Jan Molby: Liverpool FC’s Luis Suarez will relish Merseyside derby stage

Sep 30 2011 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo

BIG PLAYERS produce in big games – that’s what sets them apart from the rest – and I think Luis Suarez could be the key for Liverpool at Goodison tomorrow.

It will be Suarez’s first derby and I’m sure he will relish it. He’s a great player and he proved it again with his performance against Wolves last weekend.

We shouldn’t be surprised because that’s what great players do.

Suarez has got a bit of everything about him. He clearly loves his football and always wants to be involved.

We need to get the ball up to him as often as we can. I think Suarez will cause Everton plenty of problems but he needs to ensure he keeps his head.

The result tomorrow is very difficult to predict. Most Premier League games you look at and have a good idea which way it will go but derbies are different. This one could go either way.

Everton have had a mixed start to the season but they will lift their game tomorrow.

They have a lot of experienced players, while we will have a number of players who will be playing in that derby atmosphere for the first time.

I know the likes of Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing have played in derbies elsewhere but Saturday will still be a real eye-opener for them.

It will be a test of character for those who haven’t experienced it before.

The Everton fans will be on their backs and they will be on the referee’s back as well. They will try to wind people up.

It’s vital you keep your head and don’t get involved in silly things.

Liverpool fans will have left the players in no doubt this week that this is a game they cannot afford to lose. As a player there’s a lot to deal with on derby day but you have to try to keep calm.

I’ve seen a fair bit of Everton so far this season and they’ve played some good stuff.

But when they’ve been on top in a couple of games they haven’t put teams away. They have lacked a cutting edge.

It’s been a tough summer for David Moyes. As a manager you always want to improve, no matter what you have achieved.

Moyes hasn’t got a bad first XI but you need more than that to take the club to the next level. With no money he has been forced to gamble on free transfers and loan signings.

They had to sell one of their best players in Mikel Arteta but they seem to have coped okay and still got some match-winners.

I expect Everton to start strongly – Moyes will demand they take the game to us early on. We have to ride the storm and then impose ourselves on the game.