Everton 3-1 Crystal Palace - Saturday 8th February, 2020

[Dan+]

6 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

Completely agree. It's hard to say that an entire league is poor because at the end of the day, moreorless the same number of points are shared out and the teams not in Europe can only be compared to each other so yeah, who's to say a team that finishes 7th with 57 points this season is better or worse than the team who did the same thing the year before?

For me it's just the lack of coherence at the majority of clubs in the league. Liverpool, Leicester and Sheffield United are the only teams I'd say have it.

For me, the fact that we're 7th is pretty poor. I stand by the fact that we know what we're doing and we have more good players than most other teams but that's it. We're playing 442 which shouldn't work in this day and age but there aren't enough good and smart teams around to exploit it. This is not the best Everton team I've seen in the last few years by any stretch but you have to say if Ancelotti had been in charge since the start of the season, we could definitely be in the mix for 4th place with Chelsea, and this Everton side isn't anywhere near the standard you'd have needed to be to have a conversation about the top four or top six in most previous years.

This season also makes a mockery of those people who laugh when Everton or Leicester or West Ham say they aim to eventually get into the top four. All it takes is to put a good, not even exceptional season together as often as you can and some of the top teams will always have a stumble every few years to give you a chance to fight for it. Sadly for us we've absolutely mastered the art of allowing ourselves to get dragged down with the quality of the rest of the league to ensure that we're always exactly shit enough to finish between 7th and 11th. 

We on the flip side seem to time coming good perfectly

[The Artful Dodger]

Pickford has lost it with his latest comments that he's being picked on because he plays for England. He's shit.

[LFCMike]

13 hours ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Pickford has lost it with his latest comments that he's being picked on because he plays for England. He's shit.

You'd think he'd learn his lesson by now running his mouth when he hasn't got the ability to back it up

[DeadLinesman]

“Gary Neville’s being mean to me because I play for England”. No, it’s because you’re a fucking liability 

[RandoEFC+]

Some of the things he's said are actually accurate, especially about England number ones getting pelters because that's just a demonstrable fact. He is still chatting shit though and should really let his football do the talking. Making comments like these show that he is bothered by what people say so they're just going to wind him up more.

He does have the raw ability to be a good goalkeeper but his form has tailed off in the last 18 months. No excuses from his point of view, he should shut up for a good while and then think about setting the world to rights when he actually has some good performances to lean on.

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Some of the things he's said are actually accurate, especially about England number ones getting pelters because that's just a demonstrable fact. He is still chatting shit though and should really let his football do the talking. Making comments like these show that he is bothered by what people say so they're just going to wind him up more.

He does have the raw ability to be a good goalkeeper but his form has tailed off in the last 18 months. No excuses from his point of view, he should shut up for a good while and then think about setting the world to rights when he actually has some good performances to lean on.

Or just let his performances do the talking.

Mistakes like Saturday don't help his cause.

[DeadLinesman]

1 hour ago, RandoEFC said:

Some of the things he's said are actually accurate, especially about England number ones getting pelters because that's just a demonstrable fact. He is still chatting shit though and should really let his football do the talking. Making comments like these show that he is bothered by what people say so they're just going to wind him up more.

He does have the raw ability to be a good goalkeeper but his form has tailed off in the last 18 months. No excuses from his point of view, he should shut up for a good while and then think about setting the world to rights when he actually has some good performances to lean on.

England number 1’s have a tendency to be fucking awful though. Hart was dropping clangers all over the show at City, Robinson had his nightmares at Leeds, James had shockers as well with Portsmouth and Villa. I remember Butland looking ok and then dropping bowlers at Stoke. Problem is that it’s magnified 10 fold for keepers. 

[Lucas]

9 minutes ago, DeadLinesman said:

England number 1’s have a tendency to be fucking awful though. Hart was dropping clangers all over the show at City, Robinson had his nightmares at Leeds, James had shockers as well with Portsmouth and Villa. I remember Butland looking ok and then dropping bowlers at Stoke. Problem is that it’s magnified 10 fold for keepers. 

Let's be honest, we haven't had what I'd call top class keepers since David Seaman and Nigel Martyn.

And the latter hardly got a game because the former was so good.

[RandoEFC+]

Pickford definitely hit the top too early in terms of being England number one. If he'd have had to push himself to match and overcome an actual good goalkeeper then he'd probably be much better for it now.

