COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY
From my seat: Man City (H)
Comments (12) : Three games in six days seemed to take its toll as pretty approach work by the Blues lacked bite and verve in the last third that allowed decent crosses to go unchallenged and closing down quickley seemed a lost art.
City seemed to have come for a harder game than they were getting and from being content to soak up and counter they worked out our paucity in the final third and pushed on. Looking to Ribinho to attack our defence they fed Ireland as much as possible for his creativity and was giving them the confidence to sniff a win.
The Blues did have the first shot of the day but it was a tame affair by Saha that caused Given no problem.Then bigger problems occured at the other end when Baines had to block and with the ball falling to Robinho he produced a shot of venom that Howard did well to beat away. Moments later it was Baines making an excellent last ditch tackle to thwart Ireland.
We then again got in the box but with little conviction and Fellaini claiming he was hard done to without tracking and tackling back City broke quickly and with our lads appearing to be switched off Elano fed Robinho who easily outpaced Jags and slotted passed Howard. From my seat he looked offside but no flag.
H/T and we had looked so powder-puff in the last third many thought a change of Vaughan for Saha might be a good move but the manager thought otherwise and we restarted as you were.
A few minutes in and celebrations were firmly stopped in the throat when Hibbert put in a good cross to the back post,Pienaar controlled and laid into Fellaini who in one movement flicked it up,spun and fired in but would you believe straight at Given who reacted well and tipped over ? just inches either side and we were level.
This seemed to give us a little impetus and we pressed but this pressing was to be our undoing as a Castillo shot was blocked City broke and found Robinho dancing down the left,Four Blue shirts were attracted to him leaving no-one tracking Irelands run from deep,the crowd saw the danger and sent out the danger signal,Robinho had seen the danger and delivered the pass the rest as they say is history 2-0 down. Change had to be made and Moyes went all Mourinho and sent on three,we weren't to know at the time how that would backfire.
The Blues pressed and one superb cross from Hibbert found the marauding Jags who headed over when the goal gaped ? a bad miss.
Things went from bad to worse as Jags who was pushing on turned to retreat and fell,immediately his hand was in the air,that signal no manager or fan wants to see and was duly strechered off.My gut reaction was thats him for the season- hell I hope I am wrong. Now it was 'Come on the ten men' and we didn't give it up but looked unlikely to get a breakthrough.
The board showed SEVEN minutes overtime and for the first time in the game the crowd made an appearance,Gosling one of the subs. introduced swept home in fine fashion but it was all to little to late and the final whistle signalled a bad day at the office.
Overall I thought we were found believing we were tired rather than being tired and this was borne out by my man of the match Pienaar who put in a very lively shift,ran and ran and was always looking for the killer pass only to be let down by his team-mates lethargy.
Another thing I noticed was that Jags looks less comfortable as the left sided centre-back which at times led to some confusion at the back but that may be irrelavent now. For the remainder of our league games the manager will have to put out the team to do the job whilst being mindful of keeping players fresh by limited rotation and also with the final in mind be looking for the balance that will be necessary to overcome Chelsea, balance today was most conspicious by its absense as you might expect with such a small squad but in my mind in there somewhere is the team that can do it. I wish the manager and coaches the best of good fortune in this season riddled with injuries to find that all important formula for that Oh-so important one off game in May.
Sunderland away next and that is likely to be fiesty given their predicament but we must keep our form up and go for it and hope against hope no more stretchers are called for.
See you there - be lucky. UP THE BLUES
Reader Comments
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The Fellaini / Saha partnership looks ineffective as it did at Wembley. In fairness, Fellaini continues to do quite well, but where do you play him?
As usual, James Vaughan came on and chased everything and should be given a chance to start next week.
The one real highlight was young Gosling?s goal, which he made himself and took beautifully, perhaps he should also start next week ?
But we all want to send our best wishes to Jags and thank him for a great season.
Moreover, don?t forget Jack Rodwell is a superb centre back also. He?ll be one of the best midfielders-cum-defenders (Marcel Desailly) for many years to come. Nothing to fear against Chelski, the Cup's coming home.
