27 Jan 2019 08:38:26
Earlier in the week I saw posts on here saying that we needed a new center forward. People were debating who we should go for. I pointed out that the easy way for us to climb the table was by starting to have a few clean sheets. I suggested we were conceding far too many goals from set pieces and even pointed out that our biggest rivals had conceded just a fraction of the goals we have. A few people then chipped in with some really great comments. I want to bring it up again because I am a passionate Evertonian who was involved in youth coaching at amateur levels but consider my views progressive and sometimes accurate. Yesterdays game was a classic example of where we are going wrong in my view. We had 60 odd percent possession. We scored 2 reasonable goals. Yet we conceded 5 free kicks around our penalty area and they scored from 3 and nearly scored from another two. (if my memory of the game after a few beers is right) . Pickford was partly to blame. He did not command his area for any of the free kicks. But that's not the whole story. Zonal marking is partly to blame too. If a player is jumping from standing still, he will never outjump a player of similar height who is running and jumping. But here are my biggest concerns. The manager has certain players who will not head the ball. Walcott is one. Gomez is another. Richarlison is questionable. Lookman is tiny. Yet what do we do when we concede a corner or free kick? We have 11 players inside our own box. All in each others way and allowing the opposition to put 8 or 9 of their players in our box and then all mayhem breaks out if the delivery is good because half of our players don't want to head it. Their last goal was a classic example. If we said to Walcott and Lookman. go and stand on the half way line and wait for the break, then 2 of their players would have to drop back to mark them. It is about being brave defensively. Letting the keeper and center backs take command rather than having a crowded area where no one knows where the ball will ricochet. Then there is the childish way we react after scoring. I always advocated a tight 2 minutes after scoring a goal. What do we do? Give needless free kicks away straight after and. read above at how we defend free kicks. It is basic childs football. We are all happy and excited and not concentrating. Add all of these things together and it explains why we concede so many from set pieces. Add in Pickford is not the tallest in the world and that also does not help. I have watched this all season and yes yesterdays was the worst of the worst. but honestly read my post from a week ago. we need a new way of playing/ defending set pieces and we need players willing to head the ball without ducking out. We need less defenders at set pieces. we do not need another center forward when we are conceding 2 or 3 every game. A center forward will make bugger all difference. I accept if we sort the defence. then a center forward might be of use. But let's get back to basics first and defend like we should be defending because even Harry Kane in our team would only mean a couple of more points. Because we still concede 1, 2 or 3 nearly every game. Clean sheets are as rare as hens teeth with this Everton squad!
27 Jan 2019 09:35:11
Degsyp, spot on. Can you guess who was addressing that first and then after giving him an 18 month contract, binned him for someone of no proven ability. Boring yes but let's face it, we would be in a better position in the table now, with the added advantage of no compensation for early contract termination and longer to do due dilligence on potential on a replacment. wouldn't this prevent, what some have said 'yeah let's sack managers every six months' by getting it right in the first place.
27 Jan 2019 10:21:07
I don't think I am saying sack the manager DFS. I actually think the club has signed some creative players and we have a more balanced squad than previously. I am pretty sure Silva is no dodo. But I look at football managers and see 2 types. There are those who arrive at a club and look at the squad and think, "How can I get the most out of this bunch of players? ". and they come up with a formula of tactics. Then there are those who arrive at a club and say, "The way I want my team playing football is this way or that way. " And they try and get the players to fit into a system rather than getting them to play at the best of their ability. Both ways sometimes are successful and both ways are sometimes unsuccessful. I remember Alan Ball keeping Southampton up as manager. He basically told the team. when you don't have the ball defend. When you get the ball. give it to Matt LeTissier if he is anywhere near their box. His tactics where as simple as that and it worked. Ok the modern game is much more complicated and fitness/ coaching/ positions are much more refined these days, but basics are still basics. I watch us defend corners and free kicks and we really do have all 11 players in our box. So the other teams put 8 or 9 of their players in our box. It is often mahem and the ball pinging all over the place. Last week it hit Gomez and flew straight in because he had no time to adjust his position and he is not a great defender anyway. Yesterday the hand ball goal went pinging across too. Its happened a few times because we are overcrowding our own area. If we had non zonal marking and said to Walcott or Lookman or Gomez or whoever else cannot head the ball. go and stand somewhere between the half way line and the edge of our box and be ready for the break. you can be sure that the other team would then say to their defenders. "hey mark those players". Because they would be thinking that if we clear the ball they are open at the back. Then Pickford, Mina, Keane or whoever would not be so crowded out. They could pick up runners and challenge without having a standing jump. A few of the set pieces against us are even just aimed at over the top and one of the oppo head it back across. where is the zonal player to mark that one? I just find it a messy way of defending and players are not sure who they should be picking up and like I said earlier. even if they do, some of our players are so poor at heading or weak in the air, we are inviting the other team to crowd our box. Surely Silva can see this? He seems to know good players and his other tactics are working. we are scoring more goals and playing far superior football now. It is such a simple thing to get right. let's hope he does eh?