Zoo 2.0

The level of incompetence on show tonight is utterly staggering. Jordan Pickford completely unable to kill the game and command his area has cost us two points, utterly dismal at being a presence and shitting the bed twice allowing them to score. Mason Holgate who had a great game needs to to look at himself too. Clears the ball lazily with his right foot rather than his left to gift them a cheap throw in and then heads the ball out for a cheap corner which they score from. It's simply unacceptable to switch off and become lazy "because it's 2-0, Newcastle are shite and it's 91 minutes" as this is the what happens. Fabien Delph, abysmal. Twatting the ball right into Newcastle possession rather than playing it short and keeping the thing for another 60 seconds - dreadful. All three need a good bollocking for quite simply playing like inexperienced, terrified six-year olds. Edit: "Supporters" coming down the stairs saying "that's football" and "bloody Everton that" need to have a look at themselves too. It's not football or Everton, it's being brain-dead when a blind man on a galloping horse could see exactly what went wrong and what was going to happen.

Feels like ages since we've played at the Old Lady under the lights, can't wait .

Just because it's Everton doesn't make it any different to the Gareth Bale situation for me. It's not Niasse's fault that we put him on a bumper contract, if I were in the same boat at another club I'd do the same. He's not going to get the same money elsewhere so is taking what he is owed from his employer, exactly what anyone else would do in his situation. Not every footballer bleeds for Everton and will bend over backwards for the club (especially after how he was treated by Koeman). You can't blame him for sitting in the reserves earning double the money he would get elsewhere in what is a notoriously short career. The frustrations should be taken out on whoever scouted and approved the signing of Oumar as he was never good enough and hasn't looked Premier League quality since day one. I'll always respect him for putting in 110% each week but Russian football is probably his level.

Anyone writing off a 19 year old kid who doesn't speak the language and has played under three managers in six months needs to give their head a wobble. Not setting the world alright, but put in 110% today, the first goal will come and then he'll be off.

Schneiderlin's last appearance in the league was a 3-1 win against Chelsea.

Boss game that, hung on for the last 10 minutes which was frustrating but other than that it was A*. Ball retention was fantastic, some great moves up and down the wing too which was always going to be the case with them playing a 4-3-3. Bernard completely ran the show and it speaks volumes that when he went off our creativity dipped, although admittedly that's when we changed focus and sat deeper. I must admit that I'm confused by some of the posts on here and social media regarding the substitutions. We were starting to look tired and Brighton were starting to throw everything at it so perfectly sensible to take off the tired attackers, save legs and sit deep for the 1-0. Moving Davies out wide and putting some fresh legs in the middle where they had an extra player and adding Coleman to tighten up the defence (mixed with Sidibe to play as a defensive winger) made perfect sense. Holgate out wide was the only one that could raise questions but with the height that Brighton have why would you bring on a small player (Baines) rather than the man mountain that is Mina? I'll admit it's a touch risky shutting up shop at 1-0 but IMO it was the correct call. Notable shouts for MOTM alongside Bernie is Richarlison for his goal and general graft alongside Holgate who was so calm and collected. No surprise that Micheal Keane had one of his better games alongside what is a confident Mason.

I was so excited about Lookman, especially after he scored his debut goal against Manchester City but the fact that three managers overlooked him (Koeman, Allerdyce and Silva) plus Unsworth lead me to believe that not all was right behind the scenes. I don't necessarily think that he had a poor attitude but perhaps just wasn't good enough when push came to shove week in and week out on the training pitch. The fact that we were able to get so much for him after barely playing him and paying so much to Charlton was a great bit of business considering he was never likely to make it here and towards the end wanted to leave. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it seems we made the right choice letting Ademola go. I don't think that moving to Newcastle is a fantastic move for him either, the amount of toxicity surrounding them makes any transfer a poisoned chalice - just looked at Joelinton.

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The biggest worry is how this affects our season. The Derby with *that* goal from Origi in the 96th minute absolutely killed us for months.

When you have a manager with the pedigree of Carlo Ancelotti and are playing against what is essentially a teams academy it's the biggest indicator that winning and Anfield don't mix. This is the best opportunity we've had in 20 years and won't face easier opposition for 20 more. I usually like to see reason but this is without doubt the darkest day I've ever known supporting Everton. An embarrassment beyond comprehension. Not a single shot on target and 95% of passes going to and from Mina, Sidibe and Holgate before being twatted into oblivion by Pickford, only for Adrian to stroll out and begin a counter attack. Our ball retention, game management and quality has been abysmal beyond words and shows that while there are genuinely good players here (Digne, Bernard) they are far outweighed by absolute dross. This is the culmination of years of shocking decisions behind the scenes. Raise a glass to Steve Walsh.

Appalling. The fact this is even a contest is abysmal, this is the Liverpool academy team, they've got three players that are experienced in the first team and one plays in goal. Three massive chances and all have been woeful. Good saves yes but it's saves that you'd expect a professional goalkeeper to make - the best chance of the game has come from Origi. Embarrassed to put it bluntly.

Obviously never happy to lose a game but Manchester City are an incredible side, regardless of how much they have struggled this season (although not at the Etihad). I'm frustrated that we didn't ask more of Bravo as even with nothing to do all game he gifted us a goal but overall just one of those games that we have to move on from. I thought we were good first half, very mature as I alluded to in my earlier post but it seems as though City went up a gear and we went down another. Very sloppy in the 45-60 minute stage of the game and by that time Jesus has punished us twice, when we recovered and looked lively the game had already gone. Davies looked off the pace but was thrown into the game at the last minute to be fair to him, Sidibe was really poor but he seems to be either hot or cold with no inbetween, hopefully he bounces back against Brighton. Impressed with DCL too, didn't have much to work with but managed to put his stamp on the game - not bothered about his tackle either, very lucky to stay on the pitch but that nastiness is what we have been lacking. Don't want to cause injuries or harm of course but any defender thinking twice about going near our attacker can only be a good thing. Still looking forward to Brighton, a very winnable game at the Old Lady with Carlo at the helm. Happy 2020 to everyone on ToffeeTalk too, hope this year is the best yet. Never give up, follow your dreams. Don't take life too seriously and always find ways to be happy. Sounded like McManaman on BT Sport with "The penny will drop for Moise Kean soon, or it won't and he'll be sold".

Mature performance so far. Exciting? No. Positive? No. But ask yourself how many teams have made City look very ordinary at the Etihad, other than their goal which was offside they've had nothing to really trouble Pickford. It would be nice if we could release DCL more and play in their half but I'd have taken a 0-0 before KO and would happily have another boring 45 to see us into next week. These aren't the fixtures that we dominate and win 5-0, these are the fixtures that we play smart, work the space and stop the opposition from playing.

Don't want to get excited but that is a very sub-par Manchester City team. Claudio Bravo being in-between the sticks is massive, I was gutted that Ederson's suspension was just for one game but seems we've struck lucky with him now being ill. Cancelo out on the right (who has already been told to either shape up or leave) and an unproven (though talented) centre-back in Eric Garcia is good news for us. I think if we have the balls to really get at them then we could take something here. Let's be honest, they're an incredible team but are without doubt weaker tonight on paper. We couldn't really have asked for much more so must take advantage, remember that Pep has faced Carlo twice and lost both times. Like a kid at Xmas whenever Everton are playing again and I'm sure I'm not the only one. The Ancelotti Effect @Finn balor Anthony Gordon on the bench.

Having to pinch myself, do we really have a manager who can make actual tactical changes during a game?! We were fantastic for the first 20 minutes and then desperately looked second best up until the hour mark when we so obviously needed fresh legs in the middle to held us keep the ball. Our poor ball retention was the only thing that allowed Newcastle to have a sniff so full credit to Ancelotti and Delph for changing the game. DCL just gets better and better. Six months ago I and most others were convinced he wouldn't make it here and now he's every bit the number 9 we've been crying out for. An out and out poacher in the right place at the right time twice and it quite literally won us the game - so happy with his form right now. Pickford was brilliant, saved our arses a few times when we were second best. Sidibe, Baines both great (so happy Digne got 90 minutes rest) and Holgate stole the show at times now needing surgical treatment to remove Andy Carroll from his back pocket. Michael Keane scares the fuck out of me but did alright today, Yerry Mina also brilliant with a cameo to see us through. Charlie ran his arse into the ground (and my MOTM after DCL), having players willing to put their neck on the line for the shirt is what I've been desperate for in what feels like forever, he never stopped running and constantly made the right choices with tired legs and minutes to spare. On another day he would have rolled over and sulked but to his credit gave as good as he got. I'm so, so happy. Tactics were spot on, even if we did ride our luck in the middle part of the game. The fact that we are 10th and seriously in the conversation about Europe again is baffling and I seriously need to lie down. UTFT.

Kenny has played every single game for a Schalke side that are 5th in the Bundesliga, seven points adrift from Red Bull at the top. I don't understand why on this basis people are writing him off? To go to a new league at 22 and hold an undisputed first team place is quite impressive and the Bundesliga has proved a fantastic breeding ground for young, English talent as Jadon Sancho shows with Dortmund. For those that aren't convinced by the above he was also voted "Rookie of the Month" in August and last season Schalke finished 14th (out of 18) so it's not as if he's playing at Bayern and being carried. He's also notched two assists and a goal, not bad from defence. Brands said from the beginning that Kenny would be loaned with no option to buy as he's part of our future plans. With Coleman approaching the twilight stage of his career selling Kenny now would be ludicrous (especially at £8m when we sold Lookman to Germany for double?). He will without a shadow of a doubt come back as the first team right-back with either Sidibe at right-wing or as a rotational option, he's not going anywhere.

I personally don't think the time is right for us to sign a striker as adding someone in January would just mean less opportunities for DCL (who has proven in the past month that he's got something about him) and Moise Kean who Carlo clearly fancies. I'd prefer us to work with those two as much as we can and develop them for next season than risk a chunk of our budget on someone who might help in the short term but do the opposite for the next few years. At the moment we have too many strikers as it is, we've got DCL, Kean, Tosun, Niasse and Sandro on the books so adding a sixth would be insane business. I think what we should be prioritising is getting rid of Sandro in the summer (I'd honestly look at a mutual termination) and one of either Tosun and Niasse. Ideally giving us one as a back-up to Dom and Moise with the option to then bring somebody in once Carlo has had enough time to evaluate his options and after trimming down the squad size and wage budget. On the flip side, this could well be the idea behind closed doors. Who knows.

He's pulled up with injuries twice and has been playing through them for the most part - even having to come off against Chelsea as he couldn't continue. I can buy into the idea that he wanted to leave under Silva but now that we have Ancelotti? Not a chance. He's moved from Barcelona to Roma to Everton in rather quick succession so I doubt he would want to up sticks and move for the fourth time - not to mention that he now has a newborn son so would presumably want to settle for a while. One of Carlo's demands was that Moise Kean, Richarlison and Lucas Digne would not be sold in any future window so I'd be absolutely baffled if he even so much as spoke about a departure. I'd also argue that he's not in poor form at all, just playing like somebody who badly needs a rest. Edit: I forgot to add that it won't be Lyon as they couldn't afford him. He's one of the best left backs in the league and with inflation the way it is we would be quite reasonable starting the price at £70-80 million which a French club (other than PSG) won't pay. He would probably need to halve his wages too to make the switch. Not to mention that with respect, Ligue 1 is a massive step backwards to the Premier League.

Thoroughly professional job today, it's difficult to play fast flowing football and win 12-0 when you're against a side that is set up to frustrate and time waste. Burnley were only ever interested in the 0-0 so the fact we found that moment of magic was very pleasing to see. The fine margins between Silva and Ancelotti were on show today. We kept the ball and dominated possession, happy to play backwards and across the back four with the difference that we could snap into attack in an instant. Dominating possession and probing the ball with end product is the ingredient to a very good side and we have laid foundations today in the best possible way - a clean sheet and three points. Tough to decide between Mina and Sidibe for MOTM but in the end I went with the latter for his fantastic assist (with full credit to DCL for finding the back of the net). Mina I thought was a proper monster at the back, never giving the opposition a sniff and deserves double wages for his clearance off the line, 1-0 down 90 seconds into Carlo's reign would have been nothing short of disastrous. Good to see Holgate performing well and getting the nod over Keane, with Mason's age we could well be looking at a Holgate/Mina partnership throughout the Ancelotti era (at least until the summer).

Coleman and Digne the will be expected to overlap as Carlo has already suggested that he will be playing offensive football. You can see Lucas being able to get back but against a pacey winger Seamus could struggle. Having Sidibe able to cover should cope with that plus the positives from this season have ironically come from him going forwards as opposed to back. Glad that the 4-4-2 is out, back to Ancelotti's roots and where we have looked strongest. If we can perform well against United and Chelsea with it, why not Burnley? Trying not to be over optimistic, but absolutely buzzing about today.

Driving down to Wrexham for Christmas Eve with my better half to see her folks before travelling back up North for Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to everyone on ToffeeTalk and wishing you a prosperous and healthy 2020. May this be the year of success and happiness. Three points against Burnley would be nice too !

Ancelotti's dissertation at University was based around the 4-4-2 formation which tells you everything you need to know about his views on it. I wouldn't be surprised to see it used going forward, especially considering our best performances under Ferguson came with it.

Mentioning Ferguson's win percentage is farcical when you consider that he has managed us against Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and a high flying Leicester midweek who are 2nd in the table. A much more fitting and true stat is that we are unbeaten in the league when it looked for all the money in the world that we would be sitting with zero points from three games and firmly in the relegation zone. Having even an ounce of criticism for Duncan considering what has been achieved is completely naive. As for the game, we just didn't have enough to break them down really. Iwobi going off messed up the formation as it forced Davies out wide where he doesn't belong. We didn't have the pace to get around them and didn't have the quality to play inbetween the lines. Instead we hoofed the ball and recycled possession without any killer instinct. We looked good at the back (Mina, Sidibe and Holgate impressing) but in the final third were lacking. Amen.

Looks very much like a Marco Silva team that although it will be interesting to see how the formation evolves in real time post KO. Perhaps Delph is the holding midfielder with Tom Davies now free to roam box-to-box alongside Sigurdsson (in effect giving us two players behind the striker). No doubt Richarlison and Iwobi will be drifting into the box with Digne and Sidibe overlapping. It's a flat formation on paper but could be anything but once the ball starts rolling. Plus, Carlo Ancelotti. Nothing could upset me today, we've got Ancelotti