Everton - Post match thread.

[waterfootblues]

Pep said at the start of the season we are going into the season "undercooked". We do look like that. Everton have been prepared for early Europa qualifiers and it showed. Our players not yet fully match fit and the one twos and intricate passing not coming off just yet. Only Raheem looks up speed. Its a long season and we will get stronger as the season progresses. The last 2 seasons we started on fire and faded. We wont make that mistake this season.
Hopefully we can get Walkers red card rescinded. Mendy to come in and Bernado getting minutes with more signings to come. Madley as a ref is just not good enough. We must not let them get away with that red card. Pep was furious and rightly so. Oliver the 4th official is as much to blame and not worthy of officiating a premier league game.
The mental strength and effort we put into to second half with ten men makes me proud. We need a goalscorer, more pace and movement up front, someone who can dribble and frighten the lives out of defenders. The good news is that is exactly what we are going to bring in.

 

[Akiva]

*However*, with regards to your post, we "battered" nearly every team we played last season too. Think about it. Which games do you recall where we were not clearly the better side?

Everton?

I mean, there were others (Leicester, for example) but why go further than the team we played, and bossed despite being a man down, last night?

Bent officials / shockingly bad refereeing? Check
Dominate possession? Check
Create loads of chances? Check
Woeful in front of goal? Check
Done by opposition with one chance, which they actually convert? Check

None of these things are possible for the manager to control, though I know you and others would like to paint it that way.
- The officials have been bent for years.
- Dominating possession is something we've done consistently since the take-over.
- Ditto creating chances.
- Failing to take those chances is something relatively new and the buck stops with Aguero. If Kun is missing sitters then that's just it, the best striker in the league is off-form and all we can do is hope he gets better and/or look for an alternative. That seems to be the game-plan.

I don't know what, because I am not a football manager

Exactly.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I wonder if we an get through this season where something 'bizarre' doesn't happen each match. Although the 'bizarre' seems to be standard now! Referee-inspired bizarre, striker missing sitters bizarre, and defenders getting shafted by the opposition single shot on goal bizarre.

 

[burning blue soul]

Could somebody explain the tactical advantage of dragging everyone back for an opposition corner? We have Sterling, Silva (both of 'em!) Aguero, KdB, who, when yer put one of top of the other might pass the 7ft mark attempting to negate the 6ft 14ins of seemingly every opposition player in our area. Why do we not have Sane, Aguero, or Jesus up on the halfway line? It would drag at least two defenders back, and were we to have two out of the three with a bit of daylight between them . . . . . . !

i can never understand this. in my world a player will always be stood in the centre circle when we are defending a corner, maybe even 2. we leave 1 up field the opposition have to leave 2 players, leave 2 plyers and they have to leave 3/4. even when under pressure i would stay the same....fuck 'em!!!

 

[mosssideblue]

You must have. Or your mind is fixed on waiting for any slight mistakes from him and puzzlingly didn't see that he changed the game, added attacking purpose, found space where others hadn't in the box, took payers on ( and beat them). Yet despite this you thought he was awful. Or is this one of those Clarkie things?

Not a Clarkie at all. And no, not looking for any slight faults. For me it is clear why he is keeping the bench warm. His touch and decision making is not that of a seasoned PL player. Yes, he found space and then promptly either lost the ball or fluffed his lines. I stand by my opinion that, other than the goal, he was awful.

 

[mekonmcfc]

The mistake last night was playing Sane in that position. we signed a specialist from Real Madrid to do that job, and he left him out. They peppered Sane all the first half and he gave the ball away for the goal. Other than that we completely controlled the game. I bet a few on level 2 have sore heads as most of our shooting was abysmal. Anyway we didnt get beat and quite a few positives to come from the game.

 

[hammocity]

Not read the full thread but the sending off, Duncan "get out of my cell" Ferguson sprinted to the fourth official before Walker's second yellow. Madley didn't see anything, he obviously got the call in his ear piece, very weak individual with no balls. He's a an incompetent ref, not just for us, clown is not too strong a word.

A lot of positives from last night and Mendy to come in, he is a tremendous player, with him and Bernado up and running we will be flying after the International break.

 

[mosssideblue]

I think you were. Might want to check the MOTM thread.

No need.

 

[john blue]

Lots of people expressing lots of anger, and a few offering interesting observations from the first two games, so I'll try to be more constructive than angry.

We were quicker than we were at Brighton, and against a far better team, but it was a frustrating game plan from Everton, literally by them and for us. They defended well, but were cut open enough times in the first half to have killed off the game before they got a sniff. I have absolutely no idea why Aguero didn't pull the trigger, but it is getting to the point of ridiculousness that one of the best strikers in the world is becoming so gun shy. He needs to stop taking the third, fourth, fifth touches and either shoot or lay it off.

