Blues squander a fine lead at the death

COYB,

Enjoying the game from Hong Kong! COYB

How long had this problem dogged Everton for now without us really looking to rectify it.

Never have been and never will be convinced by the partnership of Jagielka and Distin and IÂ’m even less so as they both get older and slower and Jagielka canÂ’t jump even more.

Disappointing game; we need some points in the next two home games.

Lukaku looked very unfit. Poor game for him.

Defense looked dodgy.

Disappointing.

Simply not good enough, IÂ’m afraid.

Very good first half and all we did in the second was piss about. No attempts on goal and the equalizer was waiting to happen. ItÂ’s two points pissed away. Sort it!

No chances until the dying minutes. McGeady gave the ball away on several occasions to allow Leicester to hit us on the break and Stones positioning was questionable. Coleman looked fired up. Barry should have been sent off. LukakuÂ’s first touch still looks very suspect.

I guess an away point against a newly promoted team isnÂ’t the worst result in the world, but this must go down as two points dropped due to a poor second half performance and poor defending. At least watching the two cracking goals on MotD will be some consolation.

Could be worse, for instance losing 1-2 at home to Swansea!

Only Seamus looked sharp (for the brief spell he was on) and he missed most of pre-season!! What were we doing?

We will need to play better in the next 2 games. However, 37 games left... just starts us on the back foot a little.

Two points dropped.

Steven Naismith was very efficient again today.

Kenwright, either get the cheque book out or do one!!!!

IÂ’m not convinced by Stones this time around, wasnÂ’t he aware of the player behind him in oceans of space he looked surprised when he saw him there, FFS! They were cheering liked theyÂ’d won; I feel like weÂ’ve lost. IÂ’m not looking forward to the next two games to be honest, with that "defence".

Yes its disapointing but exactly same start as last year and that didnÂ’t turn out to bad did it?

WeÂ’re still capable of reaping 5 points from our first three matches. LetÂ’s get those over before reaching for the shotgun!

There was no reason I could see to take Pienaar off (he could yet turn out to be the playmaker we need) but Barry and McGeady had lost it by then.

Besic and Atsu would definitely have been the right thing to do. Surely 15 - 20 mins is not going to emotionally damage them and may have well turned 1 point in to 3. Why do we invariably not have a determination to put the game to bed until the opposition equalises and there we have 10 minutes of frantic effort which may or may not lead to a goal.

It was ever thus!

Do we concede the highest number if goals from crosses and set pieces in the league?

Perhaps we should have tried getting Wilfried Bony for 20 million and holding a good few million back for a man beast central defender, a leader, a shouter, a captain..

We saw at the World Cup that they do exist and we also saw at the World Cup Jagielka's limitations.

Who knows if Stones is the commander at the back or maybe he's too quiet yet, who knows if Duffy given his height would win more in the air, but we need to start looking at options because the same things that dogged us and stalled our last month of last season when we could have tied Champions League football up will come right back this season.

If you can't stop average teams scoring then how do you stop Arsenal and Chelsea?

So its no wonder his confidence is shot and he's struggling for form. He needs to be supported by the fans and Roberto. He'll come good again once he recovers from his World Cup dream turning into a nightmare.

"We were a little bit soft in the way we conceded the first goal and then when we got the second goal we were a little relaxed and it was a bit too easy. Overall, disappointed that I feel we threw two points away.

"The first half display we were always on the front foot, causing problems. In the second half we did the same without a penetrating edge. I'm sure that for Leicester it will feel like a victory and for us a defeat, but it is a start."

Under David Moyes we were very solid at he back and one of our strengths was always defending a slender lead. But we were all getting a bit bored by that type of football and we all wanted more attacking football that Roberto has delivered.

But that added attacking flair has come at a cost and we are now starting to see the defensive frailties which have developed.

We can't have it both ways. Moyes gave us a solid and organised team which could grind out results but repeatedly failed against bigger teams.

Martinez has changed us into a more attacking side that enjoys dominating possession. Under Martinez we are more likely to beat teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and hopefully Liverpool but we are also more likely to concede silly goals and draw (and occaisionally lose) games against poorer sides.

Personally I'll take a few results like today's if it means we play attacking football and beat Top 4 sides.

I don't like to criticise managers with the benefit of hindsight, but it was clear to every one of us we needed more creativity that second half. Poor call Roberto, we were crying out for sub's from the 60 minute mark.

I knew it would be tough today, but we should have taken all three points. As usual, it looks like we will need a few games before the majority find their form. I thought Naismith deserved MOTM.

If he saw it as we did he could have made the changes to improve things, we could not. He is to blame for a lacklustre performance, although if offered before kick-off many would have taken a point away from home.

And I'm afraid bringing Coleman on was tantamount to the dreaded "bring on an extra centre back to defend the lead" as practised by David Moyes - Coleman came on, disappeared, Stones had been drawn towards the middle as 3rd centre back and the guy scored from where the right back should have been. Pretty basic stuff.

Some positives for me were that I thought Naismith played very well and I'm delighted be scored. I would agree with Kevin that he was motm. Hopefully a sign of things to come. Coleman coming on, while a baffling substitution when may Besic would have been a better option, meant that Coleman must be fit enough to start next week.

We were lethargic and lacklustre in nearly all the games pre-season and had some awful results.

Did you all expect us to suddenly snap out of it today? Form doesn't change that quickly. It's going to take time to improve.

I don't necessarily think Roberto got the tactics or substitutes wrong today. I do however feel he got the pre-season wrong and we paid the price for that today.

Leicester are probably the poorest side we will meet this season and we blew it. Too many players were off the pace and Roberto made strange decisions.

That was 2 points dropped today and I seriously hope we don't have a 'marathon' outlook on the season. I thought we'd left the percentage / glass ceiling stuff behind with the previous regime.

The Barkley injury was a blow but, going in 2-1 up at half-time should have seen us approach the game differently in the second half with smarter substitutions a bit earlier.

Being positive, at least we've stopped the pre-season rot and are in our usual position above Man Utd in the RM era.

We all know he wants to win but I sometimes wonder whether the players should be more aware of his determination to win fear his wrath more if they don't. I suspect they don't at the moment.

Roberto always talks about players enjoying their football which of course they should. I just wonder whether the teams (or for that matter individuals) ever go on to break through the barrier if the both the carrot and the stick are not employed.

With Roberto I have always had this fear that it's all carrot and no stick! Nothing he's ever said has altered my opinion of this. I've always thought that a manager like Roberto who adopted a little of the fear elements of Catterick or the less 'nanny' approach of Shankly would be a great combination for success!

Then again maybe it's not in out destiny! That's just how I feel tonight!

How do you think that Leicester are probably the poorest side in the league? They were light years ahead of Burnley who were a far better team than the misfits at QPR. Also I believe that there are several sides who stayed up last season who will look very poor this year. Not wanting to dissagree with you old fella, but I think you have been a tad hasty with your decision making there, which I must say is unlike you!! As for Stones, I got last season that you don't rate the lad. He has room for improvement but has the hallmarks of a seriously good player.

We didn't have enough preseason games to begin with and in none of them did they players look anywhere near fit.

So we finished preseason looking lethargic and lacklustre and surprise surprise we started the first game of the season looking lethargic and lacklustre.

The truth is a couple more preseason games could have led to a little more fitness and maybe a win or two would have had the players in a more positive frame of mind.

A lethargic, lacklustre and winless preseason is not the most positive way to start a season.

I honestly thought before the start of the season we would not perform to the standards we did last season and nothing I have seen pre-season or today has changed my mind.

Gutted about Ross...

As a side issue, why wasn't their back man sent off for handling to stop Lukaku having a free run on goal? Or the lad booked who stood on McCarthy?? Or a yellow for the completely dangerous play by the lad who kicked Jagielka in the head???

Is it acceptable to have a 21-year-old forward who isn't meant to be injured that far off the pace of the game?!! So what if he went to the World Cup, he hardly played!!

