Everton post match 2-4

[adejo92]

Could have been worse. Enjoyable day out, team just paid the price for lapse mid way through.

 

Got to say, Everton have the worst fans in the league. Was it a stadium or a morgue? I thought West Ham was bad!

[Jimothy]

5 minutes ago, Slim Dog said:

No, I didn't. I called people out on the opposite.

You actually said "Slimani>Ulloa" because he scored and when I pointed out he'd missed some big sitter this year you said you were only looking at today's match. So you said Slimani is better than Ulloa based on the match today. Not difficult to understand is it  

[Chico1958]

Don't we ever have a thread that actually praises the team after they lose.

• We have seven games to avoid relegation
• We only have two opportunities to get to CL Semi's
• Evertons home record is probably up there with the best
• Individuals will have poor games but it's the team as a whole we support
• We played to the style everybody has been crying out for
• The boys who came in did ok........... Just
• The Team kept trying until the bitter end with a little bit more passion than we saw in the games before March

I'm not Shakespeares greatest admirer, but the man took the difficult the decision and deserves nothing but praise for having the bottle to do so.

 

I take my hat off to the Guy and the Team for showing me they still have it in them..........

 

Bring on Wednesday and I hope we can do a little better against Palace  

 

Ps: I think the Team selection would have been a little different had we had the 12:30 or 15:00 hours start Saturday

[Manwell Pablo]

37 minutes ago, Vacamion said:

 

 

Noticeable that you didn't mention King, who you usually big up.

 

 

 

Usually isn't the word I'd use for a decades + worth of plaudits mate  I 

 

On topic it was a typical Islam slimani performance, some of it good some of it it cart horse on the whole,  but did really well for his goal mainly in making the space. Always should score from that position but given he's struggled to score with his feet for us thought the megs finish was pretty cool. I just don't know why but we never look the same team without shinji or albrighton.

 

Edit: and this isn't the slimani thread, nvm  

[Slim Dog]

9 minutes ago, Facecloth said:

You actually said "Slimani>Ulloa" because he scored and when I pointed out he'd missed some big sitter this year you said you were only looking at today's match. So you said Slimani is better than Ulloa based on the match today. Not difficult to understand is it  

I put Ulloa>Slimani. It was sarcasm. Nice try though.

[Jimothy]

2 minutes ago, Slim Dog said:

I put Ulloa>Slimani. It was sarcasm. Nice try though.

So you sarcastically said Ulloa is better than Slimani because based on today you think the other way. Nice try though  

[Guy]

An entertaining enough game of course but devoid of quality defending overall from both teams for the most part of course with plenty of attacking prowess on show instead but we gave Everton plenty to think about and defend towards the end when trying to force a draw, despite a two goals deficit by then.

 

As said it was a wise decision by Shaky to rest certain key players for this 'on hiding to nothing' fixture ahead of time for Wednesday, bearing in mind we're pretty much safe already now, especially after the results re the teams beneath us went completely in our favour yesterday 

[Slim Dog]

2 minutes ago, Facecloth said:

So you sarcastically said Ulloa is better than Slimani because based on today you think the other way. Nice try though  

No, I was comparing them. nice try though 

 

Edit: Just adding to this. I mentioned Slimani scoring his chances and Ulloa missing them. The sarcasm was calling people out on using this game to say Ulloa>Slimani. 

[HighPeakFox]

Get a room.

[chris_lcfc_85]

You can sugar coat it all you want but ultimately benalouane had a shocker today..... Yes others weren't at the best but unfortunately he was guilty of two lots of Sunday morning defending..... If they had of been dealt with we'd of got something from the game 

[lee7]

24 minutes ago, adejo92 said:

Could have been worse. Enjoyable day out, team just paid the price for lapse mid way through.

 

Got to say, Everton have the worst fans in the league. Was it a stadium or a morgue? I thought West Ham was bad!

I was thinking when they were 4-2 up that they could benefit from playing a bit of fan noise over the speakers 

normally you can here atleast a few hundred fans singing but it seemed on the tele dead silent from them. 

[Guest Col city fan]

There was lots of criticism for Huth in the match thread today. Personally, I thought Benny was worse. Benny has been surprisingly solid recently. Today, I thought he was awful.

[chris_lcfc_85]

1 minute ago, Col city fan said:

There was lots of criticism for Huth in the match thread today. Personally, I thought Benny was worse. Benny has been surprisingly solid recently. Today, I thought he was awful.