[Danny]

Honestly the period where everyone thought Joe Hart was world class because he made a some good "shot stopper" style saves still annoys me  Not because of Joe Hart, but because that is football analysis in this country. It's not built on analysis and critical thinking, it's built on clickbait and rimjobs.

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, DeadLinesman said:

England number 1’s have a tendency to be fucking awful though. Hart was dropping clangers all over the show at City, Robinson had his nightmares at Leeds, James had shockers as well with Portsmouth and Villa. I remember Butland looking ok and then dropping bowlers at Stoke. Problem is that it’s magnified 10 fold for keepers. 

And before them we had David James, who wasn't a bad keeper - you can't be a keeper at the level he was for as long as he was if you're a bad keeper - but he was certainly prone to some shocking errors as well.

1 hour ago, Lucas said:

Let's be honest, we haven't had what I'd call top class keepers since David Seaman and Nigel Martyn.

And the latter hardly got a game because the former was so good.

This is true. But at the same time, it seems like any time England look like they've got someone who might be considered a safe bet in goal... all of a sudden the pressure gets to them and they start to look a bit crap.

I think there is some truth in what Pickford's said, he's definitely under more of a microscope now that he's the England #1. But the thing is... that's the nature of being a starter for England and it's not really ever going to change. If you want to be the unquestionable starter for an important position for England, you better be able to cope with the pressure of being an unquestionable starter of an important position for England. It's sink or swim.

I also think there's another element on why Pickford gets so much stick from opposition fans. And that's because fans have seen him react to the abuse he gets and he'll make mistakes. It's especially apparent whenever Newcastle fans start singing shite at him.

I think he needs press coaching tbh. Every time he comes out with comments about any mistakes, I'm just taken back to that comment "I won't blunder like Alisson" - where he brought up a rival keeper's past mistake only to then make a much worse mistake in a match where the stakes were higher for both fans... and I think ultimately every time he'll ever make a mistake now for the rest of his life every Liverpool fan will just be thinking "haha, Jordy Short-Arms strikes again." And because he looks like one of those people that reacts to what the crowd has to say about him... I think fans of other clubs are rewarded by giving him loads of shite.

I think if he's asked about any blunders he needs to just say "Yeah, I made a mistake and as the keeper I have to take responsibility and learn from it" and not discuss or dwell on any of those mistakes. And as for dealing with abuse from the fans and the pressure of being under the microscope... there's no easy way to do it - he just needs to not be as focused on what's being said about him during a match and instead just focus on the match. That's why club's employ sport psychologists, the pressure isn't just going to magically disappear - it's something that has to be learned how to be dealt with.

I don't like Pickford, but he was good for us in the World Cup. I worry about his regression this season and what it means for England in the summer. And I worry that these recent comments mean he's not going to be handling the pressure of being the #1 at an international tournament well.

[RandoEFC+]

Knowing Everton, Pickford will probably be class for England this summer then cost us both derbies next season and score an own goal on the last day of the season that costs us a European spot. Call me a pessimist like.

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, RandoEFC said:

Knowing Everton, Pickford will probably be class for England this summer then cost us both derbies next season and score an own goal on the last day of the season that costs us a European spot. Call me a pessimist like.

Subscribe.

[RandoEFC+]

I forgot to mention that the last game of the season in question will be Newcastle away.

[Harry]

2 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

Knowing Everton, Pickford will probably be class for England this summer then cost us both derbies next season and score an own goal on the last day of the season that costs us a European spot. Call me a pessimist like.

It's been quite a positive trajectory under Carlo mate. Maybe that pessimism will be beaten out of you?

[RandoEFC+]

2 minutes ago, Harry said:

It's been quite a positive trajectory under Carlo mate. Maybe that pessimism will be beaten out of you?

On one hand yes, we have the best manager we've had in our lifetime on paper, a bunch of good young players who are coming along very nicely this season, and all those big contracts handed out to Sandro, Bolasie, Mirallas and co (I couldn't even tell you which ones we're still paying) are coming to an end this summer or next which should free up our finances a bit more.

On the other hand, Everton, so no I am still a massive pessimist. You saw it yourself that just last month we managed to lose to your under 12s. Ancelotti may have won the Champions League three times but that's nothing compared to our Evertonness.

