Deulofeu skippers Spain U21s to win over Estonia

, 2 September, 41comments  |  Jump to most recent
Gerard Deulofeu scored one and created another as Spain beat Estonia 2-0 away in U21 European Championship qualifying this evening.

The Everton winger wore the captain's armband for Spain's Under-21s side and tucked home a penalty after claiming an assist with typical fleet-footed work near the touchline for Gaya to convert from close range.  



Reader Comments (41)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer


Helen Mallon
1 Posted 02/09/2015 at 20:25:55
It's a pity he will be on the bench for the Chelsea game.
Dennis Ng
2 Posted 02/09/2015 at 20:30:04
Pacey wingers are giving Ivanovic and their defence a lot of problems, so I wouldn't be surprised if he comes on early or even start the next game.
Aidy Dews
3 Posted 02/09/2015 at 20:30:28
These games will do him the world of good, hopefully he gets plenty of minutes and gets fit. And along the way he seems to be making a difference so hopefully he can hit a bit of form of some sorts!

He's going to be a big player for us this season, his creativity is going to be vital.

Kelvin Thomas
4 Posted 02/09/2015 at 20:43:56
Fantastic! Seems to be up for it!
Mike Gaynes
5 Posted 02/09/2015 at 21:08:51
Coming into his own....
Mike Allison
6 Posted 02/09/2015 at 21:14:02
I’m dying to see him get a regular run of games starting on the right wing.

Play him, Roberto!

James Morgan
7 Posted 02/09/2015 at 21:20:05
With Cleverley being out, he must be a shoe-in to start against Chelsea. Cleverley being out and Kone not cutting the mustard out wide, there are two spots for him, Mirallas and Lennon to fight for.

As mentioned above, Ivanovic is low on confidence and Deulofeu could put him in a world of hurt.

Drew Shortis
8 Posted 02/09/2015 at 21:47:48
Gerard is looking sharp and these matches will help him get fit. I see no reason why Martinez can’t start playing him more from Saturday next onwards. He’s no longer the raw kid we first saw at Goodison.

We were really struggling against Barnsley and he showed his class by forcing us back into the game. A wonderfully gifted player who will terrorise the opposition. I certainly wouldn’t want to defend against him!

Sam Hoare
9 Posted 02/09/2015 at 22:01:58
Keep him on the bench for 2 years till Barca's buy back option expires!

In all seriousness it will be interesting to see who RM picks on the wings. Given his love of only playing one proper winger I'm thinking we might see Lennon on the right with Kone on the left but difficult to call.

Would quite like to see Del Boy given a chance in the number 10 slot. Imagine the attacking possibilities of:

Howard
Coleman Stones Mori Baines
McCarthy Barkley
Lennon Deulofeu Mirallas
Lukaku

Pace everywhere!!!

Anthony Dwyer
10 Posted 02/09/2015 at 23:16:27
Wow Sam, no Jags?? I could not contemplate our starting 11 without our captain.

I would like to see an Everton side with Gerry, Ross an Kev behind Rom.

We may find ourselves up against a wounded animal v Chelsea as their quality will show through sooner rather than later, but one thing we have seen already this season is bold is beautiful in the EPL.

Let’s go for the kill as Chelsea are doubting themselves currently and Gerry could be the man to punish Chelsea.

Iain Love
11 Posted 02/09/2015 at 23:32:23
Sam, I like your train of thought; I truly believe that Barkley and Lukaku scare other teams add Deulofeu to that mix especially in a No 10 role and potentially we could start to open teams up. I love the way he disguises his passes.
Brian Porter
12 Posted 03/09/2015 at 02:07:53
He's shown he's improved since his loan spell and surely must be given a start against Chelsea, whose defence is looking decidedly creaky at present.
Ryan Sydow
14 Posted 03/09/2015 at 07:27:15
If Naismith ever starts or comes off the bench ahead of DelBoy then I will personally fly from South Africa and give Roberto a slap and tell him to "wake up!"
Alexander O'Brien
15 Posted 03/09/2015 at 07:51:20
Turning down £8 mill for Naismith! I’m flabbergasted beyond belief. Great move that Roberto, really impressive. Yes he can work hard, yes he’s a true professional but he’s not good enough. At 28! Won’t get an offer like that again.
Nick Entwistle
16 Posted 03/09/2015 at 08:20:55
The first international break of the season is the biggest pain in the ass.

I’ve noticed on TalkSport and 5Live that callers come on and say ’I AM an England fan’ where as before there was no need, it was just an assumption. We may all have opinions on England but the numbers of those who give a dam must be dwindling.

Anyway, could Del Boy do some tapping up and bring back some Miguels and Ramons?

Aidy Dews
17 Posted 03/09/2015 at 08:32:58
Sam, I think we’d all like to see that side, maybe with Jags in it though, but it is quite an open team and Martinez would never go for that.

That’s why Mirallas and Deulofeu never start games together, cos they can’t be trusted to get back and help out defending but with Lennon in the mix now, I can see him being on the right a lot as he does put a shift in and then Mirallas & Deulofeu will mix it on the left and sometimes play at 10 and the right as well.

Without that genuine No 10, I can see us playing either 4-1-4-1 like we did a bit second half of last season or 4-3-3 with the players we currently have. Tbh I think that’s how we’ll get the best out of the players we have. We’ll be able to play with genuine width and wide players in those formations plus a CM 3 with Barkley in a deeper starting position with where he’s best for me, where he can see the game ahead of him and run into the space with the ball as opposed to being in that pocket of space with his back to goal where I feel he’s less effective that way. Plus you have both McCarthy & Barry in there as the disciplined 2 and give us that defensive protection. Personally, I’d rather have either Cleverley or Besic in there ahead of Barry but we all know how Martinez works!

Liam Reilly
18 Posted 03/09/2015 at 08:38:59
Del Boy was clearly knackered after the Barnsley tie and RM said he was supposed to get no more than 45 minutes. Pushing him to do 90 in the Premier League too soon could facilitate an injury.

As it’s Chelsea, I’d expect to see Lennon for the first 60 as he’ll offer more cover and then unleash Del Boy on a tiring Ivanovic for the final 30. Hope we are not out of it by then.

Chris Gould
19 Posted 03/09/2015 at 08:40:01
Sam (#9), your team looks exciting, but would get torn a new one defensively. Too many attack minded players who can’t or won’t defend. You won’t ever see that as Bobby’s starting 11, but may possibly if we are chasing a game.

If Deulofeu and Mirallas want to start matches then they have to show a commitment and desire to work back. The reason Bobby doesn’t play both is because they leave our fullbacks woefully exposed.

Nick Entwistle
20 Posted 03/09/2015 at 08:50:39
Chris, I don’t know about that. It's not like City with Silva, Stirling, Nasri etc who are defensive masters. We see with many teams in the Premier League just going all out for wins given the number of match winners they have, and I’d like to see the same.

Given Cleverley’s injury, this line-up could be closer than we think. Come on, Bobby, let's see some of that sexy football you were supposed to bring to the club!

Jon Withey
21 Posted 03/09/2015 at 08:57:44
Naismith will be worth the same in January and we have less options without him.

Deulofeu has to be our best attacking threat behind Lukaku – get him on the ball as much as possible. He’s not going to do much for our defence but we should work to accommodate that.

Then even if teams focus on those too, it would be good to have Mirallas and Barkley on the pitch to pick up the space.

Sam Hoare
22 Posted 03/09/2015 at 09:04:21
Chris@18, I think you're right about Martinez never starting that team. You maybe right about it being torn apart defensively but then it seems to me that that has been happening a bit anyway for the last year or so.

As Nick says, sometimes it's not about the defensive capabilities of the individual players as much as it is about the organisation of the team. City have yet to concede a goal despite playing a lot of attack minded players with Aguero, Silva, Navas, Sterling and Toure.

I also think playing an attacking team forces the opposition to not commit too much for fear of the break so I reckon my team would do okay. They’d certainly be entertaining to watch!

