(Almost) Solid Blues defence wins out

CanÂ’t wait for ko (in all senses!)

COYB!!

If you canÂ’t see that he has talent then you must be blind. He needs to apply it better and more consistently... which he has done this season. WhatÂ’s your problem?

McGeady is having a very poor game, he should be taken off. followed by Naismith, before heÂ’s sent off.

He just oozes class.

Now Europe knows what England knows ......
Fear the Blues.
FEAR THE MIGHTY BLUES.

You can run. But you canÂ’t hide
:))))))

Roberto really must get a grip on our passing and losing possession which was highlighted by the visitors time and again; a good result but with a lot of luck.

Very much looking forward to seeing the boys next week at Swansea albeit I expect a fully changed side....... COYBÂ’s

I think we know there are 3-4 players still miles away from the form that is required to be a top 4 side. On a more positive note, what about Eto’o and the return of Gibson – they both performed well. It was interesting to see Martinez get into the players for lumping long balls and losing possession. Next up: Palace.

My only frustration is how long it is taking Martinez to make substitutions this season, along with the fact that weÂ’ve missed opportunities to acclimatise Atsu and Besic. Any substitution after 80 mins is basically a waste of time, and two of our new signings must have about half an hour between them in five games this season.

EtoÂ’o looked finished to me 2 years ago when I saw him playing for Anzhi and his spell at Chelsea didnÂ’t convince me otherwise either. But heÂ’s looked really sharp so far in his brief appearances for us and IÂ’m hoping heÂ’ll be more of a Beardsley than a Gascoigne for us.

We defended better than they did, our keeper played better than theirs did and we took our chances better than they did.

Other than that, we were as lucky as fuck.

I reckon Wolfsburg would trouble any team in the competition. Their passing was excellent and Howard had to be right on form. Jags and Stones were excellent and both full backs played really well. The defensive midfield had their best game of the season.

Mirallas and to a lesser extent Naismith both were thorns in the side of Wolfsburg. Lukaku took a brilliant free kick, linked up well and won every header.

My MotM was fractionally Baines, but it was a real team effort with no weaknesses. Anything less and it would have been WolfsburgÂ’s game.

By the way, that includes McGeady who seems to be improving all the time – just like Naisey has!

Nice to see RM in good form!

COYToffeeeesss!

OK defensively we look vulnerable but Jags is showing signs of rehabilitation, Stones goes from strength to strength. The squad to me looks strong and deep, what is there not to love??

Well done, boys and pat on the back for Roberto for a well planned performance – great stuff!

We were battered a bit in the second half, really donÂ’t know how we won that game 4-1, but IÂ’ll take it.

Hopefully ColemanÂ’s injury isnÂ’t too bad - looks a doubt for Sunday thought so I guess its Stones at RB and Distin back at CB.

EtoÂ’o was absolutely class! You can see why heÂ’s got all the accolades in his career with his close control and weighted passes. ItÂ’s a pleasure to see a world class player in the blue shirt.

We badly lack a midfield General and playmaker and consequently end up going from side to side ad nauseam. Better teams will destroy us in Europe if we donÂ’t play with more intensity.

Chuffed with the win but the performance left many questions. Not sure how McGeady starts his game has no discipline at all and heÂ’s not much better going forward. All-in-all, happy with 3pts and IÂ’m sure the performances will improve.

As I stated a few days ago on another thread, I think it was important to have stability tonight – and get a positive result.

IÂ’m sure itÂ’ll be more likely Atsu and Besic will get a run out against Swansea.

As for gifts, I must have missed Christmas this year. Paul Burns, this was not a bad team and there wont be many better in the Europa League. This was a good team and we beat them well.

Fantastic return to Europe well done the lads.

And by the way last time I looked the role of the keeper was to make saves we we be happier if he let them in.

For fuckÂ’s sake, a 4-1 win is a great result by any standard. Howard was great and nobody let us down.

Good team selection and late substitutions.

Fuck me, IÂ’m being positive for once!!!

We then took our foot off the gas and played containment where they had no pressure on them cos the game was already lost.

Superb performances from Naismith, Bainesy and Howard with SuperKev not far behind.

Still have a question mark over McGeady at this level though.

Great and Important result, COYB.

I never suspected weÂ’d get a result like that against what I thought was a class side. Thought it would be tight.

Some room for improvement still but tonight is no night for moaning.

Everyone played well and Tim Howard was immense.
...... and EtoÂ’o is an Evertonian.

IÂ’d love EtoÂ’o to score a last minute winner at the kop end in a couple of weeks. Gerrard slips on the half way line, dispossessed, EtoÂ’o 35 yard chip over their keeperÂ’s head. Back page photos of open-mouthed and despairing rs as the ball hits the back of the net.

Today has given us a great platform to go and win the group. 3 wins and 2 draws should be enough. Fortress Goodison would be great!

