milesey05

Holgate is doing OK keeping it simple. 

Had the chances and game should have been put to bed. This worries me going in at 0-0.
poor showing from Davies imo.
Holgate back from the dead😉.
 

Best half we've seen from Holgate in a long long time 

On this day a shit load of days ago, Jesus arose from the dead.
May holgate do the same as a footballer!! 

Last season we were all laughing when Man U were said to be interested, saying why would we sell out future first choice CB.
I hope he can return back to that form again.

On this day a shit load of days ago, Jesus arose from the dead.
May holgate do the same as a footballer!! 

Firstly I will just clarify that my original point was in respect of teams that can attack with structure. I was giving examples that it was clearly very possible with average players as long as you work on it on the training ground. I also gave Tuchel as an example earlier in the thread of the difference a manager can make when they come into the fold at short notice and how they can mould teams into their style of play. They may have better players etc etc but both of these types of team show that quality of players and not enough time on the training ground are not excuses for our lack of attacking structure. Does anyone think that is an unreasonable argument?
My expectations are around style of play than actual performance. If you do the right things consistently enough, the results will come. In fact Tuchel in his draw with Leeds said:
"I don't want to be too harsh because sometimes it's hard to score. As long as we have chances, and lots of touches in the box, the results will be there."
There are several ways to win games of football but the most successful and consistently successful sides in the top leagues regularly dominate possession, they play higher up the pitch and they play compactly and they press aggressively. They also have patterns of play in attack and don't rely on one main outlet. We don't do many of these things and it isn't because we don't have the players or because we have injuries. In my opinion they are cop-outs. For example yesterday Leicester beat Utd 3-1 with 4 injuries in key positions (Justin, Pereira, Barnes & Maddison).
Even if you look to win games on the back foot you still need to be able to play through the opposition press and regularly counter attack through the opposition deep into the opponents half. If you don't you end up crumbling under the pressure of the waves of attack. The West Ham v Arsenal game was an example of that. West Ham's ability to counter attack and hold onto the ball for the last hour of the game led to wave after wave of Arsenal attack. They put a couple together at the end against a team that was becoming increasingly desperate, but Arsenal could have easily been level just after half time.
That doesn't mean that I think we have this wonderful squad of players that doesn't mean improving upon. Ancellotti has had 3 windows now and he has made the decision to set us up like we have been. He said before and after the Burnley game that he wanted us to play with a more attacking mindset but we looked completely unprepared for what was coming and we didn't do anything you would expect of that type of team (i.e high pressing aggression, width, quick passing). The players in that came were capable but Burnley's game plan was better than ours and they attacked much more effectively than we did.
My opinion on Ancellotti is reserved. I was extremely disappointed with him last season, and I was ecstatic with him at the beginning of this season but game after game I have become more and more disappointed because we look more like a side that is trying to win a game through a set piece than having any plan in our attacking shape. I am not one to take into account past glories. It is all about the here and now and my Judgment is very much out because of the 18 months or so that he has been here, despite a better squad, there was a period of 1 to 2 months where I actually thought that we looked like a good football team.
Ultimately all I want is for Everton to be successful and win trophies and play in Europe. I don't see us taking those steps forward and whilst we may look close to the teams above us in the league, our performances are nowhere near them and not only are we at risk of dropping away from them in a season that we have a lot of opportunities (no Europe, modest cup runs, the general Covid hangover), but if we keep playing like this next season, I only see us dropping away further. If we can't bridge that gap with Ancellotti, James, £70million in spending and God knows how much on the wage bill, then when is it going to happen?
If nothing else, hopefully you will sleep well if you get to the end of that

Held City for most of the game but our resistance buckled in the end.
Lads put a bloody good shift in.
Class will always come through.
 

Held City for most of the game but our resistance buckled in the end.
Lads put a bloody good shift in.
Class will always come through.
 

Bring Holgate off and coleman to CB. Iwobi wide right. 

Good half for us that, Gomes and Godfrey looking particularly good

Dier is dire, Maguire has the mobility of the Michael Jackson statue that used to be outside Craven Cottage, Mings I don't mind getting a go but Keane is better than all of them.

I would tell Southgate to go f*ck himself if I was Keane.
Eric Dier, Mings, and even Maguire haven’t been any better than Keane.
Stones has played himself into the squad with some top performances.
 

I would tell Southgate to go f*ck himself if I was Keane.
Eric Dier, Mings, and even Maguire haven’t been any better than Keane.
Stones has played himself into the squad with some top performances.
 