That second half was totally abysmal, we have had worse starts but I thought Leicester were very poor and were gifted a very stupid equaliser.

I'm sure Roberto will come out with his 'positives' but second half the only one I saw was James McCarthy not getting seriously injured!

I agree: two points lost, but there's something called match fitness, and you cannot get that with friendlies or running or sprinting around a training complex. As all we football players know [even me], it takes four plus games to get your match fitness.

If its gonna takes us 4 games to get into the swing of things, I take it there ain't much hope in the next 2 home games?!!!

Defensively we looked poor but then we've started poorly the last two seasons and then gone onto be rock solid, so I'm not unduly worried on that score. Pienaar had a good game but slows the pace down too much. We play good football, hold the ball well but build up too deliberately - we have to learn to play slick and hit on the break.

Most certainly, two points dropped.

Agreed about waiting too long for subs. Also think Besic subbing in for Barry when he gets gassed is going to make a big difference for us, but cut Roberto a break. He surely can judge when Besic is ready to have a bigger role. Surely heÂ’ll play for Barry in Europa matches.

Still need another striker. Lukaku should not have played 90 today if he wasnÂ’t ready, but we had no option. Not sure HIbbert is a fit in a RM side reliant on FBs attacking wide, so gotta consider a replacement there, too.

But we will be fine.

They had a collective shitter today.

1. Lukaku: Sure, he wasn't the marauding beast that we are used to; however, he held up play okay. In fact, he started the move that led to the second goal with a precision cross-field ball to Pienaar. There were clear instructions to that big defender (was it Wes Morgan?) to give extra close attention to the big fella, and the defender did his job well.

2. McGeady: He's great, but for only one half. He really really needs to work on his fitness and stamina. He nearly cost Barry a red card with his silly tired hospital ball in the second half. Bobby should have replaced him instead of Pienaar.

3. Stones: I really think Stones is the fella we need to slate off today. Sorry, lad, that was simply NOT good enough. Especially for the second goal, while Jags went for the man with the ball, Stones needed to cover the pass and not allow a free shot; instead, he stood like Michaelangelo's David. Yes he brings the ball out well from defense, but his primary job is to fucking defend. Learn how to do that first, son.

4. Special shout and fair play to the Leicester lad who didn't go down looking to get Barry a red as he easily could have done (this was while they were still 2-1 down so he had every incentive to do so). Does anyone else remember the incident?

5. Yes, it's a draw; yes, it's two points dropped and that sucks. But I think this Leicester team will get better and adapt to this level far quicker than people are giving them credit for. As someone else mentioned, they were unbeaten at home for 27 games. With this in context, we did okay. During the latter parts of the 1st half, they looked like they had been hit by a World War 2 tank. If we had played like that for another 10 minutes it could have been easily 3 or 4 to us.

We played some very good football, but stopped being a threat in the second half, which is really unexplainable. Everton kept Leicester in the game today by not trying to score a third goal, and this is something that will need to be addressed as the season goes forward, especially when we look so disjointed at the back.

It’s early days and it’s clear we have got a good team — but have we got enough winners in our squad?

Nigel, you put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Stones; I'd put the blame on Jags (who was awful) and Distin, to a lesser extent. Both are very experienced pros but both got bullied today and not for the first time. They were second to most balls, they were out jumped and their distribution was poor, plus their leadership qualities nil.

I don't know if it's a confidence thing with Jags but, since his injury last season, he's been below par. It was his concentration and reading of the game that made him a top CB but that's been lacking lately. Distin might just be feeling his age and it might be time to start easing him out of the side as he can't go on forever and he's not going to get any better.

Overall, it was a typical first game of the season for Everton. Still very rusty, lots of cobwebs, but we'll get better. Leicester played like a newly promoted team, full of fight and passion, so it's no big deal (IMO) to come away with a hard-earned point. Next week will be better.

Considering the sub-standard pre-season, mounting injuries and facing a buoyant team who just romped the Championship, a draw isn't the worst result. But it's just so frustrating how we throw away points...