This was an impressive Everton performance against a very decent side. We had the game won by the 47th minute then eased off, sensibly, as we have a game on Sunday. What more can you ask for? There were some excellent displays from Howard, Coleman, Naismith, and EtoÂ’o.

MotM McCarthy full of energy and never gave anything up.

Disappointment: Lukaku — Poor first touch and too static.

Thoroughly professional performance.

Great to be back in Europe.

Well done boys!

The effort from every player was excellent, Stones will be some player and we have now got some pace and class. Finally, and this is a serious question for those who know a bit about coaching. Is a good first touch natural or can it be taught? I thought Lukaku did fine but with a better first touch he will be a super star. A great result against a good side but Tim Howard deserved a clean sheet.

This is a learning experience for both the Manager and the team and to run out 4-1 winners with one of the favorites in the division is an excellent result no matter how it is achieved.

I am quite sure both the Manager and the team will review the video from the game and discuss were they believe they can improve for future games. We have been crying out for years to get a good run in Europe so letÂ’s get behind the Manager and team 100%.

"We won 4-1, oh no, it was lucky. WeÂ’re dead shit really and it wonÂ’t last, cos this is Everton and it always fucks up somehow,"

Maybe if this piss fucking poor pervasive attitude stopped and we started looking forward, something good might just happen.

I thought IÂ’d be coming on here to celebrate and I get to read pricks like Peter Cummings giving it we were lucky. WINNING 4-1. Listen lad, if youÂ’ve got fuck all nice to say after a result like then say nothing at all.

Very good defence - Stones the magnificent - and attack to spare. Mirallas is a torpedo, he destroys defences. And I never knew McGeady could run! More to come. And even more on the bench - a good start.

Lukaku did very little, his ball control is just not improving at all. I thought he was very poor.

I know he is young but his potential is far less than the fee that was payed for him. He will improve but it will be a long road.

Pure quality.

I genuinely think it might be different if you watch the game on tv. At the match at no point did we look in danger, when they had the ball it was all in front of us whereas we looked like we could score at any point. We sat off in the second half but we were three nil up and they were having a free swing. We weathered the storm and scored another. 4-1 in Europe and we barely got out of second gear, I donÂ’t know what some peopleÂ’s problems are.

I sit in-line with the 18-yard box - from my seat McGeady was inside the area and had stuffed the defender, who brought him down. Nailed on pen in my opinion.

We needed to work very hard and take every chance we got to earn the win tonight and it was a first rate TEAM performance. People moan about the new scapegoat McGeady who worked hard all night and even Lukaku gets stick when the lad almost scored with a great free kick, linked up well in midfield and won every header he contested.

My MotM was Baines but I would not argue with other selections as the defensive duo did the best job they have done so far this season. The way the defence played tonight was far better than against Leicester, Arsenal and Chelsea because the whole team put a shift in !

It was a better display than against WBA and if we continue to play to that level we will be very difficult to beat in the Premier League. We now have a real squad of players with plenty of good players waiting in the wings. We have a top bench which is something we have not had for years. Besides the starting eleven we now have cover at a decent level for every position.

Just think that we have Barkley, Pienaar, Oviedo and Kone a couple of weeks away from being able to play. Not including the bench of Gibson, Osman, Garbutt, Alcaraz, Etoo, Atsu etc etc. This is a far cry from a bench containing Vellios, Anichebe, Jelavic, Gueye, Hitzelsperger, Heitinga and McFadden.

Fans are now wanting to see Atsu and Besic play full games as they could well be match winners of the future. We have emptied out the deadwood although Jelavic did have a good impact for a while and replaced it with exciting players who can lift the fans.Mirallas is unplayable some games and Naismith works his socks off.Big Rom will score goals and progress into being a striker worth big money with Eto’oÂ’s influence.

I was apprehensive before the match as I knew Wolfsburg were good. We beat a really good side tonight and they will show their worth in future games. We did better than Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City so enjoy it!

I still feel that our possession football seems to go to pot a b it when pressed high up the pitch and am not sure that the playerÂ’s passing is quite as good as it might be but ultimately the results is all that matter and its been a good Everton week so far. 3 points vs Palace would make it a corker!

Stones was brilliant, in my opinion, and Howard was unfortunate to have his clean sheet ruined by an unstoppable free kick. No, it wasn’t a fantastic performance by us but it was good – and certainly good enough.

IÂ’ll take a 4-1 win over a top Bundesliga team any day of the week!

When Baines passes to Coleman across their 6-yard box to make a goal, you just know we are pressing them hard!! The best result from any English team in Europe this week.

We seemed a bit like we wanted the game to end once it reached 3-0, we didnÂ’t park the bus or attack as well. IÂ’m just grateful that Howard is such a great shot stopper: hardly any spilled saves for anyone to pounce on. We were very very good.

COYB (not an EÂ’c abv)

The team will get better and weÂ