Everton post-match thread

[coleridge]

Yeah, that's when he should have gone. The thing is we really don't know what was agreed. I know Pellegrini is big on managing individuals and may have made various promises, and I sense Ya Ya is a big voice in the dressing room, especially in a team which seems at the moment to lack leadership on the field. But it doesn't matter. The team comes first and with a load of big games coming up, we can't keep leaving Fernandinho on his own mopping up in a Ya Ya-shaped hole at the back of the midfield.

interestingly, Guardiola fucked him off from Barca when he was at his peak so I have doubts whatsoever Ya Ya is finished here in the summer.

Me neither. Gone and probably retired come May. MDM also a gonner, of course. The rest may stay until Pep decides otherwise.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Then you need to go see a good optician.

You don't see the poor performances against even mid-table teams?
You don't see the gaping holes in our defence every week?
You don't see the opposition midfield walking unopposed through our midfield?
You don't see the failure to organise the defence and midfield in front of the ball when we're not in possession?
You don't see the lazy, half-hearted performances from our world-class midfield?
You don't see our consistent failure to keep a clean sheet?

And you don't see all the other faults in our preparation and play?

Yes every player and team will have their off-days but apart from the end of last season and the start of this, we've been under-performing for nearly 12 months.

Exactly this. Most of these were not a characteristic under Mancini, and if Pellers' attacking game succeeds they wouldn't be a feature, but when an organised, athletic team does their homework and sticks to the script, all the above become very prominent, and it's only the individual class that has been salvaging games for us when we do win!

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I know there was some decline, even in 13/14 where his passing and his goals pretty much won us the title you could tell that physically he was on the wane. But I still think there has been a staggering further drop off physically since then. And like you I was definitely of the mind that he should have been sold at the end of that season, especially when he started kicking off in the summer. I think we would struggle to get rid at all now given his wages. Personally I wouldn't describe him as overrated but I don't think he was ever the box to box player some said he was. But he was an awesome force and I look back at the four trophies we have won in recent years and all four of them it felt like he ultimately dragged us to them when push came to shove.

Hard to argue with any of that I guess, although to me he got important goals rather than running games like Silva. But he was a big miss when he was out so point taken. Whilst I agree that his wages make him very difficult to move on even on a free, the size of his name is the big advantage. Some club in a country with a growing football presence, like America of course, will pay him his wages just because of the extra bums on seats he brings. New York have to be favourites , depending on his personal situation.

 

[GX Blue]

Then you need to go see a good optician.

You don't see the poor performances against even mid-table teams?
You don't see the gaping holes in our defence every week?
You don't see the opposition midfield walking unopposed through our midfield?
You don't see the failure to organise the defence and midfield in front of the ball when we're not in possession?
You don't see the lazy, half-hearted performances from our world-class midfield?
You don't see our consistent failure to keep a clean sheet?

And you don't see all the other faults in our preparation and play?

Yes every player and team will have their off-days but apart from the end of last season and the start of this, we've been under-performing for nearly 12 months.

Very well put. Agree 100%.

 

[Neville Kneville]

I thought Yaya was pathetic last night but I don't blame him, I blame the manager for expecting him to play week in week out at his age, often in a two man midfield.

If you did a poll of all the managers & ex managers & ex footballers in the country & asked them whether they thought yaya would be capable of this, there would be a grand total of one who replied 'yes' (two if Mancini was over here visiting). He looked even worse than this under Mancini, when we played Dynamo Kiev away in 2011. For exactly the same reasons. It is now 2016.

It's fucking ridiculous the way this bloke is using Yaya (& the squad in general).

 

[Lancet Fluke]

Hard to argue with any of that I guess, although to me he got important goals rather than running games like Silva. But he was a big miss when he was out so point taken. Whilst I agree that his wages make him very difficult to move on even on a free, the size of his name is the big advantage. Some club in a country with a growing football presence, like America of course, will pay him his wages just because of the extra bums on seats he brings. New York have to be favourites , depending on his personal situation.

The one thing I would add about Yaya is that although I always felt he was the one dragging us over the line, there was always a niggle for me that I always felt like he would pick and choose when he could be arsed dragging us over the line. That might be a bit unfair though and just my perception of him.

 

[mancityscot]

280 million spent since the mancini era, and in reality we are no better off, if anything we have regressed. i'll admit, there were poor performances under mancini, but under pellegrini they are becoming more of a norm instead of a seldom occurence.

 

[Neville Kneville]

The one thing I would add about Yaya is that although I always felt he was the one dragging us over the line, there was always a niggle for me that I always felt like he would pick and choose when he could be arsed dragging us over the line. That might be a bit unfair though and just my perception of him.

He doesn't do any less work that our other 'top' players, hardly ever.

It's the jobs he gets asked to do in the formations played, which exposes him. I doubt there has ever been a game when Silva has put in more yards than yaya Toure. Aguero ? No chance.