In the first half, we had one player put two shots on goal from th edge of the box. Who? Otamendi!!! This should be the wheel house of KDB and Silva, with the occasional Fernandinho shot. Instead, our "attacking" defender had more on target shots than our main strikers!

I am a little bemused by KDBs lack of attempt in goal when the keeper was out of his box (gave a bad ball to the advancing full back, who was tackled!) and why Sergio didn't even get a shot off when he only had the keeper to beat from the edge of the six yard box. I am also bemused at the notion that Sane can play left full back. He can't. It is stifling (killing?) his attacking game, because he is an impact dribbler, an explosive player, not the kind of "ploughing the furrow" defender who can get up and down the field, and his confidence is getting hammered! I thought this was the worst game I have seen from David Silva in a long time. How he can be one of Spain's top scorers, but barely ever shoot, let alone get the shot in target, for City is stupefying.

I think KDB is being asked to do too much...mainly because he can do it all...but it looks like he is being asked to go at 100% for 95 minutes, and do three jobs every game. As another poster mentioned, and I have pointed to in other games, he started out as one of our primary creative playmakers, to one of the most exhaustive pressers (both on the front line and right across the middle of the park), to being our DM/CM when we went to a back four and Fernandinho dropped into the LB position. Unfortunately, I foresee an early season fatigue injury for KDB, as he pushes himself past the threshold. I also see him getting openly frustrated on the field, especially with our profligacy in front of goal. He was livid with Aguero for not shooting when wide open, and allowing a 35 yr old Jagielka recover to put in a challenge. I hope against hope that Pep returns to Yaya/Fernandinho midfield, with Sterling/Bernardo/Sane in behind with Jesus up top against B'mouth, to give David and Kevin some rest. There will always be the second half, or last 30/20/10 mins, if needed, but they are carrying a massive load and it is costing them.

Pep is seeking something superhuman...and I don't think he realizes just how hard it is in THIS League. Barca strolled against 2/3 of the team's in La Liga, and Bayern steamrollered 3/4 of the team's in their League, because they simply bought every good player on every other team to blunt them the following season! It is a joke! However, Pep SAYS he has learned this League and has bought for the future. Really? I hope he has some 6' forward with some touch in his Rolodex, because right now we have flying wingers with no target man for crosses and the only chance we have to score is if we have enough space for our 5'8" attacking 6 players to have a minimum of three touches and an open goal...and even then it isn't enough!! When you look at the other top clubs, we see Lukaku/Zlatan, Morata/Costa/Batshuyai, Giroud/Lacazette, Kane/Janssen and we don't have anyone AT THE CLUB who fits that mound, let alone in the Starting XI or on the bench! I have discussed size, strength and the options they create and been pilloried, so I'll just leave it for the table to speak for it. I agree, that we are the most technically gifted squad in the League. So far, it has produced zero results.

Clearly, Pep can hardly wait for Mendy to be fit to play, and it may well be this weekend, because Danilo will be have to be on the right!

We are in for an interesting season, and it may be made far more interesting by what happens in the next 10 days!

The future is Blue.

good post.

 

[mosssideblue]

The worrying thing for me was Kun. Had the goal open up in front of him at 0-0 and for some reason wanted an extra touch. A couple of seasons ago, he would not have hesitated.Shortly after, they scored.

For me it is obvious why Pep wants additional firepower brought in

 

[Dribble]

It'll be much of the same this season. Pep likes to be contrary. It was genius at Barca and Bayern but a defining season lies ahead.

Pep's situation is different now. In Spain he was the head of one of the teams in a 2 team league. In Germany he was the head of one team in a one team league. In the EPL, he's the head of a team where anyone from 6 could possibly win.

Consideration also has to be given to Pep's starting position at City. We were in a right mess when he came & narrowly escaped being relegated from the CL.

I can see Pep has a plan, but me personally, I won't be judging him until season 18/19. He needs time to correct the mess he inherited, & whilst having the financial resources helps, it's by no means THE solution, it's just part of the solution.

As fans we all want success, but I think we have to be realistic in terms of the time frame Pep is being afforded. Everyone could see the left side of our defence was being targeted, just as Pep did which is why he swapped Otamendi & Kompany around. I'm confident Pep will not want this to become a recurring theme & will do something about it.

For all the success Pep's had in his stellar career so far, I more than prepared to afford him the time & support he needs to get things absolutely right.

 

[KS55]

Tempo, tempo, tempo. And, when you see that big white frame: smash it. (Close your eyes if you're scared!!)

 

[Charlesfarsbar]

My observations

1. As others have stated, Sane is not a left wing back, he doesn't have the defensive concentration to play there. He also offered next to nothing going forward and didn't look to be enjoying the role. The amount of times he wasn't switched on to what was going on around him was shocking

2. John Stones still has a way to go, again he is not always switched on to what is going on around him. He shows flashes of being a good defender but lets himself down with not being pro-active enough. It looks like he is being coached to step off his defender rather than trying to win the ball back, this can lead to him giving people too much space to run at him. Calvert Lewin did this a couple of times

3. Otamendi and Kompany were pretty decent

4. Whats with the ploy of leaving Jesus 40 yards from goal on corners ? Surely he'd be more dangerous in the box sniffing out chances / knockdowns etc?

