in its previous six Premier League matches. Doing something else would have been suicidal. Everton has only 11 points, but several leagues below Liverpool, this is only a few games in an Allardyce experience that would ensure safety at the half-table at the expense of fan awareness. That day, at Anfield, they defended the impressive curse Jonjoe Kenny, Mason Holgate, Ashley Williams and Cuco Martina, none of whom will be involved on Sunday. Indeed, Jordan Pickford, Idrissa Gueye and Gylfi Sigurdsson are likely to be the only survivors under the age of 12 months. Everton have been transformed.

Do not be fooled by the same 11 point difference; that's what was built at the start of the season, when Marco Silva's team was in full swing. In the last two months, Everton have actually collected more points than Liverpool, scoring the same number of goals (12). Everton's fixtures may have been more lenient, but it's undeniable that the Toffees are launching this Merseyside derby not quite as equal, but certainly as real rivals.

Everton has finally returned to sixth place – two years after his last participation under Ronald Koeman – and we have the impression that they could spend the entire season there. It seems durable. After the start of the season with just one new rookie in the team (one more was on the bench, two were injured and one was far from fit after any football match since March), the Silva's five major summer recruits are established in the early days. XI. Silva brought only one change in five games and this was imposed; Kurt Zouma was not eligible to play against Chelsea, allowing Yerry Mina to take his place at the Toffees defensive defense center alongside rejuvenated Seamus Coleman. Michael Keane improved and excellent Lucas Digne.

Only Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have allowed more shots this season; Allardyce could only dream of this kind of statistics.

In midfield, Silva has finally found a partner worthy of the wonderful Gueye with Andre Gomes, winner of the European Championship and La Liga, arrived injured but now plays with freedom. He was really magnificent against Cardiff on Saturday, pushing Silva to end journalists' questions by asking Barcelona to "forget it a bit". He hopes the Spaniards will let his lending episode become a permanent move with a minimum of hbadle and expense. At the moment, this seems unlikely.

Sigurdsson and Richarlison, two of the best players of the season the most awesome players outside the Big Five. Sigurdsson flourishes in his number 10 favorite role while Richarlison was converted back into attacking, opening a space left for Bernard – one of the best free transfers of the season. Sigurdsson and Richarlison both scored six goals. This is how one resolves the absence of a prolific attacker.

Silva has undoubtedly been fortunate in terms of injuries, allowing him to get rid of Morgan Schneiderlin as ruthlessly as Jose Mourinho, while Kenny, Holgate and Oumar Nibade can not even be part of his team. He was allowed to spend, but Koeman before him was far from equal. The difference is that Silva has recruited six players and all six are really part of his plans. It was spending with a plan. And for the moment, it is a plan almost perfectly executed.

Silva's team at Everton may not even be able to match Allardyce by taking a point at Anfield, but there is virtually no chance of them registering a 21% possession. The purpose of Silva's exercise will not be only to be frustrating the opposition. And this progress.

Sarah Winterburn