Match Thread Everton v Leicester City - Preview, Match Report and MotM Poll

[blueseas]

Top 4 for us is only a dream this season, if we got it it would be too soon, maybe 1 more season with Carlos next signing in the summer making us better.

 

[Zezti]

Need us to utterly smash the geordies after that frustration.

 

[blueseas]

The first priority is to control the goalmouth and make saves as necessary. I don't remember Nev being particularly lauded for his kicks out.

Stop conceding goals!

Look at what Man City & the [Poor language removed] have spent on goalkeepers who can play passes

 

[Sheedy's right knee.]

The key for me is to keep the points ticking on the board. I think we can win football matches by taking our chances and keep our defence maybe play Digne and Godfrey at fullback but rotate Holgate, we are doing a very good job there.
Except City I think all the teams in the Top 8 are going to take points off each other, if we play with the same organisation but with some more dynamism from Duke and Allen in midfield stardust from James. We are going to run Top 4 very close this season. Vault me.

 

[T LEAFE]

We are the luckiest team in the league to be where we are

 

[Brett Angell Delight]

The thing Pickford has is the passing I thought Olsen was very poor in the few times we´ve seen him

Pickford’s passing is a giant myth. He is a decent shot stopper, an ok passer of the ball and a massive error waiting to happen. Olsen should be no.1 starting this weekend. As I said earlier in the thread, we’d all be talking about a perfectly executed game plan and 3pts if Pickford had made a save that 99% of GOT posters would have made.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Bit like your post ! Draw tonight after that performance won't lose us top 4 losing to Leeds and West Ham will.

We have too many games like tonight in us with the same players making the same mistakes.

Pickford
Gomes
Davies

Braindead footballers.

 

[ToffeeTim]

We are the luckiest team in the league to be where we are

Not really, we've had quite a lengthy injury list.

We started defending better laat month and thats why results picked up again. Its part of football, cant just put it all down to luck.

 

[bebo86]

We are the luckiest team in the league to be where we are

Absoloutely not true. Have you seen how bad utd have been in games they have won? It's a mental season. We are right where we deserve to be. Think city will run away with the league now but top four is anyone's

 

[Ring master]

RODGERS MOTD INTERVIEW

Rodgers 'delighted' with Leicester creativity

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers expressed his delight at his side's creativity after coming from behind to draw 1-1 against Everton in the Premier League.

www.bbc.co.uk

CARLO MOTD INTERVIEW

Ancelotti surprised by 'fantastic' Rodriguez strike

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed his surprise at a 'fantastic' opening goal scored by forward James Rodriguez during his side's 1-1 draw against Leicester City.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[BlueToff]

Agree mostly.
Carlo sets up like that bc he knows inevitably it's going to end up like that. He just doesn't have the players. With James tiring and Richarlison out of form (despite busting his guts once again) what are you going to do? - make your defence rock solid and look at what you got left in your hand.
Ignore all that and youve got Marco.

Reckon the decision on Olsen was made tonight.
Pickford has never looked solid - there's something in the way he boots the ball that encapsulates his mindset - off balance.
He's a boy amongst men, no matter how much he wants to project otherwise. To grow I think he needs to travel.

GK aside, the foundations are good. If you look at the way Seamus came on, won a corner soon after to set up best way of scoring, goes across and niggles the goalie, could easily have won the game there. Well the team needs one or two players of that character up the pitch; with the quality to match.
But they're a long way from where they were.

Thought Iwobi should've come on for Gomes and Coleman for Holgate though.

Yeah I see why he sets up like that but that's not the issue. As Carlo has said, it's our ability to hold onto the ball under pressure and therefore just stop it being hit back at us. However, that's gonna require better players.

I half agree on Pickford. It may well be that Olsen comes in for good now, but in the last 2 months I'd say, we've seen a 'safer' Pickford. Even tonight. However, we know he's not up to scratch.

I think Gomes stayed on because he was the one player we had who did try and keep the ball. He wasn't perfect today but did do certain aspects well, and that was one of them - at times, it was pretty much just him and James doing it.

Rest I all agree on. It'll come. We came up against, imo, a better side today, and didn't lose. For me that's a positive.

I honestly put us on par with Arsenal, Chelsea etc, and mostly Leicester, but they have a far deeper squad. That showed tonight.

I'm going to stay calm about it, because Carlo will be calm, but against Newcastle we need to go and get the three points. We would have done even if we'd won today.

 

[Death]

Jesus. Seen a few in here saying even if we lose they're not going to get down and have still have hopes we are going places. And it was a pleasant change. Guess the resident bleach merchants haven't changed.

It's just some personalities need to gorge on the dark side of things. Wont blame them. It's how they're wired.

 

[FOXINPEACE]

Absoloutely not true. Have you seen how bad utd have been in games they have won? It's a mental season. We are right where we deserve to be. Think city will run away with the league now but top four is anyone's

Yeah absolutely. United have rode their luck massively, don't see them winning the league. Agree that man city will run away with it but top 4 is up for grabs for a number of teams, including us both

 

[BlueToff]

Dont agree mate , our 1st eleven beat them any day.
But we have a buffoon in goal that gifted them a goal.
Lets face it they where never scoring tonight other than that.

They didn't have Vardy or Pereira today mate. Ndidi went off injured.

They are an excellent side and I do think the goal would have come.

Look at the opener we scored against them, back in December - that was a goalkeeping error.

Pickford's been good lately. Actually thought he was excellent today up until that error - it really did come out of the blue, but it also came from us inviting so much pressure. It's not even as such sitting deep, it's more that we just failed to retain the ball in midfield and up front - it just kept coming back at us.

I still see us as being a season behind them in terms of development. They've spent one matchweek outside of the top 4 since the start of last season.

 

[Old Blue 2]

Its people like you accept being mediocre. We played no PL football for almost 2 weeks due to fixtires being cancelled, had Digne, Richy, James and Iwobi all available AT home. Yet our tactics were as if we're playing Barca at home with 30% possession in both halfs. There was no desire or intent to win the game. The players have been instructed to play conservative football.

All of his wins have been from pragmatic football which do not get you near the top 4. We lost the games at HOME to West Ham and Leeds already this season due to his poor tactics.

I can give him that he is without Allan and Docoure but even with them in the side, its just the defence that becomes stronger. His tactics do not allow any creativity whatsoever unless its a cross that is headed in. Him and Brands rather than working a solution, let Walcott and Kean go on loan while they could have been the mobile options off the bench once chasing a winner.

Utter rubbish! Did you not read my post properly?

Carlo has had one summer transfer window, in which he brought in 4 quality players.

He's took on an average-to-mediocre squad, and has managed to get it (with the summer additions) to a position half way through the season where we are not only top half, but potentially challenging for a European spot next season.

As for this: '...We lost the games at HOME to West Ham and Leeds already this season due to his poor tactics...', ManUre lost at home to the bottom club tonight; the RS lost at home to Burnley. Villa spanked 7 past the RS. Teams are going to lose to other teams. Get used to it, and get over it...

I don't accept mediocre, since in my time I've seen us win the title four times, win the FA Cup 3 times, and a European trophy. I have seen how good this club has been. However, with Carlo, the fan base must be patient, which you obviously are not...

Remember, whenever we play, there's another team on the pitch, and most of the time, they have bloody good players. Leicester are not where they are at the moment in the league for nothing...