Everton v Arsenal. 23rd Aug at 17.30.

[marty mcfly]

No mate Osman needs to be embalmed.

He plays like he already is.

 

[toffeejack]

Everton 2-2 Arsenal: Manager reaction
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "We have a great response with complete desire to come back and the spirit was fantastic.

"In the end we got back to 2-2 and we got a strong point but a deserved one if you look at the chances we had, especially in the second half. We came back very late but our spirit got us a point.

"It shows the belief and the resilience is there. The second goal was offside but we took it on the chin and came back."

i use to respect him because he was a great manager, he's not that anymore, just a miserable old bellend. he spent the whole of the match moaning about that decision after it had happened. if he took it on the chin he wouldn't even be mentioning it.

 

[Kev The Rat]

Either Distin or Jags or even both HAVE to be dropped ASAP - if it means buying a pair of experienced centre halves before the window shuts so be it.

Stones is not the answer to any of the defensive problems either.

 

[Toffeelover]

Furious, absolutely furious with that last 10 minutes capitulation. We began running out of legs with 65 gone just like last week!
The fitness levels are scandalous for supposed professional sports men. Poor pre season has bitten hard.

Weekend utterly ruined again ffs

I was saying much the same in the aftermath of the Leicester game.

 

[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...

 

[ford_uk]

I'm fuming wtf happened ? We was cruising! Cruising like last week! And we Fti up again feels like two defeats

 

[eyeeyepopeye]

Think a poor pre-season is apparent, we don't look fit enough, we really need a second striker, feels like a defeat, but onwards and upwards

 

[ianefc]

I didn't say we would beat them though did I?

I won't be ruling us out though before a ball has been kicked

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

 

[thirdmantackle]

I was happy enough with the performance. They were abysmal around our box.
A few lapses in concentration and work rate caused the problems

 

[Matthew Martinez]

...last line of defence often get the blame. Sometimes you just have to accept goals are scored, it doesn't mean somebody needs to be dropped. I think we were too comfortable and settled to see the game out. No threat in the 2nd half, we always need to pose something of a threat and that (for me) is where we came unstuck.

Absolutely agree with this. We were sloppy/careless going forward in the second half which allowed them to gamble, press higher up and steal the ball a lot more resulting in long spells of energy sapping pressure on our back line.

 

[Bobby P]

please, naismith just ran your guys ragged all over the shop, did the same in this fixture last season. wilshere does absoolutely nothing that influences any game.

naismith is joint top scorer, wilshere is as bang average as they come. naismith may not be a talented player but he gives 100%, yet he will always earn less than jack wilshere who's had everything handed to him on a plate so he doesn't need to, nor does he, work hard to achieve anything.

You must not watch us very often.

Anybody could do what Naismith does, anybody. Just run around a little so that you'll be labelled hard working and score a goal here or there.

Joint top scorer? 2 games into a season.

 

[toffeejack]

Why did we even buy besic if we're not going to use him, he would have helped us see out both there games instead we're starting off a carbon copy of last season, only with Europe to deal with as well. 6th place nailed on at this rate.

we've only played two games, we still have about 50 left, he'll play. he's only 21 remember, not exactly bought only to play the first two games of the season.

 

[marty mcfly]

Wonder why we change it this season. It is like watching the old Moyes managing Everton.

Because we're knackered.

It's obvious. Martinez tried to attack with the subs but the rest where out on their feet except McCarthy.

 

[daz4matty]

Looking knackered 2nd half in both games. Too much possession I think with no end product and of course Distin .

Defo not fit enough never known a pre season like it we were so poor and there was no energy,will or desire.
Martinez did a great job last season i just hope he wakes up and gets us going this season.
They came back from turkey tueaday night and were so much hungrier.
Watch osman tonight on the re run he was awful today

 

[Eggs]

Fair point, but our CB pair are old and can't last a full game now. They often get the blame because, often, it is their fault.

...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.