[Dr. Gonzo]

14 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

I forgot to mention that the last game of the season in question will be Newcastle away.

Tbh, I think you'll be a much better side after the summer.

Everton are probably one of the wealthier clubs in the league (yes, I'm aware of the record losses posted - but Moshiri & Usmanov have money to burn and have shown they'll invest into the club - even if it means Citeh-like dodgy sponsorship deals with Usmanov's steel company to stay within the rules of FFP). They've also got Ancelotti, a man who's worked with some of the best players the planet's seen in the last 2 decades. And unlike some clubs that have money to burn and high profile managers, I think Everton are fairly attractive for promising players because there's loads of positions where Everton can conceivably upgrade on their starters by bringing in a new signing - so where players might think "nah, it's not worth joining this club if I'm not going to start" players might think "if I go to Everton, I'll probably start most matches playing for a man that's got an incredible track record, and they'll pay me pretty well."

He's done great work just by taking a "going back to basics" approach, showing that even with modern football and "modern tactics"... having a "progressive system" doesn't mean a thing if you aren't getting the basics right (take note Marco Silva). I imagine once he brings in players he and Brands have identified as players that'll help Everton turn the corner, you'll look much better. I think he's going to help Everton attract a bit more quality in their incoming signings than Walsh/Brand managed to do without a manager like him at the helm.

[Harry]

This is probably the most interested I've been in Ancelotti in a long while. He's done a bit of a klopp in terms of picking a club with high potential upside rather than pre-existing success. It will be a great challenge for him to work with Everton and shape them through the transfer period.

[Dan+]

I don't get this idea that 4-4-2 by default should fail because it's old fashioned. I've definitely read that on here or another forum - it's ridiculous in my eyes, if it works it works and to be honest too often people get a bit too bogged down by specifics.

[Danny]

7 hours ago, Dan said:

I don't get this idea that 4-4-2 by default should fail because it's old fashioned. I've definitely read that on here or another forum - it's ridiculous in my eyes, if it works it works and to be honest too often people get a bit too bogged down by specifics.

The 442 in British terms doesn’t really work at the highest level because generally the formation and the coaches putting it out lack tactically. But we’ve seen a form of it in the 4-2-2-2 that City have played a lot and Atlético play it as well but Simeone understands football enough for it to be a success

[RandoEFC+]

Our 442 works because Richarlison does such a good job of dropping back from the 2 to help the 4 man midfield. Any team with some tactical nous and a couple of decent midfielders should be able to overwhelm us by filling the centre of the pitch. Sigurdsson has been in there every game and while his work rate is good, it's not like he's fast or strong or a renowned ball winner, and alongside him you've generally got Davies, Schneiderlin or Delph who all have their qualities but also aren't exactly dominant figures. I'm going to keep a closer eye on it over the next few games because every time I see our team sheet that midfield looks suicidal yet we keep getting the results.

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

Our 442 works because Richarlison does such a good job of dropping back from the 2 to help the 4 man midfield. Any team with some tactical nous and a couple of decent midfielders should be able to overwhelm us by filling the centre of the pitch. Sigurdsson has been in there every game and while his work rate is good, it's not like he's fast or strong or a renowned ball winner, and alongside him you've generally got Davies, Schneiderlin or Delph who all have their qualities but also aren't exactly dominant figures. I'm going to keep a closer eye on it over the next few games because every time I see our team sheet that midfield looks suicidal yet we keep getting the results.

I wonder if he’ll ever try the Christmas tree formation he used to use at Milan.

Probably not until he brought new players in. Tbh I think he’s going with a 442 now because it’s simple to give players roles they’ll understand - every player’s played in a 442 before. Everton have good players, but obviously there was a disconnect between Silva’s vision for building on last season and how it was coming across to the players. And then you’d get bad performances, or worse... good performances where individual errors cost you three points.

I think Ancelotti’s belief here is, you can’t aim for the stars if you aren’t good at the basics first. And this is a way to get his ideas across to the players in the simplest of football terms tactically until he can change the squad around bit & get Everton doing the basics right most of the time.

I think you’ve got better players than most sides in the league. If he brings a level of consistency to Everton, you’ll beat more teams than you lose to... and that sets you up nicely in a league where almost everyone is taking points off each other.