Everton v Arsenal. 23rd Aug at 17.30.

[Del]

For the sake of this place, Thank good we haven't been beaten yet

 

[argietoffee]

Some fitness coach at Goodison needs to be hung out to dry

 

[hktoffee]

3 a.m in the morning. Gonna be a sleepless night. Really feeling down, it is even worse than last week.

One thing is, we need to sign more players. A striker the very least.

 

[Matthew mcdonnell]

Well i am, chelsea and liverpool will beat us even with a handicap of 1 goal. for no other reason than they are both better than us, with better squads and far better managers

'Far better managers' oh yeah sarcasm right?

 

[L4Everton]

Fair play to Arsenal (besides the persistent fouls) they played all the way to the end of the 90 and sensed something in the game for them as we dropped deeper and deeper and deeper. Had it been a 100 minute game we'd have been defending one of the ends at Anfield we dropped back so far.

tbc...

Naismith was marginally offside, so we got a bit of luck with that. Worked hard and took the brunt of their bad challenges. Lukaku I heard has a broken toe and is struggling, so admire his effort to try and got an assist. No idea what Pienaar did on 8 minutes but that went against us although a few Osman passes were out of this world (especially a first time left footer early first half up the left flank).

Arsenal were there to be beat and beaten soundly, a CL run around midweek and a load of rotation, yet confidence sapped out of us at the same rate we dropped back. Eventually the inevitable had to happen and did. Smash and grab point for them. It feels like a loss here, and Nais and Coleman certainly didn't deserve to not get the 3 points today.

Gutted really. Silly and soft and down right lackadaisical. It'll be a long hard season, and europe games will hit us hard.

 

[Fuleco]

How boss was Naismith? Wound those Arsenal beauts up good and proper.

 

[marty mcfly]

The big positive is Naismith. I'm beginning to believe more and more.

Once our fitness is up we have shown we can compete with a team with Ramsey, Ozil and Sanchez.

Yes we have thrown away 4 points and with Chelsea next it probably won't be the greatest start but its a long season and after that game our fitness should be back.

 

[wiggum23]

True but this is a better chelsea side we were lucky last year aswell if barry doesnt make that recovery challenge then its 2 or 3 nil to them easily and like I say they are much better and much more powerfull now

I agree, just saying it doesn't always work on who is the better side, though understand your anger mate!

Us being us, I wouldn't be surprised to see us beat Chelsea (if we sack the mid week friendly!)

 

[toffeejack]

True but he really could have calmed it all down a bit today had he come on as we were dropping back, just with his enthusiasm he provides, always wanting the ball etc that's on the basis He was fit enough to play 25 mins competitively

definitely for the leicester game as barry looked shot.

possibly for today, we all say it with hindisght, but we have some people saying this and others saying "why did we go all defensive" besic would have been a defensive move over a winger - all opinions

 

[ianefc]

'Far better managers' oh yeah sarcasm right?

No, not at all.

 

[Kiwi]

Right, just for once I'm going to be a melt - I know I'm going to get negged to kingdom come for this but I've had a few vodkas and (short of beating Chelsea of course) I am actually hoping Chelsea tear us a new one next after they score first just to hammer home the fact that Jags and Distin no longer work effectively.

A score-first-drop-deep-and-concede draw will be no good for us. I'd rather an absolute pasting than more of today.

I like you mate but you've had far too many to come out with this bollocks. Now that I've gone and calmed down, looking at the game we didn't give them a sniff for 70minutes and then clearly tired. Probably needed Besic to come on for Osman instead of Atsu for Mirallas. To put it simply we should have won here, we were the better team than "title contenders" and because of that I'm happy. Absolute sicker in the way we bottled it, but we played some wonderful stuff and will ruin some teams. 4 points dropped.

 

[wiggum23]

we were better than them in the reverse though and lost

Didn't mean on the day, meant overall as a squad mate

 

[Toffeelover]

I suppose from what I will now say I will be criticised. Why are we playing Osman, why was Besic not on there from the off. Where the hell is Oveido, am sure there are better options than Pienaar, why was Atsu not in FFs.

Unless we break out of the mould of playing faves ala our Ex we will continue to have problems. Give the others a go Roberto!!!

 

[Del]

True but this is a better chelsea side we were lucky last year aswell if barry doesnt make that recovery challenge then its 2 or 3 nil to them easily and like I say they are much better and much more powerfull now

What a ludicrous comment

If A/B/C/D Hadn't of happened we would have have been beaten, Well it did happen and we won and the same thing could happen again

Are you forgetting the other times we have beaten Chelsea or are they erased from your tiny brain, They have always had a beast of a side and at home we have always given them a game

If the game was away then I would more than likely agree that a defeat was on the cards

 

[Professor Toffee]

...time will tell, but I think they both have plenty to offer. Mertesaker has just won a World Cup winners medal and looked poor, I think there's an over reaction to the centre backs after a couple of games and I'm backing them to be as good as most.

I don't think the CB issue is age maybe it's belief.
Both goals came from balls we'd assumed were safe and once the crosses came in we were too slow to react, that drains belief but can be worked at on the training field!