Everton v Arsenal. 23rd Aug at 17.30.

[MartSlinger]

Just the way i see it.. Loads will probably slate like...

Positives:
- Competed, if not bettered 'title contenders' for 60-70mins, they had nothing, barely troubled us.
- Lukaku getting another 75 minutes and his assist was brilliant.
- James McCarthy and Steven Naismith were absolutely brilliant, likewise Seamus Coleman & Gareth Barry.
- Seamus Colemans return from injury, completely transforms the team.
- Mirallas getting more game time, again, stand us in good stead.

Negatives:
- Leon Osman coming on for Steven Pienaar was completely the wrong choice.
- The CB's. On their day, theres about 2 or 3 you'd have over them, both have been [Poor language removed] the last two weeks.
- Of course, fitness. Preseason IS only about fitness, yet we dont look fit at all.
- Throwing away two points again when the opposition didnt look like scoring all game.

 

[marty mcfly]

Nope

We played like crap in pre season and I am talking performance, We didn't create chances, couldn't pass and looked all round turd, People on here assumed it would carry into the PL games, I disagreed and I think I have been proven right

The fitness side I was wrong

That's fitness as well. You can't play if you aren't fit.

In those games we wanted to have an easy run about where neither team would press too hard and we could just pass it around. Unfortunately against Porto and Celta Vigo we came up against two teams that really wanted to play and pressed us high. There was no one for our players to pass to because the other players didn't want to use up their energy running into space which then forced mistakes.

Same idea in defence.

Do you just think they magically forgot how to pass to each other for those games and then learnt again how to for the first 45 mins in two games but forgot again for the second 45 mins in those two games?

 

[The Mighty Quint]

Leicester only scored because of Everton errors.
Arsenal only scored because of Everton errors.

Errors because after 60mins the players are shattered...

 

[Bluerover]

[ QUOTE="BBleck, post: 2955438, member: 25711"]FFS

The good:
Having Mirallas and Coleman start makes a big difference
Barry is boss in our possession game
Baines owns the left
Lukaku is looking more fit and getting back to doing the dirty things he does
McCarthy is doing good work
Naismith has a hell of a motor and knows how to find the back of the net; he also did surprisingly well winning 50/50 balls in the air against midfielders; he played a decent false 9 today
Defense wasn't getting beat with runs in behind like last week

The bad:
What the hell happened in the last 20 minutes? Possession game completely evaporated. Either lack of fitness or lack of killer instinct I think. Way too much space and time given to Arse on the ball.
Pienaar is so fragile, I think he'll spend a lot of time on the training table this year
Center halves are weak in the air
Set piece defense still looks suspect

In the end, we won the first half and lost the second. Arse dominated the last 20 minutes, can't believe they ended the match with more total possession. With better fitness/will to kill we would have finished them off.

Still pretty clear to me we need more depth at striker, more depth at CAM, and cover at RB/DC.[/QUOTE]


OK time to get Stones and Duffy some game time. I love Distin and Jags to bits but we need to start grooming their replacements for the medium to long term.
Obviously there will be no changes for Chelski in the CB role but RM needs to think seriously about the shambles that we saw in terms of those two goals.

 

[Matthew Martinez]

could/should have had two penalties, and the tit wilshere should have been sent off. Two feet studs up and late thats a red all day

But we don't go on their forum and cry about it.

 

[MartSlinger]

Someone raised a good point to me before, we missed Barkley massively in this game. When we are under the cosh like we were after the 70th Barkley would have been perfect for picking the ball up deep and just running at Arsenal, whilst Naismith is filling the void brilliantly, thats what Ross Barkley gives us, that desire to run at teams and put them on the back foot.

 

[toffeejack]

lads we didn't tear them apart or run rings around them, we were just comfortably nullifying them.

we had plenty of gears to go up had we been fitter imo, even though we were comfortable, we weren't anywhere near our top levels.

 

[Alan Whittle]

Sick for you lids.....and I've been plenty sick today btw.

 

[Thacko]

Just the way i see it.. Loads will probably slate like...

Positives:
- Absolutely tore apart 'title contenders' for 60-70mins, they had nothing, barely troubled us.
- Lukaku getting another 75 minutes and his assist was brilliant.
- James McCarthy and Steven Naismith were absolutely brilliant, likewise Seamus Coleman & Gareth Barry.
- Seamus Colemans return from injury, completely transforms the team.
- Mirallas getting more game time, again, stand us in good stead.

Negatives:
- Leon Osman coming on for Steven Pienaar was completely the wrong choice.
- The CB's. On their day, theres about 2 or 3 you'd have over them, both have been [Poor language removed] the last two weeks.
- Of course, fitness. Preseason IS only about fitness, yet we dont look fit at all.
- Throwing away two points again when the opposition didnt look like scoring all game.

Don't see how anyone can slate that tbf, spot on.

Gutting result. One positive I'm trying to cling on to is the feeling things have now definitely changed. Being this annoyed we didn't beat Arsenal can only be a good thing...

 

[kenada_blue]

Costa will destroy distin next week.

I don't think he will.

Its Fabregas, Hazard etc that'll do the damage. Costa will stand near Howard for a tap in.

 

[Blu Bianco]

If Nastasic is really available, and on an inital year's loan with an option to buy then we really should be looking into him on that loan deal. Distin was at fault again today and whatever about a kneejerk reaction, bottom line is he is not getting any younger anyway and I can't see Martinez promoting Duffy right now and Stones has also been shaky.

 

[paulbefc]

lads we didn't tear them apart or run rings around them, we were just comfortably nullifying them.

we had plenty of gears to go up had we been fitter imo, even though we were comfortable, we weren't anywhere near our top levels.

I did get the feeling had both teams been fully fit we'd have done something similar to last time we played them.

 

[davek]

Heard it all now lad, a nothing player ffs. He has been our best player for the past 8 months. Look at the defending last two games, infuriating.

Really?

I dont remember him picking the player of the season award up.

He's had a very decent bit of form in that period. Which, by the way, I think we were owed seeing as he looked like an ale house player for his first 18 months with us.

 

[Matthew mcdonnell]

The way I hope it pans out is, realistically we are not going to win the league sadly. Top 4 is a huge ask.
But winning the Europa League is a very real possibility.
Winning that trophy and guaranteed CL football is surely the no1 objective.
That is the only crumb of comfort I can take from seeing us not fully ready yet.

Yeah, once were at full fitness we can destroy some of these EL teams tbf, at least fitness start of season fitness won't hold us back in that

 

[Del]

That's fitness as well. You can't play if you aren't fit.

In those games we wanted to have an easy run about where neither team would press too hard and we could just pass it around. Unfortunately against Porto and Celta Vigo we came up against two teams that really wanted to play and pressed us high. There was no one for our players to pass to because the other players didn't want to use up their energy running into space which then forced mistakes.

Same idea in defence.

Do you just think they magically forgot how to pass to each other for those games and then learnt again how to for the first 45 mins in two games but forgot again for the second 45 mins in those two games?

Well I am sorry lad but thats what people were eluding to during that time

People were saying that those performances would carry on into the proper games and they haven't, That just a fact, We have played well in the last two games, We all know why we have failed to win both