Relegation 2022/23

[Lanolin]

“Leicester is a must win”
“That’s a great point. Happy with that”

It's not a 'great' point but last night was never a must win. The narrative that it was must win was - and remains - unhelpful really.

 

[davek]

Absolutely spot on - I understand that there's a sense of frustration around the missed opportunity (many calling for the likes of Gray on and to be a bit more cavalier), but I think in the flurry of reactions, what's been lost is how bad last night could have been.

Folks need to keep things in perspective - if we had been beaten at their ground (especially after giving a goal up, and seeing our captain get stretchered off), morale would be obliterated and Leicester are suddenly flying. Instead, Leicester were beaten to nearly every ball on their own turf under the floodlights, and they won a point courtesy of goalkeeping heroics - just like Leeds the other week, they've lost their trump card; an "easy 3 points" against their relegation rivals at home. Imagine the mood on here if the roles were reversed?!

I think that's why Dyche was reluctant to make changes; an extra two points doesn't really change the narrative, we're still going into Wolves and Bournemouth needing 6 points; but if we get beat, 6 points from those fixtures probably isn't enough to keep us up given the GD. It made sense to be a little conservative with the substitutions (although we certainly weren't conservative on the ball) as a result in my opinion, as much as that will be absolute anathema to most Evertonians who wanted to risk it and be a bit more cavalier.

There's still plenty to play for - many Everton fans have already wrote us off against a Brighton side who have (1) the highest proportion of their goals conceded from set pieces (15!! of 34); and (2) we're quietly well set up under Dyche to defend against the way they play, see the Forest game for blueprint

There's 1 point between us and safety and there's 4 games left and the other teams are rank.

To come out of that game last night with that scenario is very acceptable.

Some people want a silver bullet knock out blow to get out of this. It's a juvenile attitude to a complex situation.

 

[DuuuncanHadaPigeon]

Benitez got us a win there last season so anything can happen I guess. A lot of water passed under the bridge for both teams since then but maybe we’re due an opposition stinker. Just got to make it a battle and hope they don’t fancy it.

Different proposition under de zerbi but if we play like last night why can't we get a result

 

[Gareth Gibson]

People writing off the Brighton game as no chance - the same Brighton that got beat by Forest a week or two ago?

If dyche gets the selection right and the work rate and tenacity that we showed last night is there we can do something.

Good shout.

 

[Toffeepot]

I'm not that disheartened about the result last night
Daid this before and I might be proved wrong, but I just don't see Leeds or Leicester getting another point. Maybe Forrest as well.
1 win from the last 4 and I reckon we are safe.
If we can somehow scrape 4 points, then I think we are gravy

their game home to saints is massive
just hoping soton come out swinging coz it's do or die

 

[ToffeeTim]

It's not a 'great' point but last night was never a must win. The narrative that it was must win was - and remains - unhelpful really.

They are all must win games. We are running out of matches to get the wins we need.

 

[Toffeepot]

There's 1 point between us and safety and there's 4 games left and the other teams are rank.

To come out of that game last night with that scenario is very acceptable.

Some people want a silver bullet knock out blow to get out of this. It's a juvenile attitude to a complex situation.

and a couple of goals

 

[MartinezBK]

Am I the only one who thinks we're beating City? Our game squeezed in between their two Madrid ties. Their away leg will be a tight scoreline and they may need to rest a few before the second leg. We beat them, blow the title race back open so that Arsenal need to beat Forest and don't take their foot off the gas. Forest go down with Leeds and Southampton. Or is the cough mixture I'm taking too strong?

 

[Blue peter]

There's 1 point between us and safety and there's 4 games left and the other teams are rank.

To come out of that game last night with that scenario is very acceptable.

Some people want a silver bullet knock out blow to get out of this. It's a juvenile attitude to a complex situation.

I don’t think there anything wrong with wanting a win to really ease the anxiety when you have only one once in 10 PL games. I was buoyed by the performance but we do need a win in my opinion, otherwise all we are doing is expecting those ‘rank’ teams to continue to lose….and they may well do, but that is not a strategy or plan - it’s a lottery

 

[Richard Alex]

Wow, Iwobi is by no means a top player, but calling him a chancer and a coward?

I didn't watch last nights game, but whenever I have seen Iwobi he is always looking for the ball, always trying to do something with it (often unsucessfully granted), and no matter what happens he is always trying to make himself available to his team mates.

If you are looking for someone that spends the whole game hiding, you have definitely picked the wrong guy for that.

I wouldn’t call him a chancer but a coward, yes.
I have always tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but noticed that he ducks out of tackles and never goes in and win any headers.
He seems afraid of any physical contact.
He also plays great balls to the opposition a lot.

 

[davek]

and a couple of goals

Maybe not Leicester, but City will batter Leeds...then it's up to us to make sure we dont fall back to a worse GD than Leeds

 

[Daytripper]

It's not a 'great' point but last night was never a must win. The narrative that it was must win was - and remains - unhelpful really.

Bottom three. As more games are played , the more we don’t win, the more pressure builds on a team/group of players with a already questionable mentality. Not winning each week is unhelpful.

It was bemusing to see how many were happy with a point at Forest and proceeding to take the Fulham game for granted.

 

[Tony101]

Am I the only one who thinks we're beating City? Our game squeezed in between their two Madrid ties. Their away leg will be a tight scoreline and they may need to rest a few before the second leg. We beat them, blow the title race back open so that Arsenal need to beat Forest and don't take their foot off the gas. Forest go down with Leeds and Southampton. Or is the cough mixture I'm taking too strong?

Goodison will be bouncing but I just can’t see it. Saying that we drew away with them and we should have drew at home with them last season. When we was robbed of a late pen.

 

[davek]

I don’t think there anything wrong with wanting a win to really ease the anxiety when you have only one once in 10 PL games. I was buoyed by the performance but we do need a win in my opinion, otherwise all we are doing is expecting those ‘rank’ teams to continue to lose….and they may well do, but that is not a strategy or plan - it’s a lottery

No, neither do I.

What is wrong is people pissing their kecks about not getting it.

 

[Lanolin]

They are all must win games. We are running out of matches to get the wins we need.

That's not how 'must win' games work though is it? Of course we need as many points as possible, that's always the case for every team in the league really, but yes it's magnified in our position. We all know what 'must win' means in that context though, and last night simply wasn't a must win game in that sense. Basically if we go down, it categorically will not be because we only got a point away at Leicester.