Surprised at that. Huth was average but Benny awful 

[Slim Dog]

3 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

There was lots of criticism for Huth in the match thread today. Personally, I thought Benny was worse. Benny has been surprisingly solid recently. Today, I thought he was awful.

Huth could have done better with Lukakus second. He wasn't as bad as Benny though.

[Max Wall]

1 hour ago, Thracian said:

Totally predictable defeat. Better match than I expected for all our defensive and midfield errors  but with a few points that stood out even in the context of our fielding a much-weakened and clearly vulnerable team.

 

First Benaloauane. Anyone seriously considering he's a replacement for Morgan got their answer today. The guy was so badly at fault, so often in the first half  he only emphasised how badly we're lacking a genuinely capable back-up central defender with a bit of height, strength, presence and no-how,

 

I know Lukako's a handful but Benny looked totally overwhelmed and didn't do any of the things needed to make him less of a threat.

 

Others in our back line were no better. Chilwell should have closed down the cross for Lukako's first but didn't get right enough or react quickly enough.

Huth didn't start to show the authority needed to contain Everton, Schmeichel was defensively trapped inside his six-yard box and therefore unable to help and we simply didn't want the crosses enough - and I thought that's one of the things we'd either prevent or cope with.

 

Albrighton continued to show his best form and willingness to run as well despite our impending Champions League outing. I don't know what he'll say about it but the angle he approached his cross for his goal suggested it was aimed exactly where it finished up - in the net. But that was just one feature of a fully-committed display and one which might easily have resulted in more goals.

 

Slimani continued to show his happy knack of scoring and Gray would have been delighted with a timely final pass to provide some end product, But thereafter Slimani huffed and puffed willingly enough but didn't really retain the threat and sharpness I hoped for.

 

Once again I felt a bit sorry for Ulloa when he came on. He was clearly a threat and twice came so close to scoring - one being diverted by the luckless Musa and the other simply misdirected when anything right of the keeper (as he looked) would surely have done the job. The big plus was that he looked both keen and fit to play and showed what I've always believed - that he's a handful for any defenders.

 

Oh yes, and Kasper's save when Barkley thought he'd beaten him and was about to score into an open goal was another collectors item in his book of outstanding saves but otherwise it wasn't his best day from the moment he was beaten on his near post for their first.         

           

Everton lost a bit of ambition second half and we looked quite flattering at times in attack but I never thought the result in doubt, just that 4-3 might have been achieved. I don't fault Shaky in any way. He gave everyone fair notice of his intentions and I've no serious complaint about that - it ended up an opinion thing rather than a reckless risk to our Premiership survival.

 

But our reserve centre-back problem was exposed big-time...and I take no pleasure saying so. Others were at fault too, no question. But Benny was taken apart today and looked a sorry sight especially in the first half that effectively decided the game.

 

But surely Ulloa did enough to put himself in the frame for a place on the bench on Wednesday. I wish he'd played longer but he certainly looked strong and dangerous while he was out there.  

 

             

Isn't it time you released your posts in audiobook?

Content spot on though.

[Cadno'r Cymoedd]

Am a bit perplexed that much of the debate on here is about Slim and Leo when we lost today because of the ineptitude of our central defence especially at set pieces - notice I said defence not defenders - and the sloth like performances of our two midfield players. Yes Benny was piss poor for 3 of the goals but for the corners, those coming back need to do more - Slim was nowhere for the 3rd - whilst Kasper doesn't dominate his box as he should.

 

Thought Chilwell did Ok. Amartey got better in the last 20, though was at fault for the first with Benny, and he still looks frightened to pass more than 5 metres when he's in his shell. He is NOT a RB!

 

Drinkwater was poor sadly. Might be a knock but his passes matched Amartey for their timidity. King doesn't add any go forward and he and DD were literally overrun not just outnumbered. 

 

I hate losing. Accept we had to make allowances for Wednesday. But I fvcking hate losing. Did I already say that?! Should be OK in the league but hope today was just a blip with a weakened side for the CL game.

[The Guvnor]

31 minutes ago, Facecloth said:

You actually said "Slimani>Ulloa" because he scored and when I pointed out he'd missed some big sitter this year you said you were only looking at today's match. So you said Slimani is better than Ulloa based on the match today. Not difficult to understand is it  

Your wasting your time trying to explain, there are clearly people on here watching Slim with rose tinted glasses.

[Slim Dog]

5 minutes ago, The Guvnor said:

Your wasting your time trying to explain, there are clearly people on here watching Slim with rose tinted glasses.

Slimanis better than Messi.

