Another Draw Snatched From the Jaws of Victory

I too was bewildered at the insertion of McGeady and Atsu instead of Besic at a time when the defensive pressure was crumbling. ThatÂ’s two straight weeks in which Roberto, who last year was infallible with his subs, bungled the job in my opinion. Maybe the manager isnÂ’t quite match-fit yet either.

MotM was clearly the inspirational Naismith, who won every header, converted his chance with aplomb and got under the skin of half the Arsenal players.

ItÂ’s 5 Points given up,
Not 4.... That extra point to the gunners is big. We will most likely be battling them for 4th.

1st half was scintillating but to make the same mistake twice in a row is unthinkable!! Very amateur.

Is it personnel? That would be my answer. The same players making the same mistakes. ThereÂ’s nothing new here, thatÂ’s the issue Martinez has to address as well as making us more solid in midfield, which I think he has. He also needed to sort out our striking options which again he has addressed. So perhaps next up will be the defence and goal keeper positions?

Rome wasnÂ’t built in a day, not on our wages anyway.

On the game, I thought we played well for 70 mins but from that on I had half an eye on the clock as we conceded the pitch to them. Our ability to keep the ball vanished. Interesting tactic by our defenders was to defend the box not step out to the player with the ball.

Alexis who? How much? Our first half was patchy at times but we lead 2-0 at the break without playing all that well. I can understand MartinezÂ’s substitutions, they were pressing us back, the out ball was the quick counter attack but it didnÂ’t materialise.

Martinez has faith in his players to see it out; ultimately itÂ’s down to them to perform to the standard they set last season. Record number of wins and points etc.

The last year for Distin IÂ’m afraid. I listened carefully to his interview on the official site and he has quite clearly had enough.

Osman was pretty ineffectual for the most part and anonymous at the end. We need to figure out how to get the most out of Lukaku. He was hardly in the game.

The defence was jittery to say the least and too standoff-fish.

We lacked that extra bit of class in midfield especially with the final ball.

Roberto needs to take some flak for this result. Felt like a Moyes performance and result today.

YouÂ’ve mentioned that "the squadÂ’s fitness will come over time".... Well, Christmas will come also. I just hope the former arrives before the latter.

The sight of the lads dragging their asses the last 20 minutes of the first two games of the season is really depressing. RM has got to see what we see, doesnÂ’t he?

I have no idea how to improve the squadÂ’s fitness, in season. Hopefully Roberto does!

I thought McCarthy and Naismith were immense yesterday, and were badly let down by the sickening goals conceded late in the game (again). Ultimately it was defensive weakness from Tim (command of the 6 yard box....), Distin and Jags (again) failure to deal with danger, whilst Roberto needs to take responsibility for the wrong substitutions and a worryingly lack of fitness from the team that is costing us in the last 10.

I thought the press were being harsh on Jags at the World Cup, but letÂ’s be honest he is playing pretty poorly at the moment. I expect him to keep his place against Chelsea, but another performance like this and heÂ’ll be watching from the sidelines.

The players looked visibly tired in the last 15, and it was crying out for a Besic to offer more legs in the middle. Osman and Barry looked knackered, so adding McGeady, who was a bag of nerves, and Atsu didnÂ’t exactly solidify things either to support an over exposed, but excellent McCarthy.

The squad is definitely missing a striker, and with Alcaraz/Distin/Jags looking old and dodgy, a dominant centre half as well at this rate.

A side note, Jack Wilshire, what a horrible player.

Some positives from the games for me: Lukaku more involved, Barry and McCarthy played better and Naismith. I would love to switch our CB for the pair at Leicester who pretty much bossed Costa yesterday in the same way they did Lukaku.

Martinez must do better with the subs, he has to be more ruthless and introduce the new guys. Even the starting XI could use some tinkering. Needs to take a lesson from Mourinho who benched a top 5 GK for another younger larger, quicker member of the top 5 GKs.

Fitness, Fitness, Fitness — has cost us these points more than anything.

We sat back and allowed Arsenal to come at us too much, McGeady was the wrong choice and continued where heÂ’d left off last week, i.e. giving the ball away. McCarthy and Naismith were tremendous. Coleman looked defensively weak but the lad has had less preparation than the rest of the team.

Martinez must up his game regards the fitness levels and his substitutions, which were reminiscent of Moyes at his worst. But at least MoyesÂ’s teams were fit. (And you donÂ’t know just how hard it is to give Moyes praise over Martinez.)

I thought some of the football was brilliant and showed how much we have come on as a footballing team, but we have got to become a lot more ruthless in seeing games out. Dead on our feet, the manager went like for like, instead of bringing on another midfielder. But this was something he was praised for last season.

He has given his reason, and shown his philosophy, by saying he felt we needed another goal. I would sooner have this mentality myself, but looking at the game as a whole, I feel like he got it wrong yesterday, but isnÂ’t hindsight a wonderful thing?

