Match Thread Everton v Leicester City - Preview, Match Report and MotM Poll

[wandyr79]

I get the pessimism cos we've seen it before with the limited options of CM pairing.. but we should always go Digne at LB behind Richy when both are fit as thats worked consistently for us, wobes into the right gets us up the pitch and it means we have shape going forward even if playing a counter attacking system.
Sometimes we need to defend from the front rather than allowing teams to camp in our half.

Nail on head, it was way too deep without the ball, there was no pressing on the half way line or until they got into the penalty box. we gave them too many easy passes in dangerous areas.

In the last 10 minutes we finally started to win the ball further up the pitch and you saw the difference it made to chance with the few chances we then created.

 

[Trout Masked Replica]

I, for one, didn't enjoy the 'better team no points' thing we did for a few years.

If we controlled possession and scored an equaliser via a goalkeeping error, many would say not good enough. If we play to defend, score first, concede via goalkeeper error and miss two sitters to win late on, many say not good enough. I thought Leicester huffed and puffed and ultimately got a bit of luck to score. We wasted much higher quality chances at the end.

Decent point if the next game is a slot fest verses the horse punchers

 

[wandyr79]

Tactically we played a sensible game last night. Why on earth would we play an open game without our best two players in midfield?

We denied them clear chances and that's how you win football matches. Unfortunately the goalkeeper cost us but I felt we were in control for long periods against a decent side. They will be top 6 this season and we have the chance to do the same.

They had enough clear chances to win the game, it was not sensible to let them play so close to our goal, I don;t think anybody is saying play an open game but we should have defended and pressed further up the pitch, it was just way too deep, I love the guy but on this occasion Carlo got it wrong and we were very lucky to get a point.

 

[Death]

Why are people still making excuses for Pickford?

It's down right counter productive.

 

[ToffeeTim]

They had enough clear chances to win the game, it was not sensible to let them play so close to our goal, I don;t think anybody is saying play an open game but we should have defended and pressed further up the pitch, it was just way too deep, I love the guy but on this occasion Carlo got it wrong and we were very lucky to get a point.

I think people overestimate our squad players. We played the right way for the team on the pitch. We aren't ready to dominate games and create bucket loads of chances against good teams.

I'm frustrated we didn't win but that's because of Pickford. Nothing to do with the manager.

 

[Sheedy's right knee.]

No doubt about it at this point. We haven't created a big chance from open play since the Burnley game and have taken 16 of 21 points. Plus we've had two really tough games we'd have had to play shorthanded moved. Yeah we've defended well but we haven't defended this well and we very easily could have had multiple 0-0s in the run.

We scored 2 good goals from open play against wolves?

 

[Cambiasso's Bald Head]

Not quite the game that I was expecting last night. I would have taken a draw before the game, but it felt like we could have got more, and yet also felt like we were fortunate to get a point.

Appreciate that you had your 'screen' missing in AD and Allan, but I still expected a little more from you in the offensive. Very much felt like you were happy to protect a 1-0 and then happy to see out a draw, with the chance of grabbing a goal on the counter. Is that usual for Ancelotti, or a case of make do with the players he had at his disposal?

I also expected more of a threat from DCL and Richarlison. In the past it's felt like Richarlison has scored against on virtually every occasion and DCL is exactly the sort of player that we struggle against, but it felt like they weren't in the game for prolonged periods. Still, both had very good chances I guess!

As for ourselves, I was impressed with how we dealt with Ndidi's injury. This time last year we really struggled without him, including losing to Norwich, but we seem far more adaptable to Mendy coming in now. Perez did exactly what I expected in working hard but simply not being the player that Vardy is (not many are). He stood little to no chance being marshalled by your three either. On a side note, really impressive with how Keane has come on. In the past Vardy has run rings around him, but the past 2/3 games against you he's been completely dominant.

Still expect that we'll be around a similar position come the end of the season, and hopefully that's around 4th and not 7/8th.

 

[bcblue1878]

Gone with Michael Keane (again!) as MoM, thought he just shaded James, Godfrey and Mina who all had good games as well! Find it unbelievable that six people have voted for Pickford , cost us points again!!!

 

[wandyr79]

I think people overestimate our squad players. We played the right way for the team on the pitch. We aren't ready to dominate games and create bucket loads of chances against good teams.

I'm frustrated we didn't win but that's because of Pickford. Nothing to do with the manager.

