Elston Gunnn

Glad we were the more aggressive team. If Spurs had had the opportunities we had, they’d be up by a goal or two.

This is good news for fans in the EPL, maybe including a few of you!! https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/15/premier-league-penultimate-round-covid-19-lockdown-eased Also, some interesting implications for our late-season schedule. 1. If City make the CL final, the City-Everton match, Sunday May 23, would be sandwiched between City’s May 18-19 EPL match and the CL final, May 29. Maybe City would rest most of their best players. And maybe we’d still have Europa League possibility. 2. The switch for the Everton-Wolves match to May 18-19 removes a logical, even likely, date for rescheduling our game-in-hand match at Villa. And in turn that makes the most likely dates to reschedule Villa either a few days before (April 27-28) or a few days after (May 4-5) our home match with ..... Villa. Anybody see a more likely date to reschedule Villa? Maybe May 15, now that our final home match, Wolves, is to be moved to May 18-19?

Don’t know where (which thread) to ask this bit of trivia, but the phrase came up in reference to the W Ham-Leicester match, now at the half. On the Guardian website, just after W Ham’s second goal, the comment reads: “Leicester will be as concerned as Mr Kipling makes good cakes.” I know about Mr Kipling cakes, but I still don’t understand the comment. Help.

Caught my eye: “Larin seems particularly well-suited to playing wide on the right where he has been most productive....”

Maybe 3-4-2-1? Holgate Mina Godfrey Coleman Allan Gomes Digne Sigurdsson Richarlison DCL

Sorry to repeat a halftime comment, but too many Everton players look as if they think they should not have to outwork smaller clubs in order to win. Lost 9 points at home to clubs with “inferior talent.” Either they (and maybe we, including me) have significantly overrated the talent in our squad, or they lack the intangibles that constitute “fight.” We know our team doesn’t have enough pace. Combine that with a lack of passion against smaller clubs, and the result is that time and again opponents beat our players to the ball. Again today we were a step behind physically and mentally. I suspect teams throughout the league think: “Everton are soft.”

Strikes me that too often our players think minnows should acknowledge Everton are a “big club,” so Everton should just be allowed to win. Our players seem — shouldn’t be true but often looks/feels — to want to win because their wages are more impressive than “inferior” opponents. Too little fire, too little fierce determination, too much lackadaisical overconfidence. Rocket up their backsides second half, I hope.

I’ll hope for ....... Pickford Coleman Keane Godfrey Digne Allan Davies King Gomes Richarlison DCL Don’t have much confidence in either Iwobi or Bernard, though yes, either could come off the bench and score. Davies and Gomes are pretty much interchangeable in midfield (not in skills but as middle-of-pitch players), so they’d drift back and forth. Don’t think Holgate offers much going forward down the right, and he seems more confident as a CH than RB. So I hope Coleman is actually fully ready to play. If not, and Mina is ready, then I’d prefer to see ....... Godfrey Mina Keane Digne

I’ll hope for this, too. I’d be inclined to have Godfrey in midfield, as he offers more going forward, just very occasionally, mind. Generally we need Godfrey and Allan to protect the backline, especially when either Digne or Coleman push forward for width. I hope Coleman is fit. Don’t fancy Holgate at RB. It’s a risk playing Gomes and Sigurdsson together, but if Doucouré and Davies are out, they’re preferable than starting either Bernard or Iwobi.

Arsenal drop points at Burnley, 1-1. Pretty exciting match, with some howlers. Catch the lowlights if you get a chance. Xhaka ultra-howler for Burnley goal, and VAR missed PK against Burnley. Happy to see Arsenal struggle, and helps us a bit.

Man U drop points at Palace, 0-0. Good day for us.

Wait a minute. They got Barkley.........

This thought does trouble me a bit, and I’m half-serious. For, if Villa aren’t much of a threat to get into top 6, yet might threaten Everton, that seems to mean they could seriously damage our hopes for top 6 (or higher). Yes?

Yes, good results. I won’t quite say Villa are no threat, as we still play them twice. Like to see Palace beat Man U tonight, too.

I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing with this. Nor can I imagine anyone disagreeing with this counterpoint. So we’re all in agreement.

Awful from Doucouré. Awful.

Wonderful from Iwobi. I don’t say that a whole lot.

Again Southampton win 50-50 balls. So disappointing.

Jeez, Keane farting around. Awful.

Gomes is excellent at controlling ball, turning, using his backside. He’s tough to get around.

Another big miss.

Southampton much better in the general run of play. Consistently won contested balls. We’ve been dangerous on set plays and near-misses, but our overall play is somewhat disappointing. Irritating.

Southampton passing crisper than ours.

Big miss there.

Can we stay onside for this one?