Season › 2012-13 › News

Everton Under-21s lose to Arsenal

Michael Kenrick , 3 September, 21comments  |  Jump to most recent
3 - 0 scoreline was harsh...
Everton's Under-21s lost 0 - 3 to Arsenal tonight at Barnet's Underhill Stadium. The scoreline was a little unfair as it result from two dubious penalties and a late goal in injury time, but it leaves the Under-21's with three losses out of three in the new national league that replaces the old Reserves.

The scoreline was unfair on the Blues who held their own until the final moments of the first half when Sanchez Watt converted a dubiously awarded penalty. The same played then stepped up at the death to convert again from the spot.

And in injury time sub Kyle Ebecilio stole in to make it three.

George Green had gone close to a second half leveller for the Toffees who fought manfully up the Underhill slope after half time.

Predictably it was Arsenal who had most of the possession early on but to Everton's credit they had little to show for it.

The Blues were dogged in midfield, hassling and harrying their cosmopolitan counterparts.

Indeed, it was the visitors who had the first efforts on goal as John Lundstram sent a volley off target and Magaye Gueye smashed an effort just over.

Both those chances came as a result of the fast feet of Green and the diminutive youngster was proving a thorn in the Gunners' side.

He sent his own effort off target shortly after Hallam Hope had blocked a clearance back towards the Arsenal goal that James Shea had to tip round the post.

The home side did start to carve out some chances as the half went on with Chuks Aneke inches over from a free kick and Martin Angha drilling wide from 20 yards.

The breakthrough came in the final minute of the half in controversial fashion. Tyias Browning was adjudged to have fouled Jernade Meade as the winger burst into the box and Watt was unerring from 12 yards.

With the famous Underhill slope to their advantage after the break Arsenal had all guns blazing.

Aneke headed over early, Meade struck the post and a brilliant sprawling save from Mateusz Taudul temporarily deprived Watt of a second.

The Polish keeper then denied Craig Eastmond one-on-one as Everton clung on.

They weathered that storm though and midway through the half Green extended Shea with a low left-foot effort which was tipped away for a corner.

That spurred the Blues on and Hope was denied a penalty late on with boss Alan Stubbs livid on the touchline.

In the end it was another spot kick for Arsenal which settled it, with Watt converting again after Taudul had fouled Meade.

With pretty much the last kick of the game Ebecilio drove into the box and slotted past Taudul to make it 3-0.

Everton: Taudul; Browning, Lundstram, Hammar, Garbutt; Pennington, Green (85' Long), Barkley; Hope, Gueye, Kelly (55' Jones).
Subs not Used: Springhtorpe, Forrester, Touray.

Quotes or other material sourced from Evertonfc.com

Reader Comments (21)

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Tom Dodds
1 Posted 03/09/2012 at 18:26:28
Where's the invisible lad got too then? (McAleny)
Michael Kenrick
2 Posted 03/09/2012 at 19:26:26
Tom, I think there was a note somewhere a week or so back, maybe off his Twitter feed, that he was out injured... so I guess he probably still is.
Andrew Yates
3 Posted 03/09/2012 at 20:19:54
Does anyone think Hope's ready for some first-team opportunities?
Sam Hoare
4 Posted 03/09/2012 at 20:58:06
Lost again 3-0. Apparently the scoreline was a little harsh.

Barkley played the whole game and yet there was no mention of him at all in the match report. If he wants to break into the first team he surely needs to be running things at this level. Maybe a loan is needed.

Apparently our best player was the young George Green. Another one to watch. Though maybe Alan Stubbs is not the man to develop our youth, they seem to have gone backwards a bit in the last 2 years.

Phil Sammon
5 Posted 03/09/2012 at 22:37:28
Anyone else think Barkley looked like he was carrying a bit of weight against Orient? Could be wrong, but he looked to have really filled out over the summer.
Peter Thistle
6 Posted 04/09/2012 at 00:25:33
Didn't we used to have a good bunch of youths playing for us? What happened, they seem shite now.
Tom Dodds
7 Posted 04/09/2012 at 00:14:35
Oh right ok Michael... That just leaves Fransisco Junior?

I reallly would love 10, just 10 minutes alone with David Moyes — just and only just to talk about the youth/reserves to gleen from him how these guys are really progressing and why they get virtually no 'air' time so to speak.

I watched McAleny in the American pre-season matches last year, and the blink and miss it 5 mins against Arsenal — this kid looks bloody sharp. Junior when he played in this pre-season, had the Sky reporter in raptures, touting him as the best player on the pitch! (I forget which match now.)

So why is Anichebe brought out to repeatedly die the fuckin 'Wickerman's death' all the bloody time — while these guys are kept at Finch Farm in their underground lock-ups???
David Chait
8 Posted 04/09/2012 at 07:40:10
Seriously, we need to poach some German or Dutch youth coach..

How can a team that was so good in u18s be so bad 2 years later...with these results their progression will be curtailed massively. Oh sorry, I forgot being put in my place last week here by being told coaching doesn't matter and talent always shines through.

