Everton (FA Cup) Post Match Thread

Rascal said:
I thought it was a fascinating game.

Ancellotti said beforehand that when he was manager at Real, he never mentioned Messi before the El Classico as he didn't want to frighten his players. yesterday though he must have mentioned our wide players because they were doubled up on every time they received the ball. It also meant though that Coleman and Digne rarely got forward which meant the lump up top hardly got any service as it often comes from there full backs.

I thought Ancelloti's plan was good, although turning Everton into a kind of Wimbledon would not have gone done well with the Everton faithful. They never really threatened us though, a couple of half chances and that was it and like all the best teams we found a way to win. What a season Gundogan is having, I think only two players have scored 20 goals from midfield in a season, Lampard and Yaya, Gundo is in with a chance with matching those two, that would be POTY stuff that.

Everton did look physically out on there feet in the last 10 minutes, we let the ball do the work, there players did the work. It has to be so tiring to be constantly moving across and then back and then across again as we pass it looking for an opportunity. The introductions of the subs were spot on because we had tired them out.

How i wish we had a 24 year old Fernandinho, he is a magnificent footballer, obviously at his age he cant play every game and Rodri is proving to be a good replacement, but Fernandinho has an edge to him, he enjoys doing the dirty work, the water carrier role as it was called when Deschamps did it for that brilliant French team.

We weren't at our very best, but we still had more than enough and now we are i think 11 wins from winning the lot. No doubt we will fuck it up though :))
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What an extraordinary team we are watching. Everton were a good side, perfectly capable of moving the ball swifly out of defence on the counterattack. They were set up to stifle us up front and hit us hard on the break. The fact that we barely gave them a sniff says a great deal about our ability to defend with all eleven players. I thought Dias was very good again albeit I far prefer his partnership with Stones to Laporte. The mental strength to grind out that result bodes well for the next couple of months.

I think Pep will not experiment with new setups in the latter stages of the four competitions. Our best team is pretty clear and includes Phil, Bernie and Gundogan, Dias, Stones, Cancelo, Kevin, Eddie.
The remaining three places come from Mahrez, Gabby, Laporte, Zinchenko, Walker, Sterling. I don't see the rest getting many minutes until the league is done.
Whilst I haven't really done any analysis, and based on the service Gabby gets when he starts at no 9, I don't think we would create sufficient chances for Kun to convert even if he was fit as a flea. He allegedly complained that the players were not passing to him the other night. I don't think thats deliberate to exclude him, I just think we are not creating many big chances in areas that he thrives.

Watching that last night gave me a great deal of confidence that this will conclude in being an extremely successful season.
 
Two Gun Bob said:
Game changer when Sterling came off and I don't mean that disrespectfully. Foden and Mahrez with Kev and gabby pressing allowing Fern to hold the mid and the indelible Whippy to ring his bell. It all just looked so ridiculously balanced and the proverbial key to the door.
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Incredible?

Inedible?
 
A hard match was that, Ancelotti is a brilliant manager, and yesterday proved it, his tactics very nearly came off. He knows well enough the gulf in class, but
utilised his players in such a manner City had to retain concentration for the full 90, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Foden and Laporte all superb, for me.
 
Rammy Blue said:
Not read the whole thread, but have to say I thought Phil showed great maturity today. He gets shunted around plenty of positions as we make our various subs, and he’s just getting better and better. He really must be close to being a first choice now, surely even Pep must be aware he can’t be holding him back much longer. He’s superb.
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Spot on mate, I voted him for motm, he is maturing so quickly now it’s frightening.

His control, little spins with the ball to find space and his range of passing and movement are incredible. It is also nice to see the pundits finally give credit to Pep for how he has been managed these last 2-3 years, and stating he has to have a place in the England team for the Euros.
 
Scottish Cityzen said:
Spot on mate, I voted him for motm, he is maturing so quickly now it’s frightening.

