Poetry in Motion: Looking for Liverpool's spark amid the new-found steel and midfield derby dilemmas

Two days before the Merseyside derby, illness and unavailability has ravaged the ECHO's sportsdesk. That means just Paul Wheelock was able to join Neil Fitzmaurice on the latest Poetry in Motion podcast - and even he is battling a severe case of man flu. But worry not, Fitzy is in fine form, and as anyone who read his tweets during and after the Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, he has a lot to get off his chest. It's not an over-reaction on his part to what was another disappointing European awayday - for some time he's wondered when Liverpool will begin to play with the same verve they did in the second half of last season. The Reds are undoubtedly now better in defence - the arrival of Alisson Becker and the rapid development of Joe Gomez, aligned with the influence of Virgil van Dijk, has made sure of that - but why are they struggling to fire truly in the final third? Is it tactics? Is it form? Is it the failing of existing players or the ones who came in during the summer? Fitzy and Paul try to find answers to those questions while all the time placing Liverpool's 'problems' in the context of their lofty position in the Premier League table. It is a position they will look to improve upon this weekend with victory over neighbours Everton. And Fitzy and Paul ask whether the derby is the right game for Naby Keita and Fabinho to be thrown into - and whether it could be the perfect one for the Reds to rediscover their spark. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices