Blood Red: The midfield van Dijk, the Merseyside derby and Rodgers' Premier League return

What a difference a few days make. There was no change in Liverpool's position in the Premier League - top - from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday night. But there is no question that the mood has been lifted by the Reds' five-goal demolition of Watford at Anfield. And it's against that backdrop, with a huge Merseyside derby at Goodison Park to come this weekend, that your latest Blood Red podcast is recorded. Ian Doyle is back in the host's chair and he is joined by our Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce and fellow ECHO sportsdesk operatives Sean Bradbury and Theo Squires. James kicks things off by giving us the lowdown on Jurgen Klopp's mood and the big talking points from the Reds manager's press conference that took place earlier in the day. There's also mention of what Marco Silva had to say across town in response to Klopp. Talk then turns to Sadio Mane the centre-forward, Roberto Firmino's fitness, and the reasons behind Trent Alexander-Arnold's magnificent midweek display. The right-back has almost certainly played his way into Klopp's starting line-up for the derby. But who will make up the Liverpool midfield? The panel believe one player, in particular, has now become undroppable, and even go as far to compare his influence to Virgil van Dijk. A reader question then leaves the panel scratching their heads before James recalls his time covering the Reds when they were under the command of Brendan Rodgers, whose return to English football is discussed before the usual team and score predictions. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices