Everton v Stoke. 30th Mar @ 17.30.

[bainesontoast]

Mentioned this in another Stoke thread but my theory is that you should never try to out brute the brutes. This is a perfect game for Barkley to be played in the hole to lure the Neanderthals into hacking him around the area. There's only so many free kicks you can give Baines before one is lethal. Put Oviedo and Mirallas on the flanks, and tell them to cut inside. Stoke are one of the most immobile sides in the league, if not the most immobile. Oviedo and Mirallas' pace will prove too much if they get going.

If Anichebe is played due to his strength, I fear that it will play into Stoke's hands.

 

[FTY]

Mentioned this in another Stoke thread but my theory is that you should never try to out brute the brutes. This is a perfect game for Barkley to be played in the hole to lure the Neanderthals into hacking him around the area. There's only so many free kicks you can give Baines before one is lethal. Put Oviedo and Mirallas on the flanks, and tell them to cut inside. Stoke are one of the most immobile sides in the league, if not the most immobile. Oviedo and Mirallas' pace will prove too much if they get going.

If Anichebe is played due to his strength, I fear that it will play into Stoke's hands.

Agreed but it would be very harsh to drop Chebes.

 

[The Hibbert Agenda]

Great preview Chico
Moyes will be very happy to hear that I'm entirely leaving selection to him. Naismith? Neville? Barkley? Oviedo? -- Our record vs these guys is torrid, and honestly I couldn't even begin to imagine how to beat these guys. Half of our squad is just flying in exhausted from Montenegro and Costa Rica, another large chunk is suspended or dead. Of those remaining, a good few are in bad form at the moment...
MOYES JUST DO THE BLADDY BUSINESS.!!

 

[Petit]

Great preview Chico
Moyes will be very happy to hear that I'm entirely leaving selection to him. Naismith? Neville? Barkley? Oviedo? -- Our record vs these guys is torrid, and honestly I couldn't even begin to imagine how to beat these guys. Half of our squad is just flying in exhausted from Montenegro and Costa Rica, another large chunk is suspended or dead. Of those remaining, a good few are in bad form at the moment...
MOYES JUST DO THE BLADDY BUSINESS.!!

It´s going to be a tough, tough game this.

We need the players to stand up for themselves. We´ll need a performance from Osman and something special from either Mirallas or Jelavic me thinks.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

It´s going to be a tough, tough game this.

We need the players to stand up for themselves. We´ll need a performance from Osman and something special from either Mirallas or Jelavic me thinks.

Jelavic is going to need to stay on his feet a lot more than usual here. If he let's these Stoke players bully him we'll essentially be down to 10 men. I needs to actually stay on side as well. He's a tall guy, I'm really suprised he lets defenders bully him the way they do. I don't think he's won a free kick all season either so he might as well just stay up until he's actually FORCED down at least

 

[Petit]

Jelavic is going to need to stay on his feet a lot more than usual here. If he let's these Stoke players bully him we'll essentially be down to 10 men. I needs to actually stay on side as well. He's a tall guy, I'm really suprised he lets defenders bully him the way they do. I don't think he's won a free kick all season either so he might as well just stay up until he's actually FORCED down at least

Staying up or going down isn´t really the issue with Jelavic. It´s wether he manages to slip his man in the box and get a shot off. If that happens he usually scores.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Staying up or going down isn´t really the issue with Jelavic. It´s wether he manages to slip his man in the box and get a shot off. If that happens he usually scores.

But there's been instances this year where he's flopped down like a bag of spuds (trying to win pens or just not having the bottle to stand up to his defender) and it's cost us every time.

That, and always being off side, are the biggest flaws in his game in my opinion (Just my opinion of course, others may disagree). It's become a running joke in my section at home games now. If Jelavic is actually onside we pinch ourselves

 

[Petit]

But there's been instances this year where he's flopped down like a bag of spuds (trying to win pens or just not having the bottle to stand up to his defender) and it's cost us every time.

That, and always being off side, are the biggest flaws in his game in my opinion (Just my opinion of course, others may disagree). It's become a running joke in my section at home games now. If Jelavic is actually onside we pinch ourselves

Him constantly being offside bothers me too. I think defenders this season have been trying to expose his relative lack of pace. As he typically plays on the shoulder of the last defender and is lethal when getting on the end of balls in the box the best way to defend against him is simply by playing him offside.

 

[Stend]

Jelavics worked his backside off. If he had a little bit more pace he'd be absolutely class. Him being offside is a lot to do with him trying to gain a yard on the last man because he lacks raw pace.

I've also witnessed him
Overlooked as a final pass time and time again this season. You see him pointing into the space and he doesn't get it. The one person who looks to find him most of the time is Gibson.

 

[Petit]

Jelavics worked his backside off. If he had a little bit more pace he'd be absolutely class. Him being offside is a lot to do with him trying to gain a yard on the last man because he lacks raw pace.

I've also witnessed him
Overlooked as a final pass time and time again this season. You see him pointing into the space and he doesn't get it. The one person who looks to find him most of the time is Gibson.

Two interesting questions:

Who are the players NOT trying to find him with passes?

and

Who are the players being supplied with passes rather than Jela?

(is it simply long balls to Fellaini?)

 

[Stend]

I want to see this midfield and strike partnership.

Barkley Gibson Osman Mirallas

Naismith

Jelavic.

I wouldn't mind Barkey playing behind Jelavic either tbh. Just think he'll do a better job than Naismith out wide.

 

[Stend]

Two interesting questions:

Who are the players NOT trying to find him with passes?

and

Who are the players being supplied with passes rather than Jela?

(is it simply long balls to Fellaini?)

I've noticed Baines and Osman overlook him a lot and those two see a lot of the ball. We tend to play tippy tappy go wide then swing one in. Very rare you see a defence splitting pace in this team.

 

[MartSlinger]

Two interesting questions:

Who are the players NOT trying to find him with passes?

and

Who are the players being supplied with passes rather than Jela?

(is it simply long balls to Fellaini?)

Ive found more times than not that Osman keeps the ball for far too long. When Osman gets it Jelavic is normally screaming a pointing for it almost immediately, Osman keeps the ball, then decides to pass when the defenders have clocked on too Jelavic, chance gone.

 

[Petit]

I've noticed Baines and Osman overlook him a lot and those two see a lot of the ball. We tend to play tippy tappy go wide then swing one in. Very rare you see a defence splitting pace in this team.

We haven´t replaced Arteta.

If he was still in the team (or even better the Mikel of say five years ago) imagine the production line of him and Jelavic.

 

[Stend]

Ive found more times than not that Osman keeps the ball for far too long. When Osman gets it Jelavic is normally screaming a pointing for it almost immediately, Osman keeps the ball, then decides to pass when the defenders have clocked on too Jelavic, chance gone.

Spot on mate. You need a quick thinking midfielder who reads the play and plays the ball with devastating timing.