Match Thread Everton v Leeds United - Preview, Match Report and MotM Poll

[Egil Olsen]

Yesterday Leeds outran us by 3k.

They had 29 more sprints than us.

They spent slightly less time walking/jogging, more time running and more time sprinting.

They did actually tire in the second half after that blistering opening but we were so shot we couldn't take advantage of it.

It's not all of the issues. We need better players and the manager needs to be playing round pegs in round holes but in this league, fitness gets you halfway there.

When Rosenborg played in the CL in the 90s, and beat big clubs like Real-Madrid, AC Milan, etc., they knew they could never beat these teams on technical qualities. The big clubs bought the best players, and here there were therefore big financial differences. Instead, Rosenborg's coach focused on endurance, and initiated a collaboration with some professors at a university, so they could maximize o2 admission, and sprints during a match.

The coach of Rosenborg always said: "everyone can train hard - regardless of whether you are poor or rich". If we train a little harder and wiser, then we can even out some of the differences to the big clubs. In the last decade, this has just become an important concept with the emphasis on press-football. Unfortunately, this concept is something Ancelotti has never prioritized, and we will never be one of the most intensive teams under his leadership.

 

[Nymzee]

We don't get near him at all.

We are so unfit.

To me, everyone knows Leeds play 4-1-4-1.

The fact not one of our forwards/advanced midfielders were told to sit on Phillips is shocking tactics.

 

[UptheTofees]

The ironic thing is they haven’t beat us at goodison in the prem. That means when we had Moyes and had to sell players every summer to survive. While they where getting into the champions league semi final. We held that record. Then they get relegated up and down the lower leagues they come back to find moshiri Everton with Carlo and swat us on first attempt.

Like Jesus. I know mosh is trying but it’s been a drastic failure compared to Moyes era so far.

They have Bielsa now. He is their biggest difference maker

 

[BornBlue76]

30 degrees here in Gaborone.. sun shining, played some tennis with the kids in the morning and followed up with a delicious lunch at some new restaurant...

And all I could think was how miserable I felt... thank you Everton. Weekend totally ruined.

 

[BlueToff]

To me, everyone knows Leeds play 4-1-4-1.

The fact not one of our forwards/advanced midfielders were told to sit on Phillips is shocking tactics.

Said last week, the key for us would be stopping Phillips playing.

I do think the Digne injury knocked us - maybe he'd been planning to go back to 4-3-3 and then he didn't trust Nkounkou/Kenny (he clearly doesn't, which is daft as they are our back-ups, like it or not), so tried to be more secure at the back. I don't know. It didn't work because if you sit off Leeds, they'll just pick you apart because they play with real intensity (Raphinia is an immense signing for them).

Could easily have played a three with Davies or Doucoure tasked on pushing on and man-marking Phillips (Davies probably good for that role).

Ancelotti's tactics have left a lot to be desired lately. I love the guy, he's the best manager we've had in decades, but he's making crap decisions atm.

 

[BlueToff]

That doesn't look like fitness as such it looks like him being given acres of space because nobody was pressuring or marking him. It surprises me Carlo didn't make changes it was obvious early on. It does seem Carlo doesn't favour high press and high intensity though which is worrying

And don't you think if our players had a bit more energy they'd be able to get closer?

 

[Dublin blue 75]

30 degrees here in Gaborone.. sun shining, played some tennis with the kids in the morning and followed up with a delicious lunch at some new restaurant...

And all I could think was how miserable I felt... thank you Everton. Weekend totally ruined.

Same.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

1. It was crap wasn't it?

I was expecting loads of goals either side and it could well have ended up like that so I guess we (and Leeds) are predictable.

2. It just feels like as soon as we are ready to kick on something holds us back again. Boss start then we lose Richy. Bad run then we don't have either full back.

We know we won't but replacing a few players in Jan would be a huge difference maker because we just don't have the players to be able to change tactics or afford to lose a player or two.

3. For what it's worth from yesterday, doucoure makes me love him more and more each week. Right now I think he is massively underrated by our fans. He just simplifies things, gets around and makes the right pass forward each time. He might not be world class but he gives us something we haven't had in years

1. If you were expecting loads of goals and there was only one, we can't be very predictable. (I know what you mean though)

2. Feel exactly the same.

3. Thought Doucoure was awful yesterday. Lost count of how many times he gave the ball away. Not the first game I've been frustrated at his poor passing but on other occasions he makes up for it to some extent with other aspects to his game.

