Re: Everton Thread
agreed the game was done and dusted in the first leg, dont be to harsh was shocked at the ability of the mentalist team , delighted with anachibe and how he turned the game around and once again digusted with the yak , he just cant be bothered.
Yea the game should have been over from the first leg and would have been had the Johnson penalty have stood. I mean at 2-0 we would have had no need to press them and they would not have got the counter for that one goal...plus well of course it would have been an extra goal at home.
But!
Mate...last night was TERRIBLE football from us.
We could easily have been beaten by more than we did against Dinamo. In fact it was a similar performace int eh first half and part of the second.
The only reason we didn't get screwed was that Lescott got a goal from nothing as did Faddy.
In getting those goals the game was turned on its head and we were able to change the formation in order to cope with them. The anichebe performance and goal were brilliant, but let's not fool ourselves that we played well. No way on earth did we deserve anything from the game.
We can be thankful that they were defensively so fragile and that we made the most of our limited opportunities, thankful too for their wasteful finnishing.
The fact that a team in our position and experience cannot cope with something as simple as a formation involving a spare man in midfield is alarming.
Don't get me wrong, made up we have got to the group stage and made up by some of our players commitment etc and we might have deserved to go through on the basis of the first leg...but even so we stunk yesterday for the most part.
Metalist were a decent side no doubt about it, but I think we helped them look a lot better than they are with terrible passing and poor tackling and a lack of organisation.
Neville was pathetic again, even at right back. His distribution of the ball is comical and getting as bad as hibbert. Jagielka had a nightmare of a game and is not a centre mid, Yobo was plain awful and Yak was lazy, overweight and a little uninterested with poor control. Even Arteta struggled, he can be forgiven given he has come back from injury and it is just one quiet game....Osman was non existant and lightweight. I see Osman as a squad player for the right hand side and nothing more after this game. I have seen him fail to cemente a place in the team far too often. I think Osman is a player who would do brilliantly in the Championship, but I am not sure he is premiership quality (great first touch and scores a few but passing, tackling etc leave a lot to be desired and he has no pace or dribbling ability).
Howard was brilliant, Lescott brilliant and Anichebe was stunning, strong, controlled, great in the air and what composure for the finish.
Faddy was poor for most of the game but showed what class he can offer and turned the game. Pienar is getting better with each game
We seriously miss Johnson, Cahill, Graveson and why Carsley or Baines wasn't playing and not playing from the strat respectively I just don't understand.
Moyes has managed these two games very poorly in my opinion. He has tinkered with formations and player positions and added to the problems with have had.
I do not blame the performance on tactics and formation, but I do think that Moyes added to our problems and disharmony by tinkering.
We have a LOT to learn about European football.
Anichebe MUST start in the team now. I think he should be paired ahead of Faddy and that Yak should be a sub. Johnson should have time to come back after his latest injury and we can see where he fits into things.
