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WarringtonBlue
Player Valuation: £8m
Still good at bombing forward but is being found out again and again with space behind him I agree. I think we've been used to him being at his very very best when 2012-13 he was one of the best LBs in Europe but since then he's diminsihed a bit
My keyboard has a d... just no use for a "D" in describing today's match.
blaze
Player Valuation: £950k
I'm not convinced it's entirely down to Martinez's tactics, the defense has looked nervous for years now even under Moyes, even when they weren't conceding as many as they are right now there always seemed to be stupid decisions being made and just a general sense of panic. It's got to the point now where the feeling is if the defense makes a mistake it's almost certainly going to cost us a goal too - it's not good for the players or the crowd.
deipnosophist
Player Valuation: £80m
We have now shipped 18(!!) goals in our last 8 League games...over 2 a game. Defence cost us 4th place last season, and it's shambolic at the start of this ones. Sort it out Roberto...and quick!
hktoffee
Birds of a feather flock together
Exactly what I think too. They want to play the bloody offside trap but only succeed against the like of Hull.
Oh God...the melt fest has two weeks to fester. This place is gonna be unbearable.
TX Bill
Player Valuation: £80m
Don't know what to think to be honest.
3rd best defense to worst? I don't think so but there is something wrong here. Lack of intensity? Lack of heart? Aging legs as the poll says?
My main concern is the psychological effect on Jags and Distin. They'll still have a part to play this season and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they start again together the next match. They've got to get over this quick because all we really have is Stones to play at CB. I'd be ok with starting Stones at CB but don't know if Roberto will do that (yet).
I agree with getting back to the basics !!!
Whatever happened to the Everton that harassed and harried the opposition and closed them down immediately ???
These last three matches, we've done none of that and been guilty of ball watching.
If I were RM, I'd do NOTHING BUT work on the defensive side of the ball these next few weeks.
3rd best defense to worst? I don't think so but there is something wrong here. Lack of intensity? Lack of heart? Aging legs as the poll says?
My main concern is the psychological effect on Jags and Distin. They'll still have a part to play this season and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they start again together the next match. They've got to get over this quick because all we really have is Stones to play at CB. I'd be ok with starting Stones at CB but don't know if Roberto will do that (yet).
I agree with getting back to the basics !!!
Whatever happened to the Everton that harassed and harried the opposition and closed them down immediately ???
These last three matches, we've done none of that and been guilty of ball watching.
If I were RM, I'd do NOTHING BUT work on the defensive side of the ball these next few weeks.
Just watched all six goals again on MotD. Not only was he personally at fault for a couple of the goals but you could also see as the game progressed that Jags crumbled mentally. When Costa gets his yellow for sniding Coleman, it's McCarthy and Distin who are there backing Coleman up; When Howard went for Costa after the Hazard/Coleman goal, Jags is nowhere to be seen. McCarthy and Coleman are there like a shot trying to bring Howard away and, in a metaphor for the entire game, Distin gets there before Jags does despite starting from further away. For their fourth goal, where they just played it sideways across the edge of the box and Barry fails to move any faster than a walk, it's Howard and Distin who try to gee people up after it goes in. Jags is hands on hips, head down, looking defeated.
Costa absolutely destroyed Jags for pace today - Howard's left-foot save from Costa was an opportunity caused by a Jags mistake and for me he went to ground far too early after the Besic backheel too. But his biggest failure was in leadership - he provided none. After the Eto'o goal, Naismith and Eto'o are well up for it, grabbing the ball and sprinting back to the centre circle: leading by example. There was no such defiance from our captain at any point.
For me, Jags goes on the bench for the next game and Distin gets the captaincy. I would also like to see us shift Alcaraz and bring in two of Nastasic, Van Dijk and Micah Richards.
Titus Bramble is the answer.
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