It is not about dominating, I am saying that we should have played in the same style, not open or look to dominate possession but we should have pressed higher up the pitch. That is the only change I would make, I have mentioned before that in the the last 10 minutes we won the ball a couple of times nearer the half way line as we were then able to counter effectively.

We allowed them far too much space higher up the pitch and were lucky that Keane just about got in the way of Maddison's shot inside the box or their players did not get on the end of some dangerous balls across the 6 yard box, etc.

 

[Pabbers]

Sitting back for 70 mins and allowing them to come on, is quite annoying though

Its not as straight forward as that, but ok.

 

[Death]

What was with the commentator deciding he was going to pronounce players names however he saw fit. The game was so intense I think a lot of us let that slide. It was bizarre though.

 

[APN_EFC]

I'm disappointed in terms of we were leading and seemed fairly comfortable until our error prone goalkeeper made an error.

Given our midfield tonight I suppose it's a decent result. We've taken 4 points from a side supposedly so much better than us.

I think DCL must still be carrying a knock because he did very little, this is why we really need capable back up.

Our defence contained Leicester really well, I thought we were too defensive and they hemmed us in, though part of this was we had no out ball and constantly surrendered possession putting us under pressure again.

I could see the Pickford error coming. A few Hollywood saves were he put the ball back into dangerous area's and got away with it had him back to his Superman dives for the camera when the ball was going in the opposite direction. His back to back hat trick of errors gifted them a goal. Whether their performance deserved it or not he gifted Leicester their goal and point. I'm sick of him.

Other results put ours in a favourable light and I can see a few other side's dropping points when European fixtures start again. Hopefully we'll have additions to our squad to take advantage.

I was worried about this game being one of those missed opportunities, so many over the years, 'if we had just won that game we'd be in this position'... and that too with leicester, we could have overhauled them sooner with 3 points. However after being pissed off and angry last night I was more balanced today too

Yeah - DCL was off form - that's fair - last year was his breakthrough, this is his first real season as a proper player
Digne, Richarlison were off as well
so 3 of James' outlets were off colour
and we had no Allan and Doucoure
and we made a bad mistake
this is Year 1 of our transition team, Leicester are 2,3 years ahead of us in the development of their own squad - they're all tighter - not better - than us

despite all of that, and being dominated, we got away with 1-1, last year we would have got beaten badly

 

[ElGato]

On reflection we were fairly fortunate to get a point. We weren’t in the game at all after half time until they equalised, which was weird because we carried threat as soon as we tried to. Think Carlo set us up too negatively and took too long to make any changes too.

I’ll be very disappointed if we set up with the 4 centre backs against Newcastle. It’s very much appropriate in difficult games like last night but I want to see Coleman and Digne back at full back with a far more positive approach overall.

I agree with this. I appreciate that people are concerned about changing a back four that is keeping clean sheets (probably the same people who are now complaining that the performance last night wasn't exciting enough to watch on the ball) but playing our first choice full backs makes us tick.

When Digne and Coleman play higher up the pitch and stay wide, Richy and James can drift inside to play nearer to Dom and we create more passing angles and chances from open play. Allan helps by sitting in which gives the full backs license, but no reason why Tommy D the Kickflip Kid can't do that.

Maybe a conservative approach against Leicester makes sense, but hope that we go all out against the magpies with reckless abandon.

 

[bcblue1878]

Feel like this is a huge set back

No, feels like Pickford cost us again! Drop points on Saturday to the Geordie horse punchers and that will be a “huge setback”!

 

[ToffeeTim]

It is not about dominating, I am saying that we should have played in the same style, not open or look to dominate possession but we should have pressed higher up the pitch. That is the only change I would make, I have mentioned before that in the the last 10 minutes we won the ball a couple of times nearer the half way line as we were then able to counter effectively.

We allowed them far too much space higher up the pitch and were lucky that Keane just about got in the way of Maddison's shot inside the box or their players did not get on the end of some dangerous balls across the 6 yard box, etc.

You do know that pressing higher up the pitch is how you leave gaps to exploit on the transition. It's not as simple or straightforward as people make out.

Yes Maddison could have scored but we defended it well. Keane is good at that sort of defending. But equally, Gomes should have scored and I expect DCL to score that header. I feel we could easily have won the game, but we didn't, Leicester will feel they could have won too. It's 2 fairly evenly matched teams and draws can happen in games like that.