Match Thread Aston Villa v Everton - Preview, Match Report and MotM Poll

[Yarrgh]

If only there was somebody at the club with a bit of quality, someone that we could bring off the bench when 2e needed to create something.

Get outta here. Next you'll be wanting that somebody to be a legitimate galactico superstar of the game. If we had that guy, it'd be a crazy decision from the coach not to have him on the subs bench waiting if he was fit enough.

 

[Steve EFC]

I'm not expecting them to all of a sudden become superheroes, far from it. But people shouldn't come after comebacks against Southampton and Burnley and say Benitez has fixed the mentality of our players when it's obvious he hasn't.

I reckon there’s a massive improvement SO FAR in mentality, energy and overall work rate.
The problem is he’s working with the same dross. Ideal world he would have been able to strengthen with proper cash in the summer and the likes of Gray and Townsend would be our players to come off the bench to offer something different but instead they’re amongst the best we have and are starting every week!
I trust Benitez but he doesn’t have a magic wand.

 

[Zatara]

To sum up

People just have perspective. We're a bit crap these days but we've started the season well, 3 wins, a draw and a loss. Could have been four wins with a little more quality against Leeds. No need to kneejerk, cry or bed wet.

As someone who lives and breathes Everton, ive broken many a mobile, computer screen, mice, keyboard, ripped tops in anger at Everton letting me down. Believe me when I say Everton isn't everything and we're doing ok. We'd all love to be top of the league smashing teams left right and centre but we aren't city, we dont have superstars all over the pitch and tonight we were missing 4 key players. (5 if you include James)... It happens. Sometimes Benitez will get it wrong and he'll get dogs abuse (which is fine by me, not a fan), sometimes he'll get it right and still get dogs abuse (not so fine). Not sure tonight was on him really with the players losing the plot in a 10min period. Can't complain, we had the same thing go in our favour just 5 days ago...

Enjoy your evening, remember we are fifth, had a good start, teams like Spurs, West Ham, Leicester may tire later int eh season with Europa League action.

Would most of us not taken 10 points from 15 a few weeks ago??

I said i expected 14pts from 6 games. He has 10pts from 5 games.

However, mitigating circumstancss today with so many injuries...he needs to get us a win vs Norwich so were on the right track.

 

[Zatara]

Grey so far has been our best player as he was today. Mina was good thought he could of got closer to cash for their first goal though

Look at Keane for the 1st goal.

 

[ParisToffee]

Dreadful result today and excuses for injuries etc are'nt good enough !
We dropped 3 points today and 2 v Leeds who in reality a team of our size should beat

 

[BlueStevie35]

Look at Keane for the 1st goal.

You mean Digne, and Mina shouldn’t have turned his back on the shot

 

[BlueStevie35]

Dreadful result today and excuses for injuries etc are'nt good enough !
We dropped 3 points today and 2 v Leeds who in reality a team of our size should beat

Size of City and United’s teams and they both only managed a draw with a Southampton team we beat

 

[MisterJ]

Oh dear, that ended badly. How much of it was bad play by us and how much was as a result of our players being kicked all over the park a few days earlier by the thugs at Burnley?

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Look at Keane for the 1st goal.

So predictable Zat, the goal was all down to Digne, no one else.

 

[LocalNative]

Key moment in the second half when their CB held Gray back when through on goal. Should've been a free kick and red card.

 

[NathDogg]

The fallout of Burnley and their awful tactics and thuggery has cost us today, as we all know that bar 12ish players, our squad is full of crap, and we just don't have the cover to carry three first teamers missing. Referees need to act against teams like Burnley and their antics, the shower of yard dogs.

Can't blame Benitez for the luck we've had there, and the crap in the squad he's been left with, especially at RB.

What I don't get is him only picking 8 subs and James not being one of them, there's no sense in it at all. It's a joke of a call to make, especially considering the injuries in the squad.

He needs to bury the hatchet and bloody quick going forward.

Still a decent start to the season - just hope the injuries don't bite us yet again.

 

[MrGrumpy]

They didn’t, they brought Makamba on as a concussion sub for McGinn, Bailey for Targett, Young for Bailey and Traore for Cash

Thanks I thought they made another sub in the 1st half.

 

[Bulgarian toffee]

So predictable Zat, the goal was all down to Digne, no one else.

Not so. I think Zatara is right, Keane was in no man's land for the first goal which left Mina exposed. However, I don't think it's all his fault. Obviously he was given the task to follow Watkins everywhere he goes which made him look ridiculous in some episodes of the game. Baffling that from Benitez.

 

[Cameron Manning]

…in a way Villa did to us what we did to Burnley, burned us away in a short spell.

Thought Mina, Doucoure and Gray came out of the game well. Went for Doucoure given his consistency over 90mins.

I gave it to Gray but in reality there wasn’t one player who stood out for Everton, we did well for sixty minutes then went pieces once Villa scored first, Better days ahead hopefully.

 

[gonetomorrow]

Norwich next week. Hopefully, we'll have more regulars in the team and hammer them.