Haven't seen much of either before this season but based on what I have seen, I'd swap him for Calvin Phillips in a heart beat. Different type of player but that lad looks just what we need for a possession based game. Ideally, we could do with a Phillips type player and a Doucoure type player who gets up and down the pitch really well but with better passing. Gomes has the ability to do what Phillips does but is so damn inconsistant.

 

[Dean1919]

Don't get ahead of yourself. Norwich and Sheffield Utd beat us at home last season, now look at them.

I definitely aren’t getting ahead of myself.
My posts in this thread have only been in response to posts regarding confidence in beating Leeds as “we’re a team that screams championship” & “all we do is run around” to which I responded by saying don’t be over confident, if you let us play we’ve the ability to play & cut you open. Not grind out a win but seriously give you a game of football. Which was proved right.

I agreed we don’t players with individual skill & star names like James but was trying to say don’t be blinded you’ve no star names & we have so we’ll win mentality. As shown the Leeds players are capable of playing premier league standard football. Which the point I was trying to make

you created a few opportunities a couple of which were set pieces but on the whole Leeds were in control of the game.

I aren’t naive enough to think this will happen every week, palace weren’t better than us but scored from an freak og, worldie free kick & corner so it won’t always go our way but way we play gives us the best opportunity to win games.

hopefully we add that extra quality to take more chances over time & make things more comfortable than they were yesterday but for now I’m more than happy with how things are.

 

[GETEM]

People really thought Leeds dominated us? I saw an end-to-end game which could've went either way.

 

[Nymzee]

Said last week, the key for us would be stopping Phillips playing.

I do think the Digne injury knocked us - maybe he'd been planning to go back to 4-3-3 and then he didn't trust Nkounkou/Kenny (he clearly doesn't, which is daft as they are our back-ups, like it or not), so tried to be more secure at the back. I don't know. It didn't work because if you sit off Leeds, they'll just pick you apart because they play with real intensity (Raphinia is an immense signing for them).

Could easily have played a three with Davies or Doucoure tasked on pushing on and man-marking Phillips (Davies probably good for that role).

Ancelotti's tactics have left a lot to be desired lately. I love the guy, he's the best manager we've had in decades, but he's making crap decisions atm.

Even if he doesn't trust Nkounkou and Kenny surely those two (or at the very least Nkounkou) in a compact back 4 is far less risky than two central mids playing wing backs in an unfamiliar formation.

Said on a different thread we managed clean sheets with Martina at LB because we kept it compact and straightforward at the back.

 

[MinkyJoe]

Well that was a harrowing and humbling experience.

We had our chances but Leeds's attacking play was something else, in a different league to ours.

It could've finished 10-4 to them.

Depending on how we get on against the likes of Leicester and Wolves, and how we spend in January, we are looking at finishing around 10th

 

[BlueToff]

Even if he doesn't trust Nkounkou and Kenny surely those two (or at the very least Nkounkou) in a compact back 4 is far less risky than two central mids playing wing backs in an unfamiliar formation.

Said on a different thread we managed clean sheets with Martina at LB because we kept it compact and straightforward at the back.

Exactly. Simplify the game - like we did for Iwobi last week.

Even if he'd have kept the back three, that's fine, but there was no need to move Iwobi across. Just put Nkounkou in at left wing-back and build from there. Everyone knows their jobs.

He's overcomplicating things and as far as I can tell his main prerogative seems to be to avoid playing the back-ups we have in certain positions (it just so happens that some of those - Gordon, Nkounkou etc - are inexperienced).

That needs to change, either by Carlo realising he needs to play players who are natural in those positions, or he needs to tell Brands to find somebody.

 

[Cels]

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Thought it was an exciting enough encounter, just a shame that we had to change our set-up etc. which didn't really allow us to approach the game in the way we would have preferred; but that's the way it goes.

I felt Allan was MotM and showed the type of energy and directness needed to make things happen.

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[Rollo Tomassi]

People really thought Leeds dominated us? I saw an end-to-end game which could've went either way.

Absolutely bizarre mate I've seen the word outplayed used by about 4 different people and can't believe they were watching the same game.