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

[Billysgingham.]

...I hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year Billy.

I had a quiet one as we have for a good few years mate.The normal going to see my daughter and son and the grandkids, then home for quiet time. I bet you had a much more exciting time.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti, speaking to BBC Match Of The Day:
"Honestly Manchester City played a really good game and we stayed in the game until the end. At the end City deserved to win - they were better than us. We were too shy in the first half, we had the possession but we were not able to find the solutions.

"In the second half we showed good spirit, now we have to look forward for the next game. We have a difficult game now against Liverpool and we have to keep our spirit. We need time to work and adjust things which are not good. After that game we have time to train to be a better team."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, speaking to BT Sport:
"We played great so I am delighted for the guys. This period is so tough. We did really well. Three more points and closer to Leicester.
"When you are far away from the first position sometimes people give up, but we never give up. We have to keep going. We have FA Cup then the EFL Cup. Other teams dropped points for the top four so it was an important win."
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Love his honesty.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Ok mate

foden and rodri or Davies and Sigurdsson,both better than our midfield so as for your easiest city team assumption both of them players are streets ahead of our midfield

Wasn’t me who said it was an easy city team,

 

[deipnosophist]

We just need to get safe because this league is very poor atm then let Carlo and his team get rid of the deadwood. We are crying out for a creative midfielder who has a good engine. A good preseason and get them into peak fitness and get 2 or 3 really good players in and hopefully get better

With the amount of aged deadwood in our team, they should change their nickname from ‘the Toffees’, to ‘the Petrified Forest’...

 

[PDAWG]

Wasn’t me who said it was an easy city team,

To be fair I didn't say it was an easy side, I was saying looking at that starting 11 you can't get much easier given there squad

The fact we hardly troubled them and how slow we looked is a worry

 

[bigboy]

Surprised at the Delph hate today he was one of the best of a bad bunch today, especially when he was practically alone in midfield with that anonymous sig.

I don’t think sidebe and Coleman really works. As good as sidebe performed in the Burnley game, they constantly found each other in the same position making the same runs. We saw very little of Coleman after the first spell of play.

 

[joseph]

Love his honesty.

Martinez would have called our performance "phenomenal"

 

[Sarnia Kevin]

Really mind numbing first half from us, did Sidebe touch the ball more than twice, thought we were going to bore City to death. Odd that we didn’t hit the ball to DCL more, he’s actually showing a bit on control of the ball on the ground these days. Time for Carlo to pick his back four , work on them and make them sound defensively, Mina is looking good these days .

Give the guy a few minutes to hang his coat on the back of the door! He's only been here a couple of weeks

 

[Sadken]

Mina is a disaster waiting every time he touches the ball
His marking skills are terrible
And he misses so many chances to score
We need 2 new centre halves

you would think duncan will have shown mina and michael keane how to head the ball down not up. basic skills.

 

[deipnosophist]

I had a quiet one as we have for a good few years mate.The normal going to see my daughter and son and the grandkids, then home for quiet time. I bet you had a much more exciting time.

I had a very busy festive period mate...enjoyed it immensely. But it’s back to ‘nose to the grindstone’ (work-wise)from tomorrow.
Fortunately, us Everton supporters follow a wonderful team whose trophy chasing exploits provide us pleasurable distraction from life’s quotidians.

 

[Billysgingham.]

I had a very busy festive period mate...enjoyed it immensely. But it’s back to ‘nose to the grindstone’ (work-wise)from tomorrow.
Fortunately, us Everton supporters follow a wonderful team whose trophy chasing exploits provide us pleasurable distraction from life’s quotidians.

Not back to work till the 6th myself, I have a ticket for the game Sunday, so no doubt I will be whistling in work all day Monday, (sigh).

 

[deipnosophist]

Martinez would have called our performance "phenomenal"

In Tom Cleverley, according to Bobby, we had “ the best English player of his generation”. ... given to slight hyperbole was our Bobby...

 

[TheBigIguana]

I'm not really sure why Seamus is winning MotM. City funneled possession his way because they knew he couldn't punish them and we got much better overall once he went off.

 

[danwardale36]

Who voted Walcott

 

[danwardale36]

Pep saying DCL was red card. Daft get. Carlo says no.

Wasn't a red but thought he showed immaturity diving in like that