Pellegrini's substitutions last night

[Dax777]

We always seem to start with the wrong team and need to go behind to get going.

Last night we were daft enough to start with a 442 diamond (believe me we did) with Toure as the anchor, Delph inside left, Fernandinho inside right and Silva at the tip moving into any gaps their Centre Backs would leave as Sterling and Aguero pulled both full backs wide.

Now in theory that sounds shrewd but this left Ross Barkley running 1 on 1 against Toure and could have cost us dearly. Just how did Pellegrini allow their biggest threat to have a 45 minutes to run Toure ragged. Now wonder Delph looked rubbish as he couldn't confidently push forward without fearing any breakdown in play would leave Barkley exposing Toure.

In the end this tactical cock up forced us to waste a substitute that really should not have been required. We then had to play 5 minutes of stoppage with 10 men and if Everton had scored we'd have struggled to win it in extra time with 10 men.

My message to Pellegrini is select your pattern of play, which doesn't involve Toure as a holding midfielder, and bloody stick to it.

People just come here with theories in their heads and pass it on for fact. I've seen the 1st half at least 3 times now, none of the above happened. Barkley wasn't running 'at Toure' or 'running Toure ragged'. Matter of fact Barkley had 2 runs of any significance all night, he scored on one, Toure by the way had gone right to pick up the man on the ball who passed it to Barkley.

His 2nd run, he got triple teamed by Yaya Demichelis and tackled by Ota. On his 3rd insignificant run, Ota and Dihno crushed him at the right corner and dispossessed him. Barkley wasn't particularly effective, in the 1st half outside his goal.

I get it we weren't ahead in the first half, but the ball movement, Yaya's passing and control of the game was on point. Sterling and Silva took a while to get into the game, but even they were better than I thought when I was watching live.

Delph, hadn't done anything significant either. He was good like the others. But Yaya had a clearly better game. He once messed up a developing fast play by launching it deep to nonone in particular, and made that inexplicable decision of letting Barkley have an easy run at goal. But outside of that was decent. And continues to do a good job making runs that his teammates continue to miss.

But pulling him was just fine.

 

[Marvin]

he got it wrong in the first place. And he keeps getting it wrong.

But at last he is either resting or dropping Toure, or subbing him off so he's moving at long last. Just keep moving.

 

[Shaelumstash]

He takes a lot of flak on here when things go wrong, so it's only fair he gets credit when he gets it right.

Thought his substitutions were very good last night, and won us the game. Taking Toure and Delph off was a brave move, but the introduction of Navas and De Bruyne helped stretch Everton's defence, and we looked really good in the second half.

Good on him.

Quite right, he deserves a lot of credit for last nights changes.

A lot of people have been crying out for Navas to play because he helps stretch defences and create space for Aguero and others. He's not one of our 11 best players, but he probably gets in our best team.

It was a big decision by Pellegrini, but proved to be the right one, as did his other changes.

Well done Manuel!

 

[cleavers]

Why do people say this? He's the boldest fucking manager we've ever had. If anything is his Achilles Heel it's that. He goes for the jugular against everyone, even the biggest names in Europe.

This season I'd say he's actually become more pragmatic, and we saw it last night when he banged Silva off and put on Fernando as soon as they scored. He does this much more often now.

I agree, I think its often his Achilles heel too. I only had 5live to go on at the time last night, but they were surprised how attacking we went, can't say I was, taking off the 2 CM's to put attacking players on, was very brave, and if we'd gone out, he'd be getting a pasting on here today.

Interestingly 5live also thought that Martinez went attacking with his early subs, and they thought it cost them the game.

Having seem the highlights it was a very very good game, but actually Everton had very few chances after looking dangerous early on, to come out on top over the two legs was all we deserved, and its a big win for attacking football, and anyone who doesn't like our attacking way of playing when we get it right, doesn't really like football.

 

[cleavers]

Not to mention because it's also stone wrong on Fernando's contribution, DD. I can remember two or three vital blocks, tackles and headers on the edge of our box, one of which led to the counter where Navas was chopped off at the knee (Atkinson waved play on naturally).

Another under rated player in recent weeks for me, but people made their mind up about him last season, and won't change.

 

[Dax777]

It's been a feature of his tenure to some extent.

I sense the love for Pellers growing and growing the more sure we become that he's leaving.

It's gonna be an absolute tearfest at the end of the season if we win the trophies we're favourites to win.

This Charming Man.

This Classy Man

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Another under rated player in recent weeks for me, but people made their mind up about him last season, and won't change.

I like Fernando too as a solid holding midfielder and think his form has been very good when he's come in this season. I bet he gets a full game at villa and he deserves it.

 

[blueinsa]

he got it wrong in the first place. And he keeps getting it wrong.

Been a fantastic near 24 hours on here after a great performance that saw us reach Wembley yet again.

Many thanks to Marvin for stopping all that in its tracks and auditioning for a spot on SSN as they look for yet another (edited because im in too good a mood to be childish or get involved in a row on here) to claim we are not all that good and got lucky.

 

[ninjamonkey]

Felt he got the lineup slightly wrong and i didn't think Delph should of came off at halftime, it should of been Yaya imo. It then also left us later on with a crazy midfield of Dinho silva KDB Navas and Sterling, I'm staggered we didn't get punished on the break by them at that point. I suppose you have to give him credit because it worked but 8/9 times out of 10 that doesn't work and we get hit hard on the counter. Credit to him for realising at haltime Navas should of started and credit for realising his mistake in not bringing Yaya off at halftime but both of those wouldn't of needed correcting if he'd of got it right first time. Credit given for bringing on Fernando too but it's not exactly a genius move. Overall, he did the job but he made hard work of it

 

[Sky Blue]

Been a fantastic near 24 hours on here after a great performance that saw us reach Wembley yet again.

Many thanks to Marvin for stopping all that in its tracks and auditioning for a spot on SSN as they look for yet another (edited because im in too good a mood to be childish or get involved in a row on here) to claim we are not all that good and got lucky.

LOL

 

[Gundogan's Moustache]

Felt he got the lineup slightly wrong and i didn't think Delph should of came off at halftime, it should of been Yaya imo. It then also left us later on with a crazy midfield of Dinho silva KDB Navas and Sterling, I'm staggered we didn't get punished on the break by them at that point. I suppose you have to give him credit because it worked but 8/9 times out of 10 that doesn't work and we get hit hard on the counter. Credit to him for realising at haltime Navas should of started and credit for realising his mistake in not bringing Yaya off at halftime but both of those wouldn't of needed correcting if he'd of got it right first time. Credit given for bringing on Fernando too but it's not exactly a genius move. Overall, he did the job but he made hard work of it

He put Silva CM against West Ham when Nacho came on. It's worked 2/2 times he's tried it