Arne Slot has revealed John Heitinga’s role in Liverpool’s derby preparations.
The former defender spent five years with Everton before embarking on a coaching career which led to him becoming one of Slot’s assistants at Anfield.
Heitinga’s return to Goodison Park from behind enemy lines adds a fresh layer to Saturday’s already emotional final Merseyside derby at the stadium.
And Slot admits that he picked the World Cup finalist’s brains about facing his former club in efforts to gauge what to expect from the often fiery showdown.
He said: ‘It is not as if we have a conversation like, ‘Now tell me everything you know about that game’.
“But if you are sitting down together he talks how he felt about that game, like some others in this building.
“Everybody is of course talking at the moment about the special game that is coming up. In the last half year I knew this was a big game.
“If you sit down for a while and don’t think about tactics, people do talk to you about the importance of this game.”
Sean Dyche’s side ran out 2-0 winners in a penultimate Goodison meeting last season that damped the farewell tour of Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp.
But the Reds’ current head coach, who watched the game back in his plans for Saturday, has pinpointed his neighbours’ likely approach for the rematch.
“What they do, which is a bit similar to Brentford, for example, is if they have a free-kick or a throw-in somewhere around the goal, they tend to bring it in (to the box),” added Slot.
“You also see this at Arsenal. One of their strengths is their set pieces and they use it a lot.
“I think Sean Dyche has certain things that other managers also have in the league. I don’t think that he is on his own for a certain style of play.
“That is not how I saw it when I watched the game back.
“I wouldn’t say [they use] a lot of long balls, but a lot of set plays and these are mostly played through the air.
“Maybe they (play long) a bit more than us so that if we have time to play we will.
“But the way to play against them is in an ideal world to press them so well that we have the ball a lot.
“If we have the ball then we have to try and play our own game which we were able to do in the second half against Newcastle and only in parts of the first half.”