[fuchsntf]

59 minutes ago, eastendfox said:

Strength in depth shown up a bit today - Benny has done well but had a mare, Drinkwater should have had a rest, but we're short at centre midfield and right back. But Everton's home form is impressive, even with a full team I think best we'd do is a point.

Having a go at Benny...for the rubbish Morgan and Huth dished out this season, and Morgans performances in our escape season...

Seems a total waste of so many a post. Benny has good games behind him.Not necessary our worst CB.

Lukakus 1st goal, great cross defenders running back...great goal

 

No hiding though, the 2 set peices, poor defensive organisation, why Slimani was in that spot offering no defence...both CBs

to blame, its their patch. Leicester have to sort set pieces out. Benny/Morgan/Huth  have been poor on this issue and part of play.

Another very important part that many forget...we have an in form Gray and Sharp Vardy, King and DD were poor trying to use

at least Gray as an outlet.

I will even go so far as to say Ndidi and DDrinkwater,2 midfield players are not enough, they both need another quality midfield with them.

 

Today I enjoyed the game, Everton had their best team out, and have a titch more quality around the field..

5 changes...Maybe in other circumstances it could of come off.Every single of those 5 changes, would have been ok if it was just

2 of them.Shakespeare to be fair decided to have a shake of the dice, if one of either DD, King had had half decent games,

we may have got something out of today.  Todays result was always on the cards....

Dont crucify every player, who came in, like I said if any one of them had been a 2 man change, like normal league procedure,

it wouldnt have been that shakey... Shakey wanted to rest, and clear out the knocks and niggles for " The big game"

I didnt see the need, except  Drinkwater should of been rested IMO.( 1 change).

No point in moaning or picking out the pips...

 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

Inevitable loss really today - disappointing but was always going to happen and we have a really tough run of games now. If I'm honest this talk of giving Shakespeare the job is still premature right now, Champs league aside he's had 4 home games against winnable opposition (a lot of sides in bad form) and an away game against a side in the bottom of the form table virtually. Tougher tests to come, and we should wait until the end of the season before deciding. There's simply no need to do anything before this.

 

As for the game, Benaloune had a nightmare, the defence was all over the shop, a midfield of Drinkwater and King was powderpuff in the championship let alone away to one of the top 8 teams in the league. King took the opportunity to give the ball away virtually everytime he got it.

 

As for Slimani, he took his goal well but his contribution outside of this is really frustrating. His first touch is so poor, and he's taken to moving away from the penalty area to go and receive it where he's a lot less effective and frankly doesn't have the footballing ability to even be effective. The fact is for £30m I expect a whole lot more, and for the money I would have said Benteke would have been a better bet given his age and previous record in this country. As for the Ulloa debate, I think most would accept Slimani to be a better player, however not by that much and Ulloa's effort is never questioned whereas I would question Slimani's sometimes. The jury remain out for me and I still think he's a poor signing.

[Guest Col city fan]

Personally, I feel really sorry for Ulloa. He's clearly bothered. Look at him when he came on today! He was clearly upset with his 'near misses'. I imagine him to be a consummate professional and moralistic too. If he says he wants to leave because he still has plenty to offer as a footballer, I believe him. And I think he does. He'd be fine in a lower Prem/Upper Championship side and would play consistently.

I don't see much of an improvement over Leo, in Slim. I think Slim is probably a better finisher, but that's it. Ulloa's all round game is better imo.

I like Ulloa. He needs to leave to further his playing time. And we should let him. Giving him ten minute cameo's isn't what he wants and he's better than that.

[sm1]

2 hours ago, hejammy said:

I thought he was better than Drinky 

Same here. Drinky's been terrible for the last 3 games, its just Ndidi is better at covering for him, then King. If he plays like this against Athletico we're ****ed.

 

[Foxhateram]

1 hour ago, HighPeakFox said:

Bus well and truly abandoned... 

Nah bring it on. Just wanted to see us pretty much secure safety today. We have seen enough of the tinkering effect. Crack on with it. Most of this team played 2 games a week in the championship with the same or similar rest period. 

 

Ah well. Onwards. 

[HighPeakFox]

Just now, foxhateram said:

Nah bring it on. Just wanted to see us pretty much secure safety today. We have seen enough of the tinkering effect. Crack on with it. Most of this team played 2 games a week in the championship with the same or similar rest period. 

 

Ah well. Onwards. 

Your previous post was somewhat short of optimism...

[The Guvnor]

15 minutes ago, Slim Dog said:

Slimanis better than Messi.

Showing you have a sense of humour is applaudable , but you had already demonstrated that in your earlier posts.