Arsenal (H)

[Kant]

About Martinez and his subs, I always have the feeling he respects the hierarchy in the team. He is always conservative and he never promotes a player before giving significant time to the previous holder of the spot to defend it. (Example: Osman - Deulofeu, Lukaku - Jelavic). This season I feel Besic will not start playing games from the beginning, he will get some sub games previously, and after game six he will get consistent playtime.

 

I think it's a thing about team spirit, a player feeling useful and not suddenly taken apart for a newcomer. It hampers the results in the first games, I admit, but I guess this is his way of telling all the players "I respect you, and the new ones will have to earn it".

 

As for the defensive lapses, I really cannot understand how a team that is so composed with the ball can sit so deep.

 

So far, this Everton team of Martinez is (2014 overall):

a) Defensively soft: there is not a ruthless captain screaming and putting hard tackles

Mentally fragile: everytime they get a lead, they try to defend it. And they do it by sitting VERY back (see goals against Arsenal).

c) Very strong in posession: it has been quite obvious that quality wise the footballers can keep up with the best, only got outplayed by City.

d) Great at the counter-attack: speed, power, movement and intelligence.

 

All in all, for me this team reminds me to the old Arsenal teams that finished 4th for many seasons, albeit less talented: beautiful posession football sometimes, lacking cutting edge, some last minute draws, lacks character.

 

I must admit I enjoy watching this team play football, but it frustrates the hell out of me when I see them defending a lead because they have the talent to kill the game by attacking more yet they clearly prefer to sit back and counter.