Paul Cherrington
23 Posted 03/09/2015 at 09:13:50
Sam @9, I like that team (although I would probably go with Jags instead of Mori right now as don’t know how good Mori is) and think it would do well.

I understand what ppl are saying about the defensive aspect but surely you would have Macca in there purely to shield the back four, a la Carsley? With him and a well drilled back five (please god), you shouldn’t get too many problems in that regard.

Also, as has been noted, we get torn apart defensively as it is with two DMs, so I don't think we’d notice much difference.

Ray Roche
24 Posted 03/09/2015 at 09:19:46
Jefferson Montero of Swansea tore Chelsea's defence a new sheriff's badge last month and I think Deulofeu would do the same. Whether Martinez would have the chunks to start with him is another matter. I doubt if Lennon is anywhere near match fit after spending all season with the stiffs at Spurs.

Aidy, you say " McCarthy & Barry in there as the disciplined 2 and give us that defensive protection", something they somehow fail to do. With TWO defensive midfielders I would expect a lot more clean sheets than we seem to get.

Murdo Laing
25 Posted 03/09/2015 at 09:38:12
Deulofeu deserves a start, and the live lunchtime TV game against a Chelsea side seemingly lacking a bit of confidence is the perfect stage. I am not so sure that playing him in at No 10 is viable, though; better I think to persevere with Ross and hope he continues his improvement and gets goals.

Gerry could be a sensational player, but he is not going to get the required fitness and confidence if he is continually benched by Martinez. Young players in particular thrive on game time.

It is a mark of Roberto’s selection policy that a player is much more likely to retain a place in the first team if he is a defender, or defensive midfielder? The only defenders I can think of who have had long spells out of the team are Oviedo, Baines, and latterly Galloway, all due to injury. I am ruling out Tony Hibbert for obvious reasons. With the exception of Lukaku, the "front four" including Deulofeu, are on a rota, game by game.

David Chait
26 Posted 03/09/2015 at 09:51:55
The boy must start for us... the more he plays the more consistent he becomes... RM is just so flipping conservative.
Jon Withey
27 Posted 03/09/2015 at 10:19:12
Deulofeu has just come back from injury for crissakes, of course Martinez hasn’t been starting him.
Harold Matthews
28 Posted 03/09/2015 at 10:19:37
True Sam. City have the best organised defence in the League. Of course, it helps to have Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart but Pellegrini takes charge of all the defensive training and drills them to perform to a very high standard.

Who drills our boys, I would like to know. Who allows Coleman and Stones to back off into the area? Who allows every defender to wander into the opposition half? Who encourages every defender to remain fixated on the ball? Who discourages closing down, leading to teams like Spurs firing in over 20 shots?

There are a million other things which need sorting. Howard’s legs will not come to our rescue every week.

Chris Gould
29 Posted 03/09/2015 at 10:50:54
Sam, I see your logic but, as Harold says, Man City are well drilled and teams don’t fear our attacking abilities in the same way they do City’s. Of course your team would pose the opposition real threat, but they would see so many holes and opportunities themselves. We are too fragile at the back to take such risks.

Having said that, it would certainly be entertaining. Not going to happen with Bobby though.

Dave Lawley
30 Posted 03/09/2015 at 11:45:03
I don’t get how we are so fragile at the back?

Two current England players starting at centre back: one the captain and current Player of the Season; the other now worth at least £30 million and touted by all as the future England captain. Right back experienced £20million rated player wanted by PSG, Left back (albeit returning from long-term injury) an experienced international starting left back. Two defensive midfielders, current and past internationals, one worth £24 million if bids from Spurs are to be believed. The other as experienced as you can get in European competition and internationals. This back six should be pretty solid should it not?

Yet against Spurs the front three had space constantly in between these six players? I don’t understand it? Are they coached to mark space not players? Are they coached at all? They must surely be being told to play this way because the experienced players would surely organise themselves better on the pitch during the game?

