Everton vs Chelsea

, 29 December, 37comments  |  Jump to most recent
Match Preview
The final game of 2012 at Goodison Park has plenty of ingredients for being a classic, hopefully despite the lunchtime kick-off. Chelsea are the visitors, and they have been defeated in this fixture for the last three seasons. This time, both teams are seemingly well matched, sitting behind the leaders in the top five, separated by just two points.

That should make it an even playing field but Everton will be without potential match-winner, Marianne Fellaini, who serves out the final game of his three-match suspension for nutting Shawcross with his wool mop a week before Christmas and receiving retrospective punishment thanks to the abundance of video evidence against him. David Moyes remains cagey over the possibility that Fellaini will be joined on the sidelines by the rather injury-prone Darron Gibson, who was withdrawn at half-time in the Boxing Day win over Wigan, after aggravating a thigh problem when taking a free-kick.

Everton are on something of a roll, despite being without Fellaini, and playing some of the poorest football of the season so far; back-to-back wins against West Ham and Wigan must say something about the resilience and determination of the limited squad that David Moyes has assembled. The last couple of games have seen Victor Anichebe coming back into the fold and making a difference, scoring a goal against West Ham and making one against Wigan. Will David Moyes continue with 4-4-2 or will he be more concerned about filling out the midfiled?

Everton are one of only two teams unbeaten at home this season in the Premier League, indeed they last suffered a defeat at Goodison Park way back in March. But they don't have any really big scalps to boast about since that fabulous opening win under the lights against Man Utd, all other home games against 'big' clubs having ended in draws this season as the Toffees trying to match Stoke City as the leagues' draw specialists. And perhaps the most significant statistic: you have to go back to November 2008 to find the last time Everton won three league games in a row.

Seamus Coleman could be in contention after also missing the last two matches through injury. Kevin Mirallas is unlikely to be fit as is Tony Hibbert , who has now missed 12 games this season, while the hidden talents of young Ross Barkley appear likely to remain on the bench yet again. Barkley has seen just 20 minutes of Premier League football in one game since he was called back from loan at Sheffield Wednesday over a month ago, when Phil Neville underwent knee surgery, and David Moyes has stayed true to form in not trusting the youngster for fear that he would jeopardize tenuous situations with vital Premier League points on the line. Since it is far from Everton's style under Moyes to hammer home their advantage much beyond a single-goal lead, opportunities will remain few and far between for this very promising product of Everton Academy.

The match comes at a critical juncture in the season for Everton, with both Chelsea and Arsenal going above The Blues with games in hand, pushing them down to 6th from a high point of 2nd that their early season form should have preserved, but for crucial refereeing decisions compounded by an annoying inability to really finish teams off and carry home the points. Hence the plethora of drawn games. If Everton are to really sustain a valid challenge for Champions League places, this is a must-win game.

One of the media talking points ahead of this game is the return of Rafa Benitez to Goodison Park, this time as 'interim' manager of Chelsea. Obviously a target of ire from Evertonians for having been Liverpool manager, that credential was infamously exacerbated when the Fat Spanish Waiter dared to call Everton a "small club" back in 2007. More recently, Benitez has something of a sign over Moyes: he has won five and drawn one of his last six Premier League meetings with Everton.

While the past words of Benitez are a sore point for both Everton and Chelsea fans, his deeds as a manager cannot be so easily dismissed. Few managers can boast his list of trophies won, and to the surprise of many interested parties, he really does now appear to be doing what Abramovich wanted since the Russian oligarch kicked Di Matteo down the road — especially when it comes to making the most of the seemingly misunderstood talent of one Señior Fernanado Torres. Under Benitez, Chelsea now have six wins in the last seven games.

Chelsea's goal-difference has been massively boosted by their 8 - 0 slaughter of Aston Villa last weekend, but Benitez claims the players need to be rotated due to tiredness after their long trip around the world to Japan earlier this month — this will be their ninth game in a hectic December. The price of success...

TV cameras will be carrying the game live across the UK and around the world.

Referee: Howard Webb.

Michael Kenrick

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Reader Comments (37)

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Brent Stephens
1 Posted 29/12/2012 at 21:33:47
Michael, yes he seems to be getting something out of Torres now. And David Luis in midfield will worry me tomorrow - surely his natural position.
Kunal Desai
2 Posted 29/12/2012 at 21:43:40
Much will depend on how the midfield shapes up, the key being Gibson passed fit; if not, then I think we'll suffer a narrow defeat, losing for the first time at home this season and not the way we want to end the year. I hope I'm wrong, but with injuries and suspensions taking their toll now, together with a really poor performance against Wigan, Chelsea may just do us this time.
James Martin
3 Posted 29/12/2012 at 21:48:24
Why is this discourse just laced with negativity?

'But they don't have any really big scalps to boast about since that fabulous opening win under the lights against Man Utd, all other home games against 'big' clubs having ended in draws this season' - Tottenham not a good win then? Aside from them and Man U we've only played Arsenal who could be classed as a big club at home and should've beaten them with some correct refereeing.

'Since it is far from Everton's style under Moyes to hammer home their advantage much beyond a single-goal lead, opportunities will remain few and far between for this very promising product of Everton Academy.' This to conclude a whole paragraph about Ross Barkley? What evidence is there at all that Barkley would in any way help us beat teams by more than one goal? This is nothing more than using the pre-match build up to have a pop at Moyes. I mean we even won this fixture by 2 goals last year!

'If Everton are to really sustain a valid challenge for Champions League places, this is a must-win game.' Completely untrue, we could lose this then win next week whilst Tottenham and Arsenal lose and we'd be back level again, this does not make or break our season. In reality, Chelsea could well be challenging for the title with the players they have, only poor management would abuse that quality enough to drag them into a top 4 battle.

Phil Sammon
4 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:01:40
Obviously I hope Gibson is passed fit...but I don't think it's be be all and end all. When sat deeper against Wigan, Hitzlsperger looked much better than he has previously.

I'm still holding hope that Miralles could be a surprise name on the team sheet. Unlikely of course.

Dennis Shaw
5 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:03:40
I've a good feeling about this and reckon we will do them in a good old-fashioned loud hostile environment. I hope Gibson is fit, he is on a par with Saha for games missed at the moment. If not, let's give Barkley a run out — he must be getting pissed-off, returning to us to see Anichebe picked ahead of him... and possibly a disinterested Heitinga.
Roman Sidey
6 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:12:15
Fairly truthful pre-match really, although I do agree with James's final paragraph. We have an incredibly good run of fixtures in the second half of the season, and I can't see us losing games in January, so expect us to be in and around 4th this time next month. That said, a win here would be so useful. Could have done with Sunderland hanging on last night though.
John Ford
7 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:21:20
If offered I'd take a draw now. We're missing key players, and without strong back up getting something against teams with massive resources is a real bonus. If we can raise our game AND crucially rediscover our high tempo passing game we might even go one better.

Prediction — Pienaar to lead the Mersey blue charge.

Michael Kenrick
8 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:27:42
Haha, James. Very Funny.

I think I'll go with the words of the far more credible Mr Dick Fearon:

Moyes, after bottle-feeding and changing generations of aspiring youngsters nappies, has produced how many home grown players? At my last count, the total is a big fat ZERO.

There has been a few who showed promise up to coming under his direct control in the first team squad and that's about the total. Quite apart from better wages, the best thing Rooney could do for himself and England was to get as far away from Davey's influence as possible. Exactly the same can be said for Rodwell — and I suggest Barkley would be wise to do the same.

I have no respect for a bloke who from day one sets a target of Premier League survival. His basic negativity ruined the very rare opportunity of winning something.

I am amazed that so many Evertonians have accepted without complaint a man who deliberately sets out to lower expectations.

See, the thing is, you, James, don't hold the monopoly on judgement of Moyes and his limited successes as Everton manager. In fact, if I were you, I'd feel just a little bit miffed that I'd been taken in by all the BS of the previous seasons of mediocrity under his perennial dithering when this season he has demonstrated — as I had often maintained he could — that his Everton players were capable of performing a lot better than they were, and that he could be doing a lot better job as manager of Everton than he was.

