Everton (H) | Post Match Thread

[Brewster's millions]

I wasn’t at the game today so can’t comment on the performance, but it’s becoming harder to deny that we’ve regressed as a team over the past year and unfortunately I can’t see an easy fix emerging.

Personally I think that Lillo departing at the end of last season was a major blow, even if it’s taken a while to realise it.

Tactically we’ve been all over the place for much of the season, and although some of this has been attributed to trying to integrate Haaland into the team, personally I think that Guardiola has simply tried too many formations and we’ve never really settled as a team and got into any real rhythm.

We’ve had Bernado stuck out on the wing at the start of the season, Gundogan playing up front, De Bruyne in a free role, inverted full backs, three at the back, the complete mess we served up at Anfield and then today two inverted wingers with no full back overlapping, leading to a complete lack of width. And the biggest complaint, that being the refusal to make subs until the dying minutes, even though we’ve got a pile up of fixtures.

A stronger assistant manager might have pushed back against the constant change, and also made a difference when we need to make subs before the 85th minute. As talented as Guardiola is, and with talented people in general, sometimes you need someone to reign them in and challenge their views, and we seem to be lacking that this season.

 

[SidJames]

fucking world cup hasn’t helped either but there’s some tweaks for pep and his team to fine tune and we’ll be on track.

Personally i think Pep also needs to have a long look at himself.

Is he making the most of the powerful Tools he has been provided to work with ?

He has one of the best squads in World football.

Yet at 85 minutes gone today we still had Phil Foden and Alvarez a World Cup winner sat on the Bench.

I would have subbed both Grealish and Mahrez for the energetic tricky Foden and Alvarez at half time.After watching the Grealish/Mahrez rinse and repeat for 45 minutes creating literally nothing from the flanks.

 

[ninjamonkey]

I'm livid with that, not just because we just drew to possibly the worst team in the division on current form but because it was very very predictable. No different to Brentford other than they didn't sucker punch us at the end and take all 3 points and this won't be the last performance and result like this all season either whilst Pep persists with these tactics.

Opposition just give us the wings because they know there's zero threat from there without foden. They know Grealish is just going to do the exact same predictable thing every single time without fail. Shimmy inside into traffic throw a dummy and knock it backwards or sideways. After their equaliser, all we did was spend 30 minutes passing sideways until someone misplaced a pass or miscontrolled it, we didn't create a single genuine chance against a side seriously struggling.

Then Pep waits far too long to change things, that needed Phil and alvarez on as soon as they scored, not throwing them on for 10 minutes in a weird formation in hope they can do something with their first few touches.

Were miles off the standard we've set since peps been here, when you factor in the fact we've still got to play Chelsea spurs and arsenal twice with by far the toughest set of fixtures remaining, we're looking at a low 80's season here and there's zero excuses for it

Arsenal will crumble under pressure but they are going to be gone without us even starting to put the pressure on.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

We have pretty much the same side as last year, except for Jesus and Zinchenko leaving and Haaland and Gomez coming in. Theoretically that should make us stronger overall.

Ake is a fine defender but Dias and Laporte are injured at present anyway. We have won league titles with Mahrez and Grealish and our current FBs, so I don't see them as really being the problem.

I think our main problem is in adapting the formation in order to try and get the best out of Haaland. This just isn't working for us at the moment. That and the fact that KDB and Gundogan are ageing and perhaps aren't as capable of producing consistently.

The best teams/squads have always had players in there that are somewhat weaker than the others. At City we have seen the likes of Delph, Zin etc do a job. The difference was those guys were more often than not surrounded by absolute class. The best sides can carry one or two. What they can’t do is carry half a dozen.

Pep is overseeing a massive downgrade in the overall quality of our side and I don’t know why. We literally have a brand new defence and it’s got significantly worse. It doesn’t matter that Ake and Akanji are doing ok. They are not as good as those they are replacing. We have players sat on the bench, who have consistently delivered more than those he is giving game time to.

It’s not rocket science that replacing world-class players with ok players means the side gets worse.

 

[hilts]

If they lose it’s a great point

It's not

 

[balotellishaircut]

I would consider Pep a bit of a defeatist if he did that. He is about to introduce the 3rd generation of a City team under his tenure which would be the first one that is completely his own. Do you consider Pep a defeatist?

Pep has always stated that “ if he thinks the team need a different voice in the locker room, he would do what’s best for the club”
What I said has nothing to do with Pep being a defeatist, Peps a manager that works on emotion and instincts

 

[Summerbuzz]

Err. I might have missed this. I wondered why it was quiet downstairs.

Anyway. Damn. I think the CL will turn out to be our main target this year.

 

[come-on-barney]

Go and lie down

oh dear

 

[LangleyBlue1970]

It’s called being realistic. I really despise the happy clappers we have.

It isn’t happy clapping. Some on here seem to have not witnessed our league triumphs, and how we’ve had to fight to get them.

Some on here seem to think we’ve never won a title, and that we’re throwing this one away not even at the half way stage.

It isn’t happy clapping. It’s knowing what we are capable of and what we’ve done to secure past titles. It’s also not being a total wet lettuce of a fanny when all isn’t going our way, or the players dare show their human side and have an off day.

 

[johnnytapia]

I wasn’t at the game today so can’t comment on the performance, but it’s becoming harder to deny that we’ve regressed as a team over the past year and unfortunately I can’t see an easy fix emerging.

Personally I think that Lillo departing at the end of last season was a major blow, even if it’s taken a while to realise it.

Tactically we’ve been all over the place for much of the season, and although some of this has been attributed to trying to integrate Haaland into the team, personally I think that Guardiola has simply tried too many formations and we’ve never really settled as a team and got into any real rhythm.

We’ve had Bernado stuck out on the wing at the start of the season, Gundogan playing up front, De Bruyne in a free role, inverted full backs, three at the back, the complete mess we served up at Anfield and then today two inverted wingers with no full back overlapping, leading to a complete lack of width. And the biggest complaint, that being the refusal to make subs until the dying minutes, even though we’ve got a pile up of fixtures.

A stronger assistant manager might have pushed back against the constant change, and also made a difference when we need to make subs before the 85th minute. As talented as Guardiola is, and with talented people in general, sometimes you need someone to reign them in and challenge their views, and we seem to be lacking that this season.

“I wasn’t at the game today so can’t comment on the performance”
I’d have left it there.