One thing that is going to cost us time after time, is our inability to defend high balls, either from the flanks or even straight down the middle though. I think if Giroud would have started yesterday then we would have lost the game, purely because we are so susceptible to this major problem at the moment.

ItÂ’s the same back five as weÂ’ve had for a long time now and they seem to often panic when weÂ’ve a lead to defend in the second half. If Stones isnÂ’t ready then weÂ’ve got a bit of a problem as Jags and Distin are certainly not the same as they were a couple of years ago. A few people will defend them and say they are still class but all I can say is look at the 4 goals weÂ’ve conceded already.

The attacking players are doing their bit but thatÂ’s two games now where the defence has let us down badly. Unfortunately I cannot see us getting much against Chelsea unless we have a load of luck like last year.

Not sure there’s an easy fix but we need to sort out the back sharpish. Arsenal were poor yesterday and we gifted them a point, that’s the most depressing thing. 4 points dropped after just two games – this is becoming a bit of a habit.

That Aiden McGeady is shocking — he’s lazy, uninterested and greedy. Once he leaves us, he is heading for the Championship at best. I don’t think Martinez has signed well this summer and his optimism is bordering on delusional.

If we were as fit as Leicester or Arsenal we would likely have 6 points by now and not 2.

Inexcusable really to be so poorly prepared physically.

We were running on empty in the last 20 mins and it was blatantly obvious that Besic should have been brought on to give them something to worry about!!! Instead of giving possession away along with the points.

Things did seem to improve markedly after a few weeks, but am I alone in worrying it may become a permanent feature in the Martinez years?

I agree with all those who think Besic would have been a good option after about an hour.

Gutted.

If we had enough funds for one more person in the transfer market, even if its a loan, we need some-one who can win the ball in the air. I don’t care which position he plays as long as can win fifty-fifties, be a threat at corners, and be a threat in defence. Naismith out-jumped Mertesacker more than once while I didn’t see Lukaku win a single header.

It is no good being critical of players when we really do not have alternatives. We will have had a reasonable season if we finish in the top seven when our spending power is a fraction of the other contenders.

However, there is no excuse for not being fit enough to last 90 minutes and some of the players looked drained after 75 minutes. Arsenal showed that they are not top class and we should have won the match.

Kieran #3 Â’shitnessÂ’ love it.

I would just say that RM does have a deep Evertonian quality about him, it’s that indefinable thing... but he just has it and I can feel it in my bones. I have not felt this about any other manager since Catterick – and I include Howard Kendall in that. (Howard of course is as Evertonian as they come, as is Joe Royle, but I’m talking about a style and presence in RM.) I know that is hardly scientific argument and I don’t conceal the obvious deficiencies in the side nor RM’s tendency to babble on, but sometimes instinct has it right.

Anyway, weÂ’ll all be there next Saturday, even if we do vent our spleens on here in the meantime. Stepping back from yesterday, I still think we can take solace from outplaying one of the title favourites for much of the game and when we were patently not at our sharpest.

The most worrying thing yesterday for me were the substitutions of which I think all three were wrong.

Sub Error #1: Pienaar coming off was clearly forced upon Robbie, but the point at which Osman came on pretty much started the sinking feeling for me.

Leon was a great servant to the club over the years, and has been under appreciated at times, but itÂ’s clear to everyone in football (apart from Martinez) that heÂ’s pretty much a passenger now and is just not up to playing more than 20 minutes now. I stopped counting the number of times he was muscled or paced out of challenges at about 5, it was certainly more than meaningful touches of the ball he applied...and that was in the first half, by the last 30 minutes he was out on his feet (again). We already have one smart but less mobile player anchoring the midfield, his nameÂ’s Gareth Barry and he has a VERY willing and able partner to make up the yards for him in McCarthy - James has a great engine but to ask him to do the running for 2 other players is just out of line.
Somehow, even with Osman in the side we impressed in the first half but the fact he was on the pitch at all was storing up a liability in the second. The better option should surely have been Besic in the middle (with Mirallas and Lukaku pushed out wide) or one of the wingers on for a winger.

Sub Error #2: The most forgiveable one this. Lukaku probably had to come off also, I get that and maybe McGeady wasnÂ’t the worst idea conceptually at 2-0 up to keep their defence pinned back and give us a pacy outlet. Once he was on the pitch for a few minutes though it was very clear the strategy hadnÂ’t worked. Not only was McGeady not offering the same physical presence for high-balls, he patently wasnÂ’t tackling back either and his passing was frankly woeful on several occasions, so much so that he seemed to have lost his rag and let his head drop after about 5 minutes on.
Really though we needed more of a target man up for this (oh for a Fellaini type to mix things up).