Of course, I know you don't accept that anything has changed... but I think the evidence shows that it's actually true.

Patrick Murphy
9 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:33:15
The crowd will have to be up for it tomorrow if we are going to get anything from the game, Chelsea are a top class team but they can be beaten. I don't think Anichebe will start and I think Jelavic will play the lone striker role with a five man midfield.

We'll try and keep it tight and hope to nick one, we could do with a win as that might re-ignite the team but, like John, I'd take a draw right now.

Barry Rathbone
10 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:40:04
Benitez's Wirral postman will be crippled carrying all the good luck cards from the red half — it'll be like playing Liverpool except they're good.

Time to do a bit of work or walk the dog, methinks.

Jay Harris
11 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:47:05
Please not another Moyes bashing session.

We are limping along around the Champions League places with a threadbare squad so let's get behind the lads, show some belief in the players, and give them the lift they will need to compete with a "billionaire" built Chelsea squad.

I never thought I would say this but it looks like we'll also be missing Phil Neville tomorrow with a recurrence of his knee injury and if Coleman doesn't make it then it looks like the Barkley boys will get their wish.

Potential team:
Howard

Jagielka Heitinga Distin Baines
Osman Hitzlsperger Barkley Pienaar
Jelavic Naismith

Colin Wainwright
12 Posted 29/12/2012 at 23:01:09
Worried now Gibson's definitely out, Torres is scoring again and Mata playing out of his skin.

12-0 Everton.

Anthony Jaras
13 Posted 29/12/2012 at 23:02:44
I'd go with;

Howard

Neville
Jagielka
Distin
Baines

Coleman
Hitzlsperger
Pienaar
Oviedo

Osman

Jelavic

Anthony Jaras
14 Posted 29/12/2012 at 23:12:37
Where's this news on Neville missing out come from?

On Twitter, he says he's getting an early night, ready for the big game.

Derek Thomas
15 Posted 29/12/2012 at 22:56:21
James Martin#773 in his last para quite correctly states it wouldn't matter if Everton lose to Chelsea.

I agree.The race for both 3rd and 4th has all the hallmarks of a last game photo finish, so one point here or there in late Dec isn't much.

KITAP1 though..nah, thats for frightened losers. Teams looking for the top places / 3rd spot are, or should, be winners.

KIT by all means AND go for the win, KITAGFTW??

3rd place, and I keep harping on about 3rd not 4th coz I think its do-able by any of 4 or 5. will be won not by the side who doesn't get beat the most but by the team that wins the most.

So if James font of all wisdom Mason is correct (who am I to deny it) 1 point or none is all the same in the long run, buy that token I choose to infer that it won't hurt to go for 3.

KITAGFTW ! let that be our aim for 2013

Si Cooper
16 Posted 29/12/2012 at 23:02:36
Barkley before Anichebe, Jay?

I'd be interested to see it (or even including Anichebe and leaving out Naismith) but I won't hold my breath.

James (#773), I thought the OP was simply being realistic in the main. If we don't manage a few more wins against top of the table clubs in the rest of our fixtures we are unlikely to stay in and around the European places. Our rivals are improving and have deeper squads, and I expect Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea to be much better in the second half of the season. We will be hard pushed to maintain our impetus unless we recruit 2-3 decent reinforcements in January.

Anthony Jaras
17 Posted 29/12/2012 at 23:44:12
Jelly will score tomorrow!
Gavin Ramejkis
18 Posted 29/12/2012 at 23:54:58
Not a hope of Barkley getting a start against the rentboys, you could set your clock by Moyes, his team selection will be the usual suspects with Barkley getting splinters in his arse.
Brendan McLaughlin
19 Posted 29/12/2012 at 23:58:06
Too right Gavin#802
I set my watch back in August to say that we'd be within touching distance of being 3rd in the table come the new year.....the man never fails to deliver!
James Flynn
20 Posted 30/12/2012 at 00:32:39
James (773) – "I mean we even won this fixture by 2 goals last year!". Thank you.

