Match Thread Everton vs Ruzemberok, Thursday 27th July, 8.05pm

[The Penalty Box Dancer]

They'll take this defeat, over at their place next week is going to be a challenge

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

We're going to have to score over there to go through now I think, and I reckon that will be difficult

On the bright side, if we score 1 then they're going to need 3

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Worth noting that AC Milan, who has spent twice as much money as we have this summer, also eked out an ugly 1-0 win in their qualifier against some jarg Croatian team.

It's the Italian way

Didn't Capello win the league with Milan years back scoring only 36 goals all season?

 

[rochdaleblue]

Lack of creativity once again blighted our performance. I know it's only our 3rd week of pre-season but seriously how many clear cut chances did we create?
Positives - Keane, Sandro, Klassen, Gana (did well)
Negatives - Lack of pace and creativity in the side. Martina and Williams (both suspect defensively)
Don't know if this is a knee jerk reaction, but I'd forget about siguardsson, and put the money towards a centre half (lemos) and add creativity (viera).

 

[ToffeeTim]

Lack of creativity once again blighted our performance. I know it's only our 3rd week of pre-season but seriously how many clear cut chances did we create?
Positives - Keane, Sandro, Klassen, Gana (did well)
Negatives - Lack of pace and. Relativity in the side. Martina and Williams (both suspect defensively)
Don't know if this is a knee jerk reaction, but I'd forget about siguardsson, and put the money towards a centre half (lemos) and add creativity (viera).

Siguurdson is creative. More importantly he gives an out ball.

 

[BlueToff]

So you're expecting us to lose by three goals next week?

no not at all.

it'd have just been handy to have a decent lead going into what will be a tough game.

as it happens though, we will have to be much sharper, which hopefully is a positive.

 

[BlueToff]

Lack of creativity once again blighted our performance. I know it's only our 3rd week of pre-season but seriously how many clear cut chances did we create?
Positives - Keane, Sandro, Klassen, Gana (did well)
Negatives - Lack of pace and creativity in the side. Martina and Williams (both suspect defensively)
Don't know if this is a knee jerk reaction, but I'd forget about siguardsson, and put the money towards a centre half (lemos) and add creativity (viera).

Sigurdsson is more creative than Viera mate

 

[Stan Lee Park]

Siguurdson is creative. More importantly he gives an out ball.

We don't need him. What we need is a centre forward. A powder puff display last night against very modest opposition

 

[bluekangaroo]

no not at all.

it'd have just been handy to have a decent lead going into what will be a tough game.

as it happens though, we will have to be much sharper, which hopefully is a positive.

One nil is absolutely fine given the short pre-season thus far and huge number of new players still being bedded into the squad.

 

[paulbefc]

With them sitting back, we wouldn't have seen the opportunity for Lukaku to use his pace.
I thought the entire front line looked far more mobile and hard working to be honest. It was a refreshing change.

Lukaku would regularly slot 2, 3, 4 against teams like that at Goodison last season. I think the refreshing change was due to replacing Barkley with more decisive, intelligent players. Unfortunately we still needed a deflected shot from our left back to score just the once, clearly demonstrating (albeit in just the one (virtually) pre-season fixture) that playing a bunch of good footballers up top is not going to benefit the team in the long-run if they're not going to score after the build-up, contrary to a lot of what has been said in the Lukaku thread this summer.

 

[BlueToff]

My ratings:

Stekelenburg - 6 - Didn't have much to do. A bit fortunate to get away with a mistake midway through the 2nd half though.

Martina - 5 - Started well but his 2nd-half performance was poor. Defensively suspect in the last 20 minutes or so.
Keane - 7 - Won pretty-much everything in the air and actually made some good runs from defence as well.
Williams - 6 - Shaky at times early on but settled quickly enough.
Baines - 7 - Needs more support down that left side. Gylfi coming in (if it happens) could really help that. Hit it well for the goal.

Schneiderlin - 6 - Lacked his usual precision in his passing.
Gueye - 8 - All over the place. Brilliant.
Klaassen - 6 - Made some brilliant runs but really should have scored when he got in in the first half. We've missed a midfielder like this, though, and he'll be a real success I reckon.

DCL - 6 - Worked hard but too often isolated out wide, which isn't his position. Did set up a really good chance for Rooney though.
Rooney - 6 - Not the return we all wanted but looked much better when dropped off behind Sandro in a free role.
Mirallas - 6 - Showed glimpses. Unlucky not to score when the keeper pulled out a good save, and he put in some good crosses from free-kicks/corners.

Sandro - 7 - His pace and energy changed the game. Perhaps a bit too eager to impress at times, but showed what we've been missing for some times with his movement.
Lookman - 6 - Didn't ever get into the game but IMO he should have either started (in place of DCL) or been brought on much sooner than he was.
Davies - 6 - Injected some real energy into midfield and linked well with Sandro when he got forward.

Koeman - 5 - It was always going to be tough against a disciplined opposition but in this instance I don't think Ronny's team selection helped. DCL isn't a winger and if he was going to play it had to be up top, with Rooney given that free role from the start. I think Sandro came on at the right time, but he then failed to take advantage when we were on top by introducing Lookman to get even more pace on the pitch and finish them off. Sure he'll get it right next week.

 

[ToffeeTim]

We don't need him. What we need is a centre forward. A powder puff display last night against very modest opposition

Nah we need him and Giroud/similar CF

 

[Sy-]

Lukaku would regularly slot 2, 3, 4 against teams like that at Goodison last season.

I was pondering this, but I'm not entirely convinced he would have ever got the ball in the kind of space and positions he could be lethal, we never managed to get in behind them (which is why Martina constantly stopping and putting his foot on the ball mid-attack in the second half made my blood boil).

Even when we were into their 18 yard box they absolutely crowded it, it was always going to take a deflection or some pin-ball goal line type goal to score.

Frustrated as I was last night, on reflection they were set up brilliantly and I have to give them credit, more worrying for the away leg is they had the fitness to still be on it at 90 minutes. We're going to need an early goal next week and give them nothing to defend.

 

[Stan Lee Park]

Nah we need him and Giroud/similar CF

We want Siguurdson but we NEED a Giroud

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

Two main thoughts I took from last night is that when we can play Sandro from the start we will be a far more effective and dangerous team and I would have preferred to have played Davies from the off , his energy and ability to make things happen in the box is superlative.