Clean sheets - What are they, where did they go and when will we see them again?

Next Clean Sheet?

  • Next match (Leeds)

    Votes: 5 5.7%
  • Burnley

    Votes: 23 26.1%
  • Chelsea

    Votes: 4 4.5%
  • Arsenal

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Manchester United

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Sheffield United

    Votes: 9 10.2%
  • Manchester City

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2021

    Votes: 9 10.2%
  • When Trump concedes

    Votes: 3 3.4%
  • Once we've all had the Covid vaccine

    Votes: 7 8.0%
  • A club full of bedwetters will never have clean sheets

    Votes: 14 15.9%
  • Other humorous option (please elaborate in the comments)

    Votes: 2 2.3%
  • Shut up as long as we win I don't care about clean sheets that's only for fantasy league virgins

    Votes: 11 12.5%

  • Total voters
    88
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TheAlmightyFloater

Player Valuation: £30m
"...but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes and Everton conceding at least one goal."
- Benjamin Franklin 1789 (probably)

We've all heard or seen the famous quote above by the man most famous for frying his nuts off trying to fly a kite in a thunderstorm like a moron and earning himself a spot on the Yank's $100 bill for his efforts. We all like a bit of danger from time to time, especially us Everton fans who like to raise our blood pressure to perilous levels for roughly 90 minutes once or twice a week, but to turn yourself into a human pylon for what is essentially a children's hobby well... let's just say a certain Mr Franklin would be right at home booing off the boys in blue from the Park End at half time.

Speaking of living dangerously, how about a mention for the boys at the back of the line-up. It's not a proper match until you've seen a Pickford fumble 'n' tumble or a Mina swing 'n' miss. Of course the downside to these entertaining efforts is that keeping a clean sheet these days is more akin to finding the holy grail than it is to playing footie for an hour and a half. The nervy 3-2 win over Fulham on Sunday marked 10 games since our last one without conceding. Highlights of these past 10 games include losing 2 goals to League One behemoths Fleetwood Town in the prestigious Carabao Cup, going 1-0 down in the derby before the PL anthem had stopped playing and my personal favourite so far - West Brom's first goal in which Diangana was allowed to run unchallenged from 70 yards out before slotting past Pickford as easily as it is to undermine the electoral integrity of the USA in a handful of tweets.


If you close your eyes, you can almost hear the advertisement playing in training grounds across the country - "Are you an out of form striker languishing on the bench and waiting for the first choice lad to do his ankle? Perhaps you're the latest big money signing waiting for that elusive first goal. You might even have a record for the longest dry spell away from home. Does this sound like you? Well come on down to Goodison Park this Saturday. We've got unmarked space on the 6 yard line! We've got defenders that stand off until you've got no choice but to shoot! And if that doesn't work, we'll even add in a keeper that will literally throw the ball into his own net for you." Camera cuts to Ancelotti standing in the car park sandwiched between a blue wacky waving inflatable tube guy and a resurrected Changy the elephant spinning a large cardboard arrow.

Is it all individual errors? Is it coaching? Is it fatigue? Let's hear the theories and solutions and have a guess at when our next clean sheet will come.

Edit: Should have mentioned that, in true Everton form, we are currently the only team in the league to have stopped current league leaders Spurs from scoring - so I guess that's something?
 
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Pickford & Mina are absolute calamities.

However a big issue is the midfield - with James offering little in terms of defensive duties one of our 3 midfielders (mainly Doucoure) has to cover the right hand side effectively leaving us with 2 midfielders in the centre in which one is normally Gomes or Siggurdsson who are slow and cant tackle/defend therefore Allan is doing the job of two people.

The solution: sign a top box to box CM in January or hope Gbamin comes back to full fitness and isnt finished from his injuries.

Temporary Solution: Godfrey in the midfield alongside Allan with Doucoure pushed further forward in which Godfrey being able to tackle and having pace gives Allan some help when Doucoure is needing to cover that right hand side.

For me Godfrey looks more a CDM than a defender anyway - he smells of england water carrier in the Henderson/Rice/Drinkwater mold.
 
We know that Pickford, Mina and probably Keane are not up to the required standard. What I don't understand is the adoration which Holgate receives from many blues. I can appreciate that when he outpaces opponents on the flanks throwing in hollywood slide tackles or carries the ball upfield he can look impressive and he also appears to be a top bloke. However, where DEFENDING really matters, that is, inside the box, he is decidedly average. He fequently stands off his man, turns his back, lacks concentration and is easily muscled off the ball. In addition, he is average in the air and for someone who is allegedly a good passer, on numerous occasions I have seen him give the ball to opponents in dangerous areas. Like Tony Hibbert, he gives the impression of being a better defender than he actually is...that's just my opinion. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few examples like the Blackpool game, Norwich at home and Leicester away last year.
 

The solution is to play a high line like Liverpool do

If played correctly it pushes the opponent in their own half and if players press then the opponent can’t get out of their own half

Similar to what Fulham did to us

Unfortunately we like to play deep and invite pressure on us thinking we have amazing defence and midfield who can play out from the back with ease and form counter attacks instead

The philosophy of football needs changing
 
100% the leeds game. The goal will need to be 5feet taller and wider for them to score on what I seen the weekend
 

We know that Pickford, Mina and probably Keane are not up to the required standard. What I don't understand is the adoration which Holgate receives from many blues. I can appreciate that when he outpaces opponents on the flanks throwing in hollywood slide tackles or carries the ball upfield he can look impressive and he also appears to be a top bloke. However, where DEFENDING really matters, that is, inside the box, he is decidedly average. He fequently stands off his man, turns his back, lacks concentration and is easily muscled off the ball. In addition, he is average in the air and for someone who is allegedly a good passer, on numerous occasions I have seen him give the ball to opponents in dangerous areas. Like Tony Hibbert, he gives the impression of being a better defender than he actually is...that's just my opinion. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few examples like the Blackpool game, Norwich at home and Leicester away last year.
You've got to concede though that he's really good at pushing ladyboys into the crowd.
 
The solution is to play a high line like Liverpool do

If played correctly it pushes the opponent in their own half and if players press then the opponent can’t get out of their own half

Similar to what Fulham did to us

Unfortunately we like to play deep and invite pressure on us thinking we have amazing defence and midfield who can play out from the back with ease and form counter attacks instead

The philosophy of football needs changing

I would have thought our reluctance to play a high line comes more out of the fact that Keane and Mina would be exposed for their lack of pace.

Perhaps when Holgate returns to full fitness or if Godfrey establishes himself we'll see ourselves playing higher up as those 2 have the recovery pace you need to play a high line.
 

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