PS, I actually missed Jo yesterday, I am beginning to believe Saha?s role at Everton can only as an ?impact sub? from now on.
The other baffling thing is that Osman, who clearly is the most in need of a rest, gets 90 minutes every game!!
Just read on the offical site we have qualified for Europe next season; I think we shud seriously consider playing the reserves/youth team for the remainder of the season. Get well soon Jags.
I'm 37 and have been going regularly since 1983 but I can't for the life of me remember so many "serious" injuries in one season... Not that I want anyone injured but why do Liverpool never seem to suffer like us??
My other main worry is our tactics yesterday. Why we resorted to hoofball yesterday against a team with Richard Dunne as their central stopper was totally beyond me. Dunne won almost everything in the air and the useless punts forward by Yobo and Hibbert were giving Saha and Fellaini no chance at all.
We looked better when Peanuts and Baines combined down the left ? our goal came from that route ? but the down the right we were less than useless. Hibbert had his hands well and truly full with Robinho, who was enjoying the sunshine, and Osman was having a usual totally ineffective game, no good going forward and not providing any help to Hibbert.
Ozzie can do a job, but at the moment he looks completely knackered and I'm a bit concerned that Moyes never notices how ineffectual he is. I was disappointed that some of the fringe players aren't being given a chance to break into the final team when some of our regulars obviously need a rest ? Peanuts and Ozzie especially. We all saw yesterday that Gosling has a definite eye for goal and should be given a chance to push Ozzie for a position.
A disappointing result and the injury to Jags was terrible.
In Vaughan I think we have a potential good forward, but at the moment he seems too hyped up like he is trying to make up for lost time. He needs to play more with his head up and relax when in possession of the ball. At the moment he is taking too many touches to control the ball and then plays with his head down and seems to run into or through the first defender.
Overall though it was just one of those days...
I think that the big Fella is being regularly subbed to ensure that he survives the rest of the season without hitting the 15 yellow cards. I think he is on 13. Castillio for me is the most frustrating player we have. He started brilliantly on Saturday and faded very quickly.
I agree that now Europe is secured that we should use the fringe/younger players available to prepare them for next season.
Get well soon Jags (and Miki, Yak etc etc etc!).
Saha certainly has some ability ? Ferguson originally investing so much in him suggests as much ? but for some reason he continues to be forgiven for not being fit! Comments continue to be made about his "need to get fit/can?t play in this team system or that team system". The evidence of his recent years at United and his time at Everton suggest that he is currently someone with neither the mental toughness nor the physical commitment to the game at this level.
Appearances seem to suggest that he is content to drift around the fringes of the action bolstered by the security of the enormous sums of money he has so far made from the game, content to dip in and out if, and when, the mood takes him. His ability sometimes producing the odd flash or the rare goal. It is one of the sadnesses of Everton?s recent circumstances that David Moyes felt the need to take a gamble on him and give him the chance to regularly play the game which has been so good to him. Many, including myself, felt that it was an understandable, and indeed hopeful gamble.
Sadly Mr Moyes is finding like so many others before him that the player appears to be a professional charlatan and the sooner circumstances develop which allow the club to offload him the better.
Players such as Hibbert and Osman experience tremendous abuse at times - and indeed there is often much to criticise - but if Louis Saha had an ounce of their personal, professional commitment to the game and to the efforts and needs of the club at this time then perhaps he might begin to apply the talents with which he has been blessed and come to be regarded as some kind of asset.
So far he has been nothing but a sham and even a winning goal in a final would not prove otherwise, Like so much that could be applied to his professional career in these later years, Louis Saha needs to give a lot more, more consistently and for much longer.
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1 Posted 25/04/2009 at 23:52:13
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Despite having most of the ball, we never looked like scoring. Which brings me to my final point: without our fresh, fit talisman Tim driving us on for the whole game, we?re another team altogether.
Losing Jags is a disaster, but nonetheless a disaster that can be overcome by slotting Joey back in next to Lescott. But something happening to Tim Cahill between now and 30 May...