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

[banno]

Thank god it is just 1-1. Please can we stop with the Holgate -Godfrey CB partnership.
We just cannot find that balance at home......we either over commit and leak goals/chances or we just concede the midfield.
Something has to change 2nd half

 

[rochdaleblue]

I hate watching the game and reading some of the utter bedwetting muck on here. Some of you can't function without criticising the team you claim to 'support'. Honestly, wouldn't you be happier following City or getting a hobby ? You're pathetic.

Just a quick question. Are you happy with our performance so far?

 

[LocalNative]

I think Ancelotti has got this wrong here.

He's instructed to play out, repeatedly - and it's given Villa impetus to step up. They know we're not good enough. It's obvious they could get at Holgate - and there's midfielders like Gomes who hide and don't give the easy ball out for defence.

Also getting concerned how the tempo is so flat, and how Ancelotti seems to allow so many players to play their own game.

We're all over the shop, no balance, no tempo.

As bad as any Everton performance in years - thankfully a combination of Pickford, luck, and Villa being poor has meant we're not 4 or 5 down.

This isn't the first time this has been the case this season. Heck, it's probably not the even the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th time this has happened.

I honestly do not recall a game where we've played really good for 90mins this season.

 

[Dougie]

Loading our best player 10 mins before kick off is a team morale blow. Then you have holgate doing stuff like that I’m not surprised we are all over the place.

 

[deipnosophist]

The responsibility lays with Carlo. He's been unable to motivate the players to perform at home all season, bar about three games where we genuinely played quite well. Not sure why he's failed so badly at that. You cannot say West Ham have a stronger squad than we've had available to us all season, yet look at the table.

Agreed...I like BJ and Baby Bop but that doesn’t mean I’d take their advice on footie matters. Barney needs to be less willing to listen to input from his friends

 

[Wolf8312]

Better at the end there. Wobes while being a target for the boo boys has done ok. We can be much more potent when we get our act together.

Carlo will tighten it up at half time but we need to carry a threat going forward.

When was the last time you watched the blues create as many chances as villa did there? Albeit the teams are level.

Thing that worries me is they are so obviously the better team. It’s infuriating to watch a team week in week out that cannot hold onto the ball or build up with any consistency. We were like a blue pinball machine in that half the ball just bouncing off us as we desperately tried to keep it away from the flippers! Pickford (the flippers) did great though!

 

[Jim Hopper]

Gomes had a decent half.

No he didn’t. He played one good ball to Digne that was it. If that constitutes a good game I despair. Him needlessly giving the ball away in Villas half led to Barkley’s chance that hit the wood work. His passing has been atrocious, attempted closing down and even worse his attempts to win the ball back.

One of the worst midfielders I’ve seen play for us. Genuinely Segundo Castillo offered more.

 

[BlueToff]

I think Ancelotti has got this wrong here.

He's instructed to play out, repeatedly - and it's given Villa impetus to step up. They know we're not good enough. It's obvious they could get at Holgate - and there's midfielders like Gomes who hide and don't give the easy ball out for defence.

Also getting concerned how the tempo is always so flat from the off, and how Ancelotti seems to allow so many players to play their own game.

We're all over the shop, no balance, no tempo.

As bad as any Everton performance in years - thankfully a combination of Pickford, luck, and Villa being poor has meant we're not 4 or 5 down.

Spot on.

 

[Gilbert..]

Id happily take a johnny evans or gary cahill right now. A know their trade centre back.
All of ours need to come with a health warning.

 

[Sharpies volley]

The midfield is being destroyed. Villas is quick mobile and fluent ours is like a dinner queue at an old person's home.

 

[TheBigIguana]

I know Iwobi is getting stick, but I didn’t think he was too bad.
There are far worse on the pitch today.

Did Iwobi play? Then he's getting stick. That's how it goes.

 

[Woolverhampton_Blue]

I hate watching the game and reading some of the utter bedwetting muck on here. Some of you can't function without criticising the team you claim to 'support'. Honestly, wouldn't you be happier following City or getting a hobby ? You're pathetic.

Tbf mate that was a terrible half of football from us.

 

[john jako]

Davies
Mina

It's not hard mate. You don't need to defend every single one of his decisions. FWIW, I think in flashes we've attacked quite well considering we don't have our only player who can control a ball fit.

Even if James hadn't got crocked, our midfield would have still been totally open.

He’s going down the same road as @davek did with roberto. It’s going to be great.

 

[lungo]

I hate watching the game and reading some of the utter bedwetting muck on here. Some of you can't function without criticising the team you claim to 'support'. Honestly, wouldn't you be happier following City or getting a hobby ? You're pathetic.

Great that you are happy LOL. If you dont have a clue shut up.

 

[BlueStevie35]

Who’ve we got on the bench lads?

Need some impetus here. Getting schooled by Villa.

Keane, Mina, Nkunkou, King, Bernard, Davies, Delph