On to the Barkley news. We absolutely must get another creative midfielder now. Kagawa or cleverly or someone of that ilk (even if on loan) before the window shuts.

TBH, I forgot about Burnley so I might owe Leicester an apology.

As for the lad. I won't be talking much about him this season. He is with us for a long time so I have to hope he goes on to great things.

Jags is good in his role as centre back yet he does not carry an air of confidence and authority that only good captains possess.

What is the point of designated corner-kick takers if far too often they land the ball nowhere near their intended target? I have coached 11-year-olds who regularly deliver better crosses than these highly paid professionals.

As for our corners. You said it all. We never score from corners. Other teams expect to score from corners. I’ll never understand why they are of no interest to Mr Martinez.

Oh how we missed Coleman on the right flank, and without him, we are much diminished both offensively and defensively. In fairness to Stones, his flank was often left open as McGeady was switching wings, and McCarthy was not always covering for him.

Lukaku was slow, and his passing awful, but Naismith is a great example to the whole team. He is fit, his play in and around the box is intelligent, he scored a cracking goal, and he is totally committed.

The defending at set-pieces is going to cost us a place in the top 4. We looked like conceding at every corner!

In your defence, I could see why you would think that reading the reaction on here.

I have to wonder what Roberto said at half time. Somehow I think it went something like "keep enjoying your football". His comments after the game suggested he knew we were too relaxed but then why didn't he bring on fresh legs?

I normally copy and paste people's names, for fear of spelling them wrong and offending, so sorry if you find it a bit dodgy!!

I guessed you were caught up in the moment yesterday. As for the lad, he has a long way to go before he is better than either Jags or Distin at their peak, but unfortunately, so are they now.

In sure there are other great example but Kevin was that type when he played GAA for club and county. He may not have been a Boobby Moore or Maldini but Jesus he took many a knock for the team and expected others to follow suit.

Leicester did well getting players back defending... However, same as last season, seemed like Roberto was counting the passes again: 65% possession and not really one shot at goal second half, says it all really. By the way, if you want to watch again – yes, sad, I know – go to footballorigin.com.

He should be used to the pace of the EPL as heÂ’s had half a season to adjust and 8 months to get into shape (and its a long time IÂ’ve seen a footballer so out of condition when he joined us in January). In addition he didnÂ’t have the World Cup distraction.

A Leicester City fan posted on one of the threads that their better level of fitness came to the fore late in the game; if thatÂ’s true, why is this? We had most of the possession so in theory they should have been a lot more tired after spending most of the game chasing after the ball.

LetÂ’s hope this wonÂ’t be the usual ambling start because it cost us dear last season.

Atsu didnt come on because Roberto must have felt that Atsu didn’t know the team well enough and didn’t want to play that wild card. Seems a bit disrespectful too when a loan player who joined just a few days ago, gets subbed in before the diehard Evertonians on the bench.

Besic is being disciplined for injuring our prodigal son. Mirallas wasn’t fit enough and had he come on earlier he may have made a fool out of himself. Osman can’t play on the wings and Naismith was too good to be replaced.

Pienaar seemed burnt out but still looked better than Mirallas. May have subbed him to rest him up for Arsenal. (Mentioned why it happened so late above.)

Lukaku: Well I still can’t figure out why he played the whole game. Is it because we didn’t have any other player to play in his position? Mirallas was used to save up Pienaar’s energy, and Naismith is most effective behind the striker, as we all witnessed.

Oops! But it kinda backs up my point, well sort of.

Our corner takers put no air into the crosses. Even when our corners are taken, they’re about waist height. That may as well be because we have no-one to soar through the sky and attack the ball with their head. Every club in the PL has at least one guy who posses that aerial threat, may it be from their defence, midfield or upfront. Sadly, we have no-one who can cause that sort of havoc.

Gibbo had to gallop back from the halfway line and was not amused. I don't know whether it's the Irish or the Man Utd bit, but he organises things and nobody dare disagree.

It's just that it's usually overpowered by his semi-transparent sock of incessant sick notes and corporeal crutches.