Fuck Chelsea. It appears Beneathus has them organized. Let's see how well tomorrow against a real Club.

36 points at the New Year.

COYB!

Ernie Baywood
21 Posted 30/12/2012 at 02:42:16
Mata right now is playing out of his skin. I'm not sure we have anyone who can go with him as a man marker.

So if I were Moyes I'd attack. 4-4-2 and turn it into a battle.

2-0 and 3rd place will do nicely.

Jay Harris
22 Posted 30/12/2012 at 03:56:58
Amthony here's an extract from a couple of Everton sites:

"Phil Neville looks set to miss Everton’s clash with Chelsea with a knee problem.

The Blues Captain, who recently returned to action after surgery on his knee, will reportedly miss the game and has caused a further selection headache for David Moyes.

Moyes is already without Marouane Fellaini through suspension, Darron Gibson, Seamus Coleman, Kevin Mirallas and Tony Hibbert through injury, and now reports are suggesting Neville will also now be absent from the Toffees squad."

Lewis Barclay
23 Posted 30/12/2012 at 09:42:12
I'd like to see Oviedo given a chance to start the game against Chelsea, he's looked the part on each of the times he's come on as a sub this year. Maybe try him on the left and push Pienaar up behind Jeli or behind Osman in that position for the first 45 mins?
I think we'll be lacking some strength in midfield though so Moyes will probably favour Hittzelspergerererrer.

Big game!

COYB

Steve Sweeney
24 Posted 30/12/2012 at 09:49:10
When have Everton KITAP1, we can't keep lean sheets
that's why so many 1-1 draws.
Moyes needs to go for it today, mix it up and go
for them. Lampard will be benched their midfield is
very skilful but also very lightweight,if we let them
play they will over run us.
If Coleman is fit play him and we must stop Cole from
Attacking down the left, Vellios to come on and score the winner
in the 95th minute.

2-1 to the blues

Steve Sweeney
25 Posted 30/12/2012 at 10:04:41
What is it about Vellios, why do a lot of
Blues want him to succeed?
James Bourne
26 Posted 30/12/2012 at 10:07:16
Michael Kenrick. Had to check the league table to make sure we really are 3 points off 3rd at the half way stage as your pre-match 'report' is that depressing and negative - for once can't you show some balance?

You ask James to look at the evidence - well I'd ask you to look at the league table and where we are and what we've spent compared to the big boys we're trying to compete with. Also despite the past couple of games (which we actually won) we've played great attacking football and its been great to watch.

So maybe you can contain your negativity just a bit - it is Christmas time after all.

Ray Roche
27 Posted 30/12/2012 at 10:21:51
Steve@858.
Why not? He plays for us, always gives 100% and has scored goals for us, Chelsea away last season for instance. Some of us feel he deserves more playing time.
Pete Anthony
28 Posted 30/12/2012 at 10:21:39
We don't have our big Belgian belters of Fellaini or Mirallas today, but we will have 11 men in blue wearing Everton shirts. We also have the '12th man' of our support at Goodison. Our 12th man can be the difference today, let's get into em..., top 3 on New Years Day. COYB.
Lol McNally
29 Posted 30/12/2012 at 10:17:42
Lewis (#855), me too... but I think we won't see Barkley or Duffy at Everton for long; Moyes has no trust in the kids. If I was them, I'd fuck off as well.
Colin Wainwright
30 Posted 30/12/2012 at 11:17:34
Might not have our Belgian Belters, but theres a proper Kopite belter on the forum just now.
Nick Entwistle
31 Posted 30/12/2012 at 11:14:39
I'm with you James.
Michael's using someone elses opinion as fact, when its simply a rehash of slights at the manager.
To point out the obvious flaws isn't worth the effort typing.
James Martin
32 Posted 30/12/2012 at 11:09:24
Derek Thomas (#795). Not only did you get my name wrong in your post, you also attributed a quote to me and a point of view that I did not make. At no point did I say that it does not matter if we lose to Chelsea. Of course it does, all points in a season are worth the same. I did not imply in any way that I was happy with anything less than 3 points. I merely challenged Michael's assertion that this is a must win game, losing to Chelsea does not mean our push for fourth place is over. I then said that Chelsea have so much quality that they shouldn't be in a fight for fourth so this is not perhaps the big Champions Legaue six-pointer some people are making it out to be.