Sam Hoare
9 Posted 04/09/2012 at 07:49:22
I agree David. It concerns me that alot of youngster appear to have stuttered a bit in their development in the last 2-3 years.

The only ones who seem to improve are the ones who go out on loan, but the crop at finch farm don't really seem to be getting any closer to the first team. Though I suppose that could be due to the improved nature of our first team squad.

Matthew Lovekin
10 Posted 04/09/2012 at 07:51:14
For such a 'highly talented group of youngsters' something must be seriously wrong. Either the coaching is wrong or these kids are not as good as we originally believed.

Green does sound promising according to the reports but I'm starting to get concerned about Barkley. For a player so highly recommended, he should be dictating these games. First-teamer Gueye should also be performing better in a U-21 league.

Disappointing

David Nicholls
11 Posted 04/09/2012 at 07:52:49
Although the results have been disappointing, it's been encouraging to see George Green stepping up to U21 level so quickly. He must only be 16. I'm sure he was 15 when we signed him from Bradford amid huge fanfare about him being the next Gazza last year.
Steavey Buckley
12 Posted 04/09/2012 at 11:31:14
Good ball control, an eye for a good pass and shot on goal in a split second at EPL level is now paramount. Those skills should be apparent at the Everton academy. If they are not, there is little or no much future for any young Everton player what ever the result in matches they play.
David Chait
13 Posted 04/09/2012 at 11:44:35
Sma, its not even thate they might be closer to the first team or not... I made the point in the thread discussing the announcement of the u21 league that the best part is that it allows us to really benchmark our youngsters against the rest in the age group that is pushing for first team...

So far our "golden age" is looking like scrap metal... but I don't believe its the players.. I honestly don't.

Alan Ross
14 Posted 04/09/2012 at 17:05:46
Problem with Everton in its employee affairs is the loyalty it shows to previous players. But then again has Stubbsey been given the tools to ply his trade. 6 0f one and half a dozen of the other I dare say.
Andrew Fair
15 Posted 04/09/2012 at 17:06:53
Results aren't everything and in two games we have been unlucky to lose by such big scorelines! Our youngsters will be improving in passing/skills with players like Junior alongside them and there is no need to go overboard or panic! Once again, Results aren't everything!
Mark Stone
16 Posted 04/09/2012 at 17:42:09
The problem is, a lot of the experienced U21 players have either left or are injured - meaning our side is made up of 18 year olds. If Wallace and Baxter (and Bidwell- loan) were still here, and if Duffy and McAleney had been playing I'm sure we'd have done a lot better. As things stand, with the exception of Gueye this was a very young and inexperienced team - even for U21. How old is Green? 16? He could still be playing for the U18's! Actually even the more senior players like Lundstram and Barkley are only 18 and have three more years at the this level! I'd be interested to know the ages of the players they are up against.
Mark Stone
17 Posted 04/09/2012 at 19:35:00
So, intrigued by my own post ... here are the ages of the two starting XI's:
ARSENAL
James Shea 21
Hector Bellerin 17
Martin Angha 18
Ignasi Miquel (c) 21
Elton Monteiro 18
Craig Eastmond 21
Thomas Eisfeld 19
Nico Yennaris 19
Jernade Meade 19
Chuks Aneke 19
Sanchez Watt 21

EVERTON
Taudul 18
Browning 19
Lundstram 18
Hammar 18
Garbutt 19
Pennington 18
Green 16
Barkley 18
Hope, 18
Gueye, 21
Kelly 19

So clearly the Arsenal side are a lot more experienced and older (I know at 18 you are an adult, but there is a big physical difference between an 18 and a 21 year old). If Shay, Miquel, Eastmond and Watt were at Everton and not getting first team games we'd be wondering what they were still doing at the club (see Wallace and Baxter - both younger than those 4 players at 20).

Incidently, Bellarin (the one youngster they do have) was bought from Barcelona in the summer.

Not making excuses - just putting things into perspective. Can we stop expecting all of our players to be superstars by the time they are 16?

Brian Garside
18 Posted 04/09/2012 at 20:41:11
I want to see Lundstram given a debut against Leeds. I think he will handle it.
Trevor Lynes
19 Posted 05/09/2012 at 16:45:50
We are consistently being beaten and not just by Arsenal. It's no wonder that we are bringing in kids from elsewhere. I believe it's no coincidence that Baines and Jags were both released and developed elsewhere. I'm not sure our youth coaching is up to scratch and what the hell the scouts are doing beats me!!

Jimmy Sørheim
20 Posted 07/09/2012 at 10:18:15
It is crystal clear that our youth coaches are crap. Stubbs is the worst of them. Replace him with a more technical coach from Spain or Holland.

Also a bunch of decent players have been let go, they were older than these guys but were deemed not good enough. Baxter and Wallace will come good at some point, the problem is we need a new coaching staff. 10 years and only Rooney to show for it. When will Moyes invest in his coaching staff I ask?

Sam Hoare
21 Posted 07/09/2012 at 09:35:57
Interesting as well that it was the first time in a while last night that we had no-one in the under21 england squad.

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