The Defence Rests

[Seathestars]

I've seen us with Watson and Gough as centre backs and neither had any pace between them at that stage of their career. What they did have was nouse and used all of their experience.

I see none of that with Williams, Jags, Keane and Baines. I see players trying to win balls that aren't there to be won, I see players being out muscled against weaker opposition, I see some of the worst marking i can remember in the 30 odd years of watching Everton.

The defence is shambolic and something quite dramatic needs to be done such as trying Besic as a centre back or stick him left back.

Try something, anything becsuse it's just madness selecting the same piss poor excuse of players

I agree with the highlighted mate, its suicide to keep doing the same things over and over and expecting something different.

 

[Jonte]

The one thing that has been obvious to me in watching this shambles for the last few games is the collective defensive ball-watching.

When we are under attack, our players funnel (or quite often jog...) back but are all drawn like moths to where the ball is, and consequently, with a deft cross to take out 6 defenders, opposition attackers are left in the box completely unmarked in the gaps behind everyone.

Take a look at the replays of goals we've conceded of late - it's uncanny.

Indeed; reactive rather than proactive. The young players are exactly the same. Has to be the coaching at fault.

 

[Jonte]

I agree with the highlighted mate, its suicide to keep doing the same things over and over and expecting something different.

Isn’t that the definition of madness?

 

[degsy]

Formations and starting XI's really don't matter at this point - every player at the club right now is in one hell of a rut and it's hard to tell when they're going to drag themselves out of it.

Too change, you have to want to change...when you get your wages no matter what, where's the incentive.

 

[b-rad]

Too change, you have to want to change...when you get your wages no matter what, where's the incentive.

All players (and agents) have an eye on the next contract. Keep on as they are and there will be no next contract - certainly not on the same wages if we are in the Championship and none of them are exactly going to be hot property in the transfer market either.

 

[Tim's tourettes]

Wtf has happened to Michael Keane??!!

 

[peteblue]

We've conceded 3 goals or more 6 times this season. The defence is utterly atrocious, and I can't fathom for the life of me why Unsworth hasn't focused on making us hard to beat and get some clean sheets.

Is it coz of Brexit.......

 

[Abertonian]

Is it coz of Brexit.......

Yep, the EU nationals in our squad have had their confidence eroded by Chairman May's ongoing use of them as a bargaining chip.

 

[toffeejack]

none of us could foresse that keane, williams and jagielka would all be so utterly terrible all at the same time. I said in the summer i didn't want keane as i didn't think he was anywhere near good enough and i thought we had 5 centre backs (including mori and holgate) that would be okay for the season and then we could buy another CB next summer whilst letting go either williams or jags. But bloody hell, we need two right now.

Coleman coming back will be great, but martina never was going to be good enough, we didn't bother getting a replacement for mori when we knew he was out for the season and decided to send out baines' main backup on loan with no replacement (i presume that was martina's role?).

The main failure was letting barry go for such a measly fee. I know he wanted to go but he was a good backup option to be called upon every now and then who would just stay in his DM position. Now we have schneiderlin who dozes off upfield as well as a load of centre mids who don't quite play that role and we're leaving our defence massively exposed every game. I know he was hardly great last season, but at least barry wouldn't have downed his tools and he'd have the right disciple to shield them now. We can't stop oppositions finding it easy to flood players forward and that's where most of our defensive frailties lie imo.