Everton 2-1 Leicester - Wednesday 1st July, 2020

[RandoEFC+]

Leicester dominating possession but I think Keane and Holgate won't mind another 45 minutes of aerial bombardment. While our attacking play is a long way from being the finished article, we look decisive in our movement and passing when we bring it forward. Pleasantly surprised by that first half even if 2-0 is arguably flattering, we remain more than capable of snatching a draw or defeat here.

[Stan]

Absolutely terrible. 

No fight. No impetus. No conviction. No fluidity. Playing like a side that looks lost and not that's 3rd in the league. If you told me this side beat another in the PL 9-0 earlier this season I'd think you're high and off on one. 

We are shot of confidence and playing the same formation with no benefit or productivity. 

Saw this result coming a mile off. Wouldn't be surprise if it ends up 4-0 or more. Everton might not have had much of the ball but they've been more dangerous. 

That crossing stat said it all. What the fuck is the point in Albrighton crossing as many times as he wants in to Vardy who is covered by 2 big defenders. We tried it on Sunday and it didn't work. Everton have one cross and bury their chance. 

Also guaranteed Everton would get a penalty. Nailed on. 

[LFCMike]

I think it's definitely handball but I can appreciate the frustration from Leicester fans given some of the ones they haven't got this season.

[Dan+]

5 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Leicester dominating possession but I think Keane and Holgate won't mind another 45 minutes of aerial bombardment. While our attacking play is a long way from being the finished article, we look decisive in our movement and passing when we bring it forward. Pleasantly surprised by that first half even if 2-0 is arguably flattering, we remain more than capable of snatching a draw or defeat here.

How utterly Leicester.

We're honestly awful to watch. Possession is so fucking overrated.

I'm intrigued to see how we react to this - we normally lose a game in a really drawn out, frustrating fashion, it's very rare we're two goals down at half time. There's got to be some kind of significant reaction to this. If he doesn't make a single sub he's absolutely lost the plot.

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, LFCMike said:

I think it's definitely handball but I can appreciate the frustration from Leicester fans given some of the ones they haven't got this season.

Agreed. Took fucking ages as well

[Dr. Gonzo]

It's got to be annoying as fuck as a Leicester fan, being in the top 4 most of the season then having the season end... and coming back to their team looking pretty dire with lots of possession - but pointless possession that doesn't threaten the opposition. All while the top 4 rivals seem to have found some form. And you look at Leicester's fixtures coming up and there's some matches I wouldn't want to have my team playing if we were out of form and just playing the pointless possession match.

For their sake (and also fuck Man Utd), I hope they manage to pick things up soon and retain 4th. 

[Dan+]

Better this half - glad to at least see some sort of reaction.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Perhaps if I continue pouring the doom and gloom on Leicester, they'll keep scoring. At least, I hope so.

[RandoEFC+]

We need a defensive midfielder. Nobody filling those gaps in front of the back four.

[Dan+]

There's another goal in this.

[Dan+]

Somebody needs to step up here. Come on Maddison. I'm looking at you.

[Dan+]

Given ourselves too much to do.

[Stan]

Went flat after our sustained pressure after HT. Ancelotti's change to go more defensive hindered us. Almost as if Richarlison going off helped Everton out.

That abject showing in the first half screwed us over. Rubbish. 

[Dan+]

Absolutely shocking end to the game - no ideas at all again.

[Dave]

Leicester on the beach already. Never fear. Im sure Roy will play 3 DMs against you on Saturday.

[RandoEFC+]

Our midfield is a literal joke. Gomes, Davies and Sigurdsson all have their talents but barely have a defensive bone in their body. We only get away with 442 because Richarlison's defensive work basically makes it a 452. Changed the system when he went off because it was necessary. I don't usually like seeing us just throw on more defensive or more attacking players and chucking the system out the window but it worked today. Still one of the most shameless bus parkings I've seen from any team for a long time but you always sort of love to see your team do it to good effect on occasion.