Sub Error #3: Atsu on for Mirallas. Now IÂ’m afraid this one has to be filed under MAJOR batshit craziness. I appreciate heÂ’d planned to make this move at 2-0 but having seen just how ineffectual McGeady had been and how we were getting over-run in midfield, surely this was the equivalent of throwing good money after bad. Taking off Mirallas who was showing McGeady what should be done both going forwards and tackling back and still seemed full of running (and hungry for a goal) was bad enough in itself, but to not shore up the midfield and protect the result was madness; once weÂ’d conceded the goal, and Arsenal smelt a point, to not change tack was just lunacy.

As I lamented with a fellow blue cabbie on the way back from Goodison, for all his faults, our old manager would have managed to shut the door for 15 minutes... then again, itÂ’s unlikely he would have been 2-0 up against Arsenal in the first place I suppose!!!

At the end of the day, weÂ’ve dropped 4 points from winning positions and yet again I fear weÂ’re destined for a hard-luck story of a season.

Wenger made his first move bringing a tall striker in to put pressure on the central defence and after another 20 mins, seeing Everton were either trying to see the game out or were visibly tiring, brought on two quick forwards cum midfielders to turn the game.

To me, Mr Martinez made his mistake by instead of helping the midfield and the defence that was getting overun, he brought on two forwards who just stayed out wide, hoping for a quick break from defence, and this is where the game was lost.

Even though in my opinion this is where the game was lost, it does not hide the problem that at this time there seemed over 60% of Everton players that do not seem match fit. Osman cannot play effectively after 45-50 min at the best of times so I could not understand him playing for the majority of the game with a perfectly fit midfielder on the bench.

Overall, going on the display for 70 mins, Everton look very good but the unfortunate thing is the games last for 90+ min. We can complain about the pre-season but that is in the past and hopefully the coaching staff and the Manager will address the problem now for the future.

Now, a year later if you believe some of the comments on here, he doesnÂ’t have a clue! How many times in a season do you see teams come from behind to draw or win? Plenty; why? Because, if you're behind, you throw everything you can at the opposition because youÂ’ve nothing to lose. If you get one back, game on, and who knows.

No team has all the players 100% after 1 league game, if were pinning this on being totally unfit.

What about all the energy we expended to be the team on top with a 2-goal lead? The players wouldnÂ’t be human if they didnÂ’t tire at all.

Also do you not think Martinez would love to go out and spend the sort of money that our neighbours and the other suspects managers are spending.

The bottom line is heÂ’s forced to try and challenge these clubs with some players that are past their best or will never be good enough to haul us into the top 4.

We are never going to buy a title chaps, his and our only chance is to attempt to produce our own top class players; a tall order yes, but our only chance as it stands!

One said: 'Remember, in the middle of the Thames, you can't get out and bloody-well walk!'

The other said: 'Remember, every minute you're NOT training, there's some Russian bastard who IS!'

Perhaps something similar at Finch Farm would do the trick!

The only point I would disagree with is that you think Martinez should only shoulder a "good deal" of the blame.

Despite taking over a group of players who have always performed at a higher level than he has, Martinez took ALL the plaudits for last seasons points hall.

I think there has been an exaggerated and unhealthy outpouring of adoration towards Martinez. Some Evertonians have been too anxious to tell him how wonderful he is. That IMO is the problem here, he has been too happy to believe them.

If I was marking him out of 10 since last May, I'd struggle to give him more than a 2 - although he did a great job for ESPN.

This group of players had a genuine chance of challenging for CL qualification this season and if Martinez does not pull himself together, he will have blown it before we get over the first fence.

His recent admissions concerning "where we are" and "energy levels" must have caused the production line down at the excuse factory to grind to a juddering halt.

It sounds like we generally think Osman was a mistake(and yes I also cursed under my breath when he was brought on), yet Osman was on the pitch for the majority of the first half when we went in 2-0 up and looking quite comfortable.

What's annoying is that had we "closed out" the game by bringing Besic on(who I really want to see play), and conceded 2 or more, the same people would be complaining that we shouldn't have gone defensive, and we should have brought on some pacy players to provide an outlet and go for the third.

Sadly, some change their mind as often as the scoreline. One second Martinez is a genius, 10 minutes later its time for him to fuck off and bring Moyes back. Thats not a generalisation either, I actually read those words from one poster. People who were calling for Atsu one second are ready to condemn the decision when he comes on and doesn't really do anything.

I think there is no doubt that the squad is not 100% ready. I think Coleman looked mentally and possibly physically fatigued which certainly contributed to their goals. Yet how many of us wouldn't have played him, even if he'd missed a lot of preseason? A half fit coleman is probably better than any of our alternatives.

I think Martinez has stated that he has compromised the start of our season somewhat to ensure we still have fresh legs in April and May. It's a brave choice that may or may not work out, but the end of this season will be the time to determine whether Martinez has indeed "fucked up pre-season", or in fact whether he has pulled another masterstroke.

Importantly for me, after the game Martinez came out and said that he was not happy with the second half performance and that sitting back, defending and soaking pressure is not the way he wants us to be playing, so I still have hope that it will come good.