His control, little spins with the ball to find space and his range of passing and movement are incredible. It is also nice to see the pundits finally give credit to Pep for how he has been managed these last 2-3 years, and stating he has to have a place in the England team for the Euros.
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He can finish too, give him a sniff and he unloads a piledriver. He had at least 3 decent efforts I can recall where each was unlucky for differing reasons.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
What an extraordinary team we are watching. Everton were a good side, perfectly capable of moving the ball swifly out of defence on the counterattack. They were set up to stifle us up front and hit us hard on the break. The fact that we barely gave them a sniff says a great deal about our ability to defend with all eleven players. I thought Dias was very good again albeit I far prefer his partnership with Stones to Laporte. The mental strength to grind out that result bodes well for the next couple of months.

I think Pep will not experiment with new setups in the latter stages of the four competitions. Our best team is pretty clear and includes Phil, Bernie and Gundogan, Dias, Stones, Cancelo, Kevin, Eddie.
The remaining three places come from Mahrez, Gabby, Laporte, Zinchenko, Walker, Sterling. I don't see the rest getting many minutes until the league is done.
Whilst I haven't really done any analysis, and based on the service Gabby gets when he starts at no 9, I don't think we would create sufficient chances for Kun to convert even if he was fit as a flea. He allegedly complained that the players were not passing to him the other night. I don't think thats deliberate to exclude him, I just think we are not creating many big chances in areas that he thrives.

Watching that last night gave me a great deal of confidence that this will conclude in being an extremely successful season.
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I think you are spot on with Kun, this team doesn't need a CF. It's sad of course, but time moves on and whilst he is still here he is an option to bring on if we need a 93-20 minute winner.

Ancelotti played 3CBs and they had nobody to mark, with hindsight I wonder if he thought that was a mistake as he could have played two and an extra man in midfield.

I also don't think we have a best team anymore, we have a great squad full of talent and you could pick 10 out of hat and a keeper and just say go and play lads because positions mean nothing to us such is the fluidity of how we play. How many times this season will you see attacking CBs getting in the box during open play and hitting the bar. Big Sam would be having kittens if his CHs did that. Ours though all step into midfield with the ball, because they are all great footballers.

The other thing is as well we had 77% possession yesterday, when you have the ball that much do you even need defenders, it becomes almost like playing 5 a side. Everybody is comfortable on the ball, everybody passes and moves, it is a simple game really and having a CF would make zero difference to how we play.
 
A superb performance against a well drilled team. In some ways it reminded me of a tough game against a good European side.

Fernandinho, Foden, Dias were all superb thought the game. However as soon as KdB came on, the game changed. We went up a gear and they couldn't live with the movement. Great to see him making that kind of impact.

They were dangerous on set pieces but we feel like a team of giants now. We look very, very difficult to beat. It's astonishing to think we're a team who's on the cusp of greatness without a striker. That's the genius of Pep.

It really is shaping up to be a phenomenal season, one I couldn't see in November.
 
marco said:
ragcafe in serious meltdown- we get them tired and then put the boys on, football is finished its over while there alowed to get away with this
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That’s ungrateful fans for you. They’ve won the ‘Beat City Trophy’, what more do they want, one trophy a year is good going.
 
Ancient Citizen said:
A hard match was that, Ancelotti is a brilliant manager, and yesterday proved it, his tactics very nearly came off. He knows well enough the gulf in class, but
utilised his players in such a manner City had to retain concentration for the full 90, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Foden and Laporte all superb, for me.
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I’m sorry I just can’t agree with that. Everton‘s master plan was to play 5 at the back and use Calvert Lewin and Richarlason on the break, to try and win free kicks and throw ins and load the box with their 3 massive cbs. They where absolutely shite, they offered nothing offensively, when they got the ball they just hoofed it to literally no one. if I was an Everton fan I would be fuming today. They have spent a lot of money on that team it’s not like we where playing Cheltenham (who incidentally caused us more problems)

Graham Potter is a manager who I would say sets up a team brilliantly, when we played Brighton it was a tough game they where always a threat on the break able to pass through our press at times, same as villa under smith and Leeds earlier on in the season. Three sides who have spent a lot less than Everton but caused us some problems defensively and gave us a real tough game. If your main tactic is to try to keep city out for 120 mins you are going to lose it’s that simple

Got nothing against ancelotti but his tactics yesterday made mourinho look like Pep Guardiola
 
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