Sean Dyche is set to be announced as the new Everton manager on Friday.
The former Burnley stalwart has succeeded Frank Lampard, who was sacked on Monday with Everton stuck in the relegation zone. Dyche's main aim will be keeping the Toffees in the Premier League, but his rivalry with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a nice sub-plot to enjoy.
The two passionate managers have clashed on several occasions in the past and tensions could flare again when Everton make the short trip to Anfield on February 13 for Dyche's second match in charge. Games do not come much spicier than the Merseyside Derby.
Ahead of that huge fixture, let's take a trip down memory lane...
Gomez's injury
Dyche and Klopp first clashed in December 2018, when Liverpool defeated Dyche's Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor. Despite winning, Klopp was angered by a challenge on Joe Gomez by then-Burnley captain Ben Mee, which resulted in a fractured leg for the Liverpool defender.
Gomez missed four months of that season before recovering in time for Liverpool's 2-0 win against Tottenham in the Champions League final. As such, Klopp's frustration did not come as a surprise. "They [Burnley] wanted to be aggressive," moaned the Reds boss.
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Klopp was unhappy that Burnley players were sliding into tackles from around six or seven yards away from the ball. He raged: "Somebody has to tell you to stop doing it, make two more steps and make a normal challenge.
"The boy with the ball [Mee] is a bit unlucky because what can happen is what happened to Joe Gomez. I think the referee has to make sure that things like this don't happen constantly. It's not how it should be. Let's play football."
Yet Dyche did not take any nonsense from Klopp. He replied: "I thought some of the timing of the challenges were superb tonight. That's part of that front-foot mentality. You've got to win the ball, you've got to challenge against these boys. You've got to put a marker on the game - not only with good tackles, but also with good play."
Dyche also referenced an apparent dive from Daniel Sturridge which resulted in a Liverpool free kick. He added: "It’s funny, he didn’t reference Daniel Sturridge’s cheating. I just can’t believe Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool fans - and I don’t believe they do - would want cheating in the game and sacrifice good, honest challenges."
Klopp did not mince his words with his response. He replied: "Sturridge is no cheat. I’m not sure if he spoke about the challenge of [Phil] Bardsley on Alberto Moreno. The game is really hard and sometimes a striker expects a tackle by jumping."
Tunnel bust-up
Klopp's war of words with Dyche eventually calmed down, but their rivalry was reignited in January 2021, when Burnley won 1-0 at an empty Anfield. The result was a painful one for Klopp, as it ended Liverpool's 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League.
The two managers shared heated words at half-time. They were filmed arguing down the tunnel, with Klopp gesticulating furiously at his counterpart. The Liverpool boss brushed off the incident as "nothing" at full-time, but his opposing manager was not as reserved.
Dyche said: "You know when we come to these places, we are allowed to actually fight and are actually allowed to try and win. That's all it was. It was nothing out of the normal - just two managers fighting to win a game. There's nothing wrong with that."
The result had a huge impact on their respective campaigns. Liverpool dropped six points behind leaders Manchester United in the title race and went on to endure a nightmare run of five more home league defeats in a row which ended their title credentials.
Burnley, meanwhile, moved clear of the relegation zone and comfortably survived in the Premier League for another season - even if they finished 17th.
Tackles annoy Klopp... again
Burnley returned to Anfield in August 2021 - this time to play in front of fans - and Liverpool got their revenge by beating them 2-0. Despite winning, Klopp was annoyed by the physicality of Burnley strikers Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood.
Klopp insisted fans should "watch wrestling if you like this kind of thing" and called it "Burnley's way". Dyche, as expected, did not take the comments too well. He replied to Klopp by saying: "My disappointment is he's name-checking players; there's absolutely no need to do that.
"We’ve got professional players who have worked very hard in their careers to get to where they’ve got to. The implications of what he said about challenges is wrong, I think it’s inappropriate and it’s not something I would do myself.
"My worry is he’s questioned that teams shouldn’t do everything within the rules to win the game, which we clearly did because there wasn’t a single card given out."
Dyche went on to say: "If fans want a game where there’s not some form of physicality to win a game, I’d be surprised, including Liverpool fan. I know Liverpool’s history, I was a Liverpool fan as a kid, still am, but a bit distant now.
"You don’t have to look far down the annals of Liverpool’s history to see they had a few players who were fighting, not just playing, but fighting to win a game. It’s fair to say they had a few players in their time and still have a few."
Dyche's telling dig
The rivalry between Klopp and Dyche was perhaps most obvious when the latter refenced his contemporary out of the blue during a press conference on New Year's Day 2022. Dyche was asked whether he thinks having five substitutions is a good idea.
Klopp was one of the early advocates for five substitutions, which some critics believe is an advantage to the more resourceful Premier League teams, such as Liverpool. Dyche replied: "If I’m now the Liverpool manager, do you think I want five subs?
"Of course, I do, exactly. If I was at that level at that club I’d say the same. In fact, I’d say I wanted seven subs because I’ve got all these top-class footballers who want to play and the more I can get them on the pitch, the better."
The fact Dyche referred to Klopp without much encouragement speaks volumes. The new Everton manager adopts an underdog mentality when he comes up against the big boys, an approach that helps him punch well above his weight.
Dyche did that for years at Burnley and as the Everton boss, needs to do the same. The Toffees are in dire trouble and need a manager who is going pick up results and ruin this season's narrative. Expect fireworks at next month's Merseyside Derby.