Michael, you just make the same point all the time, criticising me for thinking I have a monopoly on people's opinions of Moyes. Where have I articulated that? If anything it is you who are trying to control people's opinions as editor of an Everton site with deliberately slanted threads like this. I responded to your initial criticism of Moyes and then you follow that up by criticising me for trying to influence other people's views and then bringing up the 'far more credible' Dick Fearon who has written an opinionated piece that as many people would disagree with as agree with. Just because he matches your views doesn't make him any more credible.

As ever, all I can do is continuously contend with your point, as many people do, that Moyes could have done better in the past and that the evidence for this is how he's doing now. The players are fundamentally different: Jelavic, Mirallas, Pienaar, Gibson were not all here at various stages over the last 10 years so the standard of football has increased with them.

I will not, as you suggest I should do, feel miffed about the last ten years under Moyes, I'm not going to feel miffed about watching a team run by a manager who I believe does his best for us, why should my matchday enjoyment be taken away by your ideas of what you think should have been a satisfactory performance level for Moyes? Of course I always want more from him, but I'm not going to spend ten years being miffed about it.

Unfortunately on a site like this if you make your views known and attack the manager in what should be a neutral matchday thread then you have to expect a response and as a member of this site I shouldn't have to be patronised by you suggesting I have a monopoly on people's thoughts and that I am in some way too unrelenting to accept that anything has changed.

Brian Harrison
33 Posted 30/12/2012 at 11:13:54
Todays game will be extremely tough, even if we had a full strength team to pick from. I just hope that we don't have to move Jagielka to right back, and have Heitinga in the middle. Although Chelsea have had to travel back and forth from Japan and cram in a lot of games over Christmas they have a squad that is more than equipped for the job. Were as we have a few injuries to key players plus a stupid suspension and we struggle to put out anything like our best 11. As many have said if we could get our best 11 on the pitch we are a match for anybody.

So I will quite happily take a draw from todays game, obviously hope for a win but without Fellaini,Mirallas,Gibson and possibly a recognised full back it will be very difficult. As for the pleas to start with Barkley, I haven't seen anything other than a young promising player who has done nothing so far to suggest he warrants a first team start. I have seen loads of kids on Everton's books over the decades that fans have thought were going to be great and very few made the grade either with us or clubs they were transferred too. So trust in Moyes to know when to play the lad, after all he sees him in training everyday of the week.

Brent Stephens
34 Posted 30/12/2012 at 11:39:11
James Bourne and Nick Entwistle - yep, agree, can't see why there's so much negativity. Well said.
Steve Sweeney
35 Posted 30/12/2012 at 11:56:13
Ray Roche (#864) — "Why not? He plays for us, always gives 100% and has scored goals for us, Chelsea away last season for instance. Some of us feel he deserves more playing time."

That's what I meant by my post, I would like to see him given the opportunity that Vic has had, then maybe we could compare.
Peter Cummings
36 Posted 30/12/2012 at 13:16:25
After seeing our line-up for today, I can't see beyond a draw; we knew injuries would determine our results and it all seems to have come at a crucial part of the season, and to key players. Problem is if we do score first it will be a backs to the wall fight against a class act like Chelsea, which we won't win.
Trevor Lynes
37 Posted 30/12/2012 at 13:24:32
Just seen the side and I am APPREHENSIVE!!

We are missing Hibbert, Coleman, Neville, Gibson, Mirallas and Fellaini. I'm frightened of Hitz, Heitinga and Naismith. Not enough steel in the side and Heitinga getting himself sent off is a fear!!

I hope I'm totally wrong and Jelly scores a couple at least.


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