As my Sunday team does, "That twat's getting in between us; you sit on him for a bit, I’ll cover the space" etc, if you’ve got David Silva tearing you a new one, why not put the player who marked Messi out the game in the world on him? (Besic). I just don’t get it; when we play six specialised defensive players, how we are so shit at defending?

Tony J Williams
31 Posted 03/09/2015 at 12:33:37
"I just don't get when we play six specialised defensive players how we are so shit at defending?"

Amen!

Dave Abrahams
32 Posted 03/09/2015 at 12:50:12
Sam (9) your last line: "We’ll certainly be more entertaining" — that will do for me. Just pick that team then and I for one will be more than happy.
Paul Cherrington
33 Posted 03/09/2015 at 13:07:34
Dave @28 - spot on. You have hit the nail on the head there.

As you say, why are we so appalling at defending with those players in the team supposedly offering us defensive protection? for me, seeing as it happened last season too, the finger points at the manager.

Barry Stevens
35 Posted 03/09/2015 at 17:37:01
Dave 28. Spot on.

Sam. How can you immediately replace our captain, Player of the Season, and best defender for a guy that no-one has seen play?

Tony Abrahams
36 Posted 03/09/2015 at 21:22:41
I think it’s very easy to see why teams can penetrate Everton. Our fullbacks push on so high and wide, it leaves huge gaps down the sides. Asking the DM to shuffle across, doesn’t always work, because although they might see danger, they are not always in a position to do anything about it.

I’ve always been of the opinion, that under Martinez, with our fullbacks, playing like wingbacks, we should introduce a third central defender.

I wonder if Deulofeu can develop into a player, that could play inside?

Tom Kelly
37 Posted 03/09/2015 at 21:37:35
Did well against Barnsley, captains Spain U21 so RM, why is the lad getting 5, 10 minutes? He is the type of player that can tear a defence in half so put him on.
Anthony Dwyer
38 Posted 04/09/2015 at 01:54:56
Only one thing that disappoints me about Deulofeu and that’s his moaning. I can take Jim being a little greedy/single minded but I don’t like players throwing there arms out like they are disappointed by other players' decisions, it sets a bad president.

Deulofeu is a great individual talent but he has to consider himself as a part of a team. Him, Rom and Ross could be frightening; add Mirallas and we have real goal threats throughout the field of play.

I would love us to find a way to fit them all in together, with the option of Lennon off the bench.

Conor Skelly
39 Posted 04/09/2015 at 02:44:32
Tony (34). I am of the opinion that, with so many wingers on the books, it has made the old wing-back role redundant. Like you say, it leaves too many gaps when they go forward.

I think we should split the pitch. A defensive unit and an attacking unit. Four defenders at the back with a defensive midfielder in front of them and then five all out attackers with no real responsibility to get back and help the defense.

It would probably mean converting Baines into a midfielder and replacing him at LB with a 6ft plus left-sided defender like Lescott, as before Baines broke into the team.

Derek Thomas
40 Posted 04/09/2015 at 05:21:08
Tony@34 I think Delboy 'may / 'could / 'might ' develop into a No.10 but it won't be for years. He won't be the first winger to come into Cen MF once the edge has gone off the pace and reflexes.
Tony Abrahams
41 Posted 04/09/2015 at 08:31:57
That’s what I’m saying, Conor (about the gaps), but I think you might have slightly misread me. I said we should introduce a third centre back because the two who play there get so exposed, because of the fullbacks playing so high and wide.

I agree with you that, with so many wingers on the books, Martinez, is unlikely to get us playing this formation. Saying that though, I believe both Mirallas and Deulofeu, could play inside.

Tony Steele
42 Posted 05/09/2015 at 11:59:08
He has just recovered from a hamstring injury. Why do the majority of fans not seem to understand this?
Erik Bjorgum
43 Posted 09/09/2015 at 13:50:47
Howard
Coleman / Stones / Jagielka / Galloway
McCarthy / Barry
Deulofeu / Barkley / Mirallas
Lukaku

2 - 0


Add Your Comments

In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.

» Log in now

Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.


About these ads

© ToffeeWeb