5. KDB and Silva put the effort in but couldn't unlock a parked bus

6. Aguero isn't the same player as four years ago, he's hesitant and needs it on a plate before he will take a shot on. Could it be a mistake in keeping him this season as our main striker, especially if we dont get Sanchez. If we do get Sanchez I can see him playing a lot from the bench this season.

7. Bernard looked great when he came on, box of tricks with a eye for a pass

8. Sterling was the difference when he came on, always a threat but not always clinical. His finish was world class though.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Madley as a ref is just not good enough. We must not let them get away with that red card. Pep was furious and rightly so. Oliver the 4th official is as much to blame and not worthy of officiating a premier league game.

For red cards to be rescinded the perpetrator has to have been wearing a red shirt at the time of the offence, 'cos in the normal run of things the scarlet-clad are normally immune to such sanctions, and the issuance of a red card is a mental aberration on the part of the ref. Ask Poogba and Foullaini!

I cannot seriously think of one current referee who fills me a quarter full with confidence that we are gonna get a game where the decisions are based on what actually happens and what is written down in The Laws of the Game. I used to think that Mike Dean was the only referee who reffed without fear or favour but he has his 'senior' moments!

Last night there were three or four fouls that were just ignored, the most obvious one was Walker's upending just outside the area. Nobody in 323 was screaming for a pen, but incredulity takes over when play just carries on as though our man has tripped over a blade of grass.

 

[jaiguruKun]

On the positive side, there wasn't much wrong with the performance which can't be easily fixed.
E.g. Sane playing at LWB will hopefully never happen again. If Danilo had started I'm pretty sure the result would have been different.

 

[cookster]

Pep's situation is different now. In Spain he was the head of one of the teams in a 2 team league. In Germany he was the head of one team in a one team league. In the EPL, he's the head of a team where anyone from 6 could possibly win.

Consideration also has to be given to Pep's starting position at City. We were in a right mess when he came & narrowly escaped being relegated from the CL.

I can see Pep has a plan, but me personally, I won't be judging him until season 18/19. He needs time to correct the mess he inherited, & whilst having the financial resources helps, it's by no means THE solution, it's just part of the solution.

As fans we all want success, but I think we have to be realistic in terms of the time frame Pep is being afforded. Everyone could see the left side of our defence was being targeted, just as Pep did which is why he swapped Otamendi & Kompany around. I'm confident Pep will not want this to become a recurring theme & will do something about it.

For all the success Pep's had in his stellar career so far, I more than prepared to afford him the time & support he needs to get things absolutely right.

I would hope he has a plan but how can he not be judged against the progress of others. He inherited a team that finished fourth, OK it needed some changes but he's spent over 350m so far, probably 450m by the end of the window. He needs to deliver this season, the pressure was off last year mainly because Manure were shit, they won't be as shit this season.

 

[PistonBlue]

Same old story. A familiar pattern of:
1. Us creating but not scoring our chances
2. Opposition score from the one or two chances they get
3. Shite refereeing

 

[tony adcock]

On the positive side, there wasn't much wrong with the performance which can't be easily fixed.
E.g. Sane playing at LWB will hopefully never happen again. If Danilo had started I'm pretty sure the result would have been different.

It may have been posted earlier ( apologies if so ) - but when I saw initial team it had Danilo playing and not Sane.....why did it change ? The way Sane played I wonder if he was not mentally switched on to starting and thus one of the reasons for his extremely underwhelming effort and application

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

So much hinges on catching teams at the right time.
Everton are currently the fittest team in the Premier League, after playing three competitive Europa League games, whilst City were playing half-baked friendlies against half-arsed opponents in Iceland and the USA.
This will balance out when Everton run out of energy around Christmas, and Danillo, Mendy, Bernardo, (and hopefully Gundogan), have grasped the pace of the English game.
In the meantime, I expect lots of moaning when Aguero and Silva are gradually marginalised by sharper players.

 

[Chippy_boy]

None of these things are possible for the manager to control, though I know you and others would like to paint it that way.
- The officials have been bent for years.
- Dominating possession is something we've done consistently since the take-over.
- Ditto creating chances.
- Failing to take those chances is something relatively new and the buck stops with Aguero. If Kun is missing sitters then that's just it, the best striker in the league is off-form and all we can do is hope he gets better and/or look for an alternative. That seems to be the game-plan.



Exactly.

Piss off with your judgemental sanctimonious "I'm a better blue than you" attitude, Mr 2016 joiner.