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Second Balls

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GrandOldTeam

GrandOldTeam

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After a few games now, Ancelotti has referred to spirit/us not winning second balls;

After Newcastle: "The reason was quite clear – Newcastle showed more spirit than us. They won a lot of duals, they won a lot of second balls. It’s not difficult, just switch on your mental attitude.”

After Burnley: "They won a lot of second balls. This is the reason for the defeat"
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I think he's spot on.

Our lads, particularly our midfield, aren't combative enough.

This team, points wise, is within a sniff of Champions League but you'd be hard pushed to find an Everton team that finished top 10 over the years with a worse midfield.

Doucoure, Allan and Rodriguez improved it ten fold at the start of the season. Doucoure was ran into the ground, Allan was carrying an injury before he eventually missed a big spell and is now looking rusty and Rodriguez is what he is.

We're then left with Iwobi. Davies. Sigurdsson. Gomes. They can't tackle. They're all bullied. They don't want to do the donkey work - they don't press/show enough for the ball. They're not balanced and they're just... passive. Andre Gomes being the most dribbled past player in the top 4 european leagues is indicative of the problem.

I think it's this Ancelotti refers to when he's talking about mentality, not showing spirit and not winning second balls. He's spot on.

For me, midfield remains the priority in the summer.

I see we're linked with Rabiot again. Our biggest transfer should be a centre midfielder...

After that, addressing that right flank to give us an actual threat/balance and this Everton team go to another level.
 
The second ball is arguably more important than the first one against teams like Burnley. We did't win either on Saturday.

If you don't win second balls you will give up a lot of field position to the opposition and you also won't be able to sustain your own attacks. I'd say that's been a major problem for us since Christmas.
 
I think you created an article/post showing us how gutless and poor we were in midfield last season. It’s the lack of fight, the lack of determination to win the ball and lack of energy to be the first to win the ball. Doucoure aside nobody else has the desire to do this. Allan can when he’s available but the fact Andre Gomes has been in the side more than him this season completely says it all and further proves your point.
 
I don’t get why we are literally the only team who:

1. Are so placid and apathetic to winning the second ball that we seem happy to concede them

2. Have absolutely no concept of the pressing game that’s been around for years now

Doesn’t matter who the manager is, these are just a constant
 

GrandOldTeam said:
After a few games now, Ancelotti has referred to spirit/us not winning second balls;



I think he's spot on.

Our lads, particularly our midfield, isn't combative enough.

This team, points wise, is within a sniff of Champions League but you'd be hard pushed to find an Everton team that finished top 10 over the years with a worse midfield.

Doucoure, Allan and Rodriguez improved it ten fold at the start of the season. Doucoure was ran into the ground, Allan was carrying an injury before he eventually missed a big spell and is now looking rusty and Rodriguez is what he is.

We're then left with Iwobi. Davies. Sigurdsson. Gomes. They can't tackle. They're all bullied. They don't want to do the donkey work - they don't press/show enough for the ball. They're not balanced and they're just... passive. Andre Gomes being the most dribbled past player in the top 4 european leagues is indicative of the problem.

I think it's this Ancelotti refers to when he's talking about mentality, not showing spirit and not winning second balls. He's spot on.

For me, midfield remains the priority in the summer.

I see we're linked with Rabiot again. Our biggest transfer should be a centre midfielder...

After that, addressing that right flank to give us an actual threat/balance and this Everton team go to another level.
Click to expand...
So, what you're saying is when last season's players are in the team, we play like last season's team?
 
We maybe should have tried to get a player like Gueye on loan in January. We could probably have soldiered on a bit if Docuoure hadn’t have got injured but now he has we have one of the worst midfields in the league. I don’t know any other premier league team who would take Davies Siggurdson Gomes Iwobi. Fulham have better midfielders sat on their bench and they’re in the relegation zone. I’d take Almiron and Saint Maximin over Siggurdson and Iwobi. I’d have any of Bissouma Lallana Alzate over Davies and Siggurdson. These are the teams at the bottom of the table.
 
Jim Hopper said:
I think you created an article/post showing us how gutless and poor we were in midfield last season. It’s the lack of fight, the lack of determination to win the ball and lack of energy to be the first to win the ball. Doucoure aside nobody else has the desire to do this. Allan can when he’s available but the fact Andre Gomes has been in the side more than him this season completely says it all and further proves your point.
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Not me that mate.

January 2020 was my last opinion article. I'm useless at them so leave them to people who can actually write. And @chicoazul
 
Energy levels are an issue. No matter the opposition, they always seem to have bags more energy. Can't seem to press with any intensity.
 
trueblue84 said:
So, what you're saying is when last season's players are in the team, we play like last season's team?
Click to expand...
It's disappointing that 15 months of working with Ancelotti (and his son, who's been given credit for his coaching ability when things have gone well) doesn't appear to have changed it at all though.
 

Far too many (though not all) of our players want to do something "classy", but don't realise that you have to win the war first to earn that opportunity.
 
Lanolin said:
It's disappointing that 15 months of working with Ancelotti (and his son, who's been given credit for his coaching ability when things have gone well) doesn't appear to have changed it at all though.
Click to expand...

2017/18: 8th. 49 points. 26 points from 4th.
2018/19: 8th. 54 points. 17 points from 4th.
2019/20: 12th. 49 points. 17 points from 4th.

Now, let's look at 2020/21.

With 10 games remaining;

2020/21: 6th. 46 points. 5 points (+game in hand) from 4th.

Then, go and compare our win rate since Ancelotti took over vs the years before it,
 
chicoazul said:
All I do is call opposition fans scruffs and take abuse from monsters. Oh and you’ve just wrote off Tom Davies there, which I’ve bookmarked.
Click to expand...

Davies is only a young'un, a lot forget that. He's also suffered Koeman/Allardyce and co. Needs time.

Would definitely keep him, but we're not helping the lad with that team around him. Asking him to play a different game to cover missing players too isn't ideal/
 
GrandOldTeam said:
2017/18: 8th. 49 points. 26 points from 4th.
2018/19: 8th. 54 points. 17 points from 4th.
2019/20: 12th. 49 points. 17 points from 4th.

Now, let's look at 2020/21.

With 10 games remaining;

2020/21: 6th. 46 points. 5 points (+game in hand) from 4th.

Then, go and compare our win rate since Ancelotti took over vs the years before it,
Click to expand...
Right. Not sure that's relevant to us improving our ability to battle for second balls but OK.
 

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