We are just seven weeks into the new season – and Merseyside looks a mess.

They’ve got all the gear. Wealthy owners, big-name ­managers, ­expensive players – and ­little idea.

Neither Liverpool nor Everton looks remotely ­capable of upstaging ­Manchester. Or current Premier League champs Chelsea.

In fact, if they’re not careful, they’ll fall further behind.

The signs are already there if you care to look. Well, one glance at the table tells you everything.

At Goodison Park, the clarity of ­vision that we all recognised in Ronald Koeman 12 months ago now looks like short-sightedness.

Using youngsters such as Tom Davies was celebrated. There was hope of a new dawn.

But the failure to replace Romelu Lukaku’s goals is bringing everything into sharper focus. The big Belgian’s strikes papered over the cracks.

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Wayne Rooney’s capture was ­supposed to be a masterstroke of ­public relations. Even that has back-fired – once he decided driving after a boozathon was a good idea.

Apart from a goal on the opening day, it’s been his main contribution so far. Not exactly epic value at ­£1million a month.

Steve Walsh’s role as director of football appears muddled. Who has the final decision?

Buying Gylfi Sigurdsson and Rooney looks like duplication. Where does Davy Klaassen, another midfielder in a similar mould, fit into the picture?

The Europa League has highlighted those deficiencies. Despite being a chance to bed in new players, the three-games-a-week schedule has not aided continuity. It’s confused it.

Everton's Oumar Niasse has forced his way back into the team (
Image:
REUTERS)

And even though Koeman – dubbed ‘the Dutch Pat Butcher’ by Liverpool fans – had made up his mind about Oumar Niasse within one day on pre-season training camp last term, it was a good job the striker stuck to his task last week against Bournemouth.

Otherwise, in the betting markets, next manager for the chop would have a new favourite.

This was supposed to be the ­campaign where Everton’s spending power made them contenders.

As it is, they failed to beat a team from the footballing powerhouse of Cyprus the other day.

It’s better over on the other half of the city – but the Reds’ latest tilt at Premier League success could be over before November. Jurgen Klopp is ­almost as stubborn as Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger.

For years, Gunners supporters moaned about a string of goalkeepers who, frankly, did not match up in ­quality to the outfielders. The German is proving every bit as bloody-minded as his managerial rival.

Can Liverpool not do better than Simon Mignolet? (
Image:
Action Images via Reuters)

Simon Mignolet may have saved Jamie Vardy’s penalty last week. But he was only making up for his own error.

Alberto Moreno has no interest in defending. And no centre-half at the club will go on to bigger and better things. None of them are good enough.

Liverpool’s strikeforce is the envy of many. But no other area of the team is. And if the Reds lose at Newcastle this afternoon their chances of ­winning the title will be over if they fail to defeat Manchester United ­following the international break.

Potentially, it will leave them 11 points off the top. With a trip to Spurs to come before the end of October.

They’ll then have to make up that ground on Chelsea, Manchester City and United.

It’s a massive game of catch-up. Again. And it will end in failure. Again.

It shouldn’t be like this. It is. It ­always is.

It’s now 27 years and 148 days since Liverpool were last crowned ­champions of England.

And that clock shows no sign of being stopped come May.