Why don't they have to run or fight, but yaya does ?

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

The really alarming aspect of last night's performance, was that we couldn't cope once Everton switched to a more direct style, after 20 minutes.
Suddenly, Everton were winning every header, every second ball, and every 50-50 tackle.

Also, count the number of Everton shirts in the Penalty Area for their winning goal. That's the hunger, desire, and determination that City currently lack.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

He doesn't do any less work that our other 'top' players, hardly ever.

It's the jobs he gets asked to do in the formations played, which exposes him. I doubt there has ever been a game when Silva has put in more yards than yaya Toure. Aguero ? No chance.

Why don't they have to run or fight, but yaya does ?

That's a very fair point. It's possibly where in the team he plays makes it look more obvious when he slackens off. Overall I do think he has been instrumental in everything we have aachieved in recent years.

 

[mekonmcfc]

diabolical performance last night, kept the ball well for 20 minutes although didnt create anything. Their keeper i think made 1 save all evening. It is just not good enough too many players going through the motions.
unfortunately as Fergiescum used to say to his players ' dont dare come back in here unless you have given 100%' doesnt seem to happen with us. Not many players at the moment can hand on heart say they are giving their all

 

[Neville Kneville]

The really alarming aspect of last night's performance, was that we couldn't cope once Everton switched to a more direct style, after 20 minutes.
Suddenly, Everton were winning every header, every second ball, and every 50-50 tackle.

Also, count the number of Everton shirts in the Penalty Area for their winning goal. That's the hunger, desire, and determination that City currently lack.

If people hit long balls to a big cf, we can't cope. If they press in our half with small players, we can't cope. If they run at us with a bit of pace & take on our defenders, we can't cope. If they hold the ball & pass it, we can't cope.

If we've got the ball & they don't press us too much, we can cope.

 

[Shaelumstash]

He doesn't do any less work that our other 'top' players, hardly ever.

It's the jobs he gets asked to do in the formations played, which exposes him. I doubt there has ever been a game when Silva has put in more yards than yaya Toure. Aguero ? No chance.

Why don't they have to run or fight, but yaya does ?

Because Yaya is playing in central midfield, it's the nature of the position that he's supposed to cover more ground and make more tackles.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

He doesn't do any less work that our other 'top' players, hardly ever.

It's the jobs he gets asked to do in the formations played, which exposes him. I doubt there has ever been a game when Silva has put in more yards than yaya Toure. Aguero ? No chance.

Why don't they have to run or fight, but yaya does ?

I think a lot of people are saying this now. It's not just Yaya, it's the whole front 4 (if it's Aguero, Silva & De Bruyne with Yaya). Navas & Sterling at least work hard, although Sterling is another one who isn't keen on winning the ball back when he's lost it. Silva is particularly lazy and will stand and watch an opposition player little more than a yard or two away from him without any attempt to put serious pressure on him.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

If people hit long balls to a big cf, we can't cope. If they press in our half with small players, we can't cope. If they run at us with a bit of pace & take on our defenders, we can't cope. If they hold the ball & pass it, we can't cope.

If we've got the ball & they don't press us too much, we can cope.

Don't worry, we're up against Andy Carroll in a couple weeks!

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I think a lot of people are saying this now. It's not just Yaya, it's the whole front 4 (if it's Aguero, Silva & De Bruyne with Yaya). Navas & Sterling at least work hard, although Sterling is another one who isn't keen on winning the ball back when he's lost it. Silva is particularly lazy and will stand and watch an opposition player little more than a yard or two away from him without any attempt to put serious pressure on him.

If anyone recalls after the first time Bayern rocked up against a Pellegrini team at the Etihad, when he selected 4-4-2 and had Aguero alongside Negredo?

I think it was Muller who said afterwards that they knew the City forward line were lazy and did not work or press hard enough.

 

[Keith Moon]

How man offside goals have we had against us this season?

 

[Neville Kneville]

That's a very fair point. It's possibly where in the team he plays makes it look more obvious when he slackens off. Overall I do think he has been instrumental in everything we have aachieved in recent years.

He's a veteran player now.

Surely the manager should see that & 'manage' him accordingly, get the best out of him for the sake of the player & the team ?

Pellegrini to me is like an ex champion racing driver in his last race, screwing the car to death, foot to the floor, gambling it doesn't blow up before he gets past the flag.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Because Yaya is playing in central midfield, it's the nature of the position that he's supposed to cover more ground and make more tackles.

So don't employ him in that job. Simple.

If his ability is such that we need him passing the ball & running the game, give him protection. If we don't require that, then drop him. He hasn't been a genuine alround centre mid since we signed him.

 

[GX Blue]

How man offside goals have we had against us this season?

It doesn't matter. Decisions go for and against every team. It’s just another excuse.
We need to look at the effort, the tactics, the performance’s individually and as a collective. This is what matters. The shit decisions that go against us wouldn’t even be an issue if we sorted ourselves out first.