You'll take it all day but you can hardly say we were great value for it in the second half. Thankfully all of our back line are more or less at the top of their games right now and the midfield and attack had enough guile to waste a decent amount of time.

No way we'd have 7 points from these last 3 games in a normal season. This post-apocalyptic, lethargic, attritional football suits our squad which is decent in both boxes but pretty poor in between and having a pragmatic and flexible manager who has adapted well to the conditions has set us in good stead.

Pickford almost fucked it up with that spill that Keane had to clear off the line. His first Pickford moment since the restart. I'm watching you Jordan.

[Redcanuck]

Happy with the result,  helps our attempt at top 4, but it sure looked like Everton were going to throw it away.

[Stan]

17 minutes ago, The Palace Fan said:

Leicester on the beach already. Never fear. Im sure Roy will play 3 DMs against you on Saturday.

Yeah you'll still win though  

[Dr. Gonzo]

If Ancelotti is able to keep grinding out results with that midfield though, imagine what he'd be able to do once he clears out some deadwood and brings in some midfielders of his own. That's twice now he's played against a side after the COVID suspension of the season where he's probably figured the opposition is going to hang onto the ball for most of the match and his midfield won't be able to do much about it... and he's managed to been the manager of the side that despite the lack of possession managed to make more good chances. And this time it's won them 3 points instead of just 1.

It's interesting to see because not really ever in his time as a manager has he been at a club where Everton are at where you're looking at a more long term build to compete for stuff. The closest thing really to it is his Parma side early on in his management career (although the expectation then was to immediately compete). I don't think Everton are a squad of bad players, I think overall it's talented players... just in a flawed squad that doesn't necessarily fit well together. And it's interesting to see that while Ancelotti still hasn't found something that quite makes this squad fit, he's able to get results. Him not being so rigidly tied to a system or philosophy lets him do what Silva (and Martinez and other Everton managers of the past) couldn't really do in those games where Everton's plan A wasn't working/wasn't going to work.

At this point, he's shown he's a better manager than his predecessor (did anyone fucking doubt that though???) and any remaining pressure he's got for the rest of the season is to just grind out as many good results as he can so he can finish as high as this squad can - rather than worry about the pretty football - and make it until the next transfer window where he can try to coax better players that'll fit in. I think it'll look pretty compelling to players coming into an Everton with Ancelotti if they end up in the top half after being in the relegation zone before he came in.

It's very irritating Everton have a manager I like and respect.

[RandoEFC+]

Ancelotti basically said he embraces the fact that Everton are a long way from success because he's fed up of the two to three year stopovers at the likes of PSG. 

But yeah, there were pundits back in December genuinely saying they reckon Moyes was a better option than Ancelotti.

With Martinez or Silva in charge we probably lose that game 4-2 and probably have either 1 or 3 points from the restart having faced Norwich away.

Spurs away on Monday. Think the best we can hope for there is a shithousey draw. It's the last game we have left against the traditional big six so anything from that would be a bonus and we could then look to extending the unbeaten run to the end of the season as a bit of a target.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Just now, RandoEFC said:

But yeah, there were pundits back in December genuinely saying they reckon Moyes was a better option than Ancelotti.

Yeah, I thought that was mental. Also when it seemed like it was you and Arsenal both in for either Arteta (who may end up a good manager eventually, but is way unproven) or Ancelotti... I thought going with Ancelotti was a no brainer tbh. Everton and (especially) Arsenal are very big jobs for a first job as a manager - I actually think you're very fortunate that Arsenal were the ones to take the gamble with Arteta.

Not saying Arteta's a bad manager, or anything like that, mind you... I'm just saying it's too early for anyone to really tell what kind of manager Arteta would be. I suppose the risk was whether Ancelotti would be the right manager to oversee a club wanting to rebuild in a long-term project, considering his prior work experience. But honestly, I think that mostly depends on recruitment - but he's a man that knows what it takes to win at the top, I think if the recruitment is good enough it's inevitable Everton will keep getting better. But that's sort of on him (to an extent) as well, assuming Everton's recruitment policies are like most clubs in England.

That's sort of a big if... but it's better odds of improving than having someone like Martinez or Silva insisting they have it their way, even when their way isn't working at all and they aren't taking the club forward. I think he's a shrewd appointment for what Everton want to do - steady the ship and build upwards to sustain regularly challenging for the CL (and beyond if possible), even if his stock at top clubs has fallen a bit after his recent stints.

Also credit to Rodgers and Leicester for playing with more intensity in the second half (and forcing Ancelotti to make defensive adjustments). Ultimately, it wasn't enough... and at the end I thought Leicester went flat again. When things went wrong with us with him at the helm, we wouldn't make any real adjustments we would pigheadedly plug away at the same pointless possession shite. So seeing steps to give Leicester some actual penetration shows... he's at least learned something, even if Leicester didn't improve enough.

As @Stan said though, they lost that match in the first half with that inept performance and played into Everton being set up to nullify a passive possession game and only until the second half did it look like Leicester could capitalise on the possession. Honestly think it's a confidence thing with the Leicester players right now though & if they play a side that'll crumble in the face of having barely any of the ball they'll get a great result and they'll probably start playing better overall.

Do Leicester play Norwich anytime soon?

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

As @Stan said though, they lost that match in the first half with that inept performance and played into Everton being set up to nullify a passive possession game and only until the second half did it look like Leicester could capitalise on the possession. Honestly think it's a confidence thing with the Leicester players right now though & if they play a side that'll crumble in the face of having barely any of the ball they'll get a great result and they'll probably start playing better overall.

Do Leicester play Norwich anytime soon?

I'm not sure it's a confidence thing. It's tactical and formation, for me. If it was confidence, that 2-0 would have turned in to 4-0 by HT. We responded fairly well in circumstances to get through to HT at just 2-0 to make changes and by fairly well I mean not conceding more!

Nah not Norwich (who ironically, we only got 1 point against in our 2 games this season )

But we do have Bournemouth in a few games who will turn in to prime Barcelona 2008-11 no doubt after playing like a kid's Sunday League side all season.

[Dan+]

The first half was absolutely awful, still seemingly not over this tendency to concede from the first shot we face, to then gift them a 2nd like that is abysmal.

We're terrible at breaking teams down. Sit deep, force us to cross and you should've done enough. Absolutely awful to watch us when we're trailing a game. We haven't got the quality to open teams up.

I'm not pinning the loss on him but Maddison's got to sort himself out. When you look at the impact Fernandes has made for Manchester United and compare Maddison's total lack of productivity since the turn of the year it's not hard to see why we're going to miss out.

This Vardy situation is mental too. I've completely forgot he was playing for the fourth game running.

What an absolute embarrassment this season is turning into. In January we were 2nd in the league, 15 clear of 5th and had a semi final against a dog shit Aston Villa coming up. We're going to come 6th and didn't even make Wembley. Absolutely pathetic.

[RandoEFC+]

What did non-Everton fans think of Anthony Gordon? I thought he played well today and he's getting a lot of love on Everton Twitter but it's hard to get a impartial impression on a teenage Scouse lad breaking into the first team from Everton fans.

[Stan]

45 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

What did non-Everton fans think of Anthony Gordon? I thought he played well today and he's getting a lot of love on Everton Twitter but it's hard to get a impartial impression on a teenage Scouse lad breaking into the first team from Everton fans.

Not too bad for a youngster. Only other game I watched him in was against Liverpool and that was pretty boring on the whole. 

Did well to go for the run and put in the cross for Richarlison's goal and handled himself well in midfield. I wouldn't say anything special in this performance but it was decent nonetheless.