We are not playing like any sort of team at the moment.
Out classed by Fulham and Burnley and pretty much grinding out ugly wins.
I don’t think anyone on here doubts the class of Carlo and his record speaks for itself.
With time and money he can hopefully turn us into a force but let’s not hide away from a simple fact.
We are losing against weaker opposition when starting with the better players!!
Not just losing with bad luck but losing because we deserved to.
 
Burnley moved the ball with speed and purpose and at times tore us a new one...Fucking Burnley!!
Yesterday I didn’t see any link up play or fluidity, defence, midfield and attack were like different departments at work, it was another typical Everton performance that we have seen for most of the season.
Football can be a bit like poker! You can win a few games at the start with a bit luck/good fortune but that can only take you so far.
Eventually, if you want to compete with the big boys skill, reading the game and over powering your opponents is needed to win.
Everton are still playing like beginners at the moment.

Genuinely, we aren't playing any better football than we have under previous managers. We could quite easily be mid-table and we have been outplayed by relegation threatened sides with inferior squads. 
Is anyone else concerned by that? 

Another really poor showing. I go back to the Liverpool game when I said all the things we failed to show again today. You can't just click your fingers and expect a change from the players in their patterns of play. We barely put a passage of good passes together. The majority of our chances came from one off balls. In defence we had so little intensity in our press and we sit too deep leaving some much space between the midfield and the defence. You can't do that and expect to win games. That isnt good or bad players, that is down to not enough work on the training ground. You can see that when you compare our performance to that of Burnley. They were organised in attack and defence. 
In terms of individual performances it was a mixed bag.
I am gutted to see Pickford injured because he is in good form but Virginia played well. Yes there was a mix up with Godfrey but the CB should be dealing with that as it hits him. 
Digne was much of nothing again. He is best linking up with his winger, just like Baines of old but there is no-one ahead of him most of the time. He needs to stop screaming like a child too. 
Keane and Godrey were again far too negative. Keane was the better of the two on overall play but he was beaten by Wood too often. Godfrey needs to find some bollocks. Even the block shot he only gets there with his hand. I don't know why someone that quick and strong gives the attacker so much space. 
Holgate was poor again. I just don't know what goes through his head, if anything. I am amazed he started with Coleman fit again and even more amazed that Carlo let him run into dead ends for 70 minutes. 
Allan was shocking in the first half. I think that was his worst half by far. His role in the second goal was schoolboy. He got better as the game went on then he became a bit of a passenger as we started to push forward because that isnt his game.
Davies was rivalling Allan for a shocking first half, at least until his assist. It was a cracking cross too. He built on that as the game went on and I was surprised when he went off because he offers more on the ball than Allan, albeit he offers much less defensively. 
Gomes was probably my MOTM. He is definitely back to his best form. His confidence is up and he was spraying the ball around. He was really good at just taking little touches and faints to create little moments of space that we never capitalised on. His left foot is as good as his right.
Iwobi started in a 10 role and he was really lively. He was in little pockets of space and his movement was dragging the Burnley midfield around. The problem with that was that we had no width whatsoever. When he then moved into the wide positions he had a useless Holgate as support. He got more involved again when Coleman came on however those two are on completely different wavelengths.
Richarlison found himself in decent spaces but nothing came of it. There was no link up or build up play off him. As the second half went on he disappeared. 
Dom, Dom, Dom. Aarrgghh. I have said about Doucoure the other week doing all the right things with the right intentions but it not coming off and I think Dom took it upon himself to take over that mantle. The only thing he didnt fuck up was the goal but everything else he singlehandedly ruined. If you didnt know better you would say he was match fixing. He needs to stop diving as well.
Coleman was positive when he came on. Very little quality but his energy was very welcome. Oh and the fact he didnt just run into the defender and then give a foul away. 
King is still not integrated into the side which is unsurprising as most of the team don't look as though they have played with each other before either. One decent ball into Richarlison but that was it.

Say it again, we have been riding our luck far too often.
we do not play good football under Carlo.
Another piss  poor showing. 

Thought he did ok overall but if he can’t handle a ball in to feet with a player behind him in a tight area then the Premiership is not for him
 

Fucking useless toss.  Fucking useless tossers.

Even in the games we have won we have been shit its something like 17 games since we had more shots than the opposition 

Another shocking delivery 

Holgate off!!
offered zero today 

Holgate off!!
offered zero today 

I’m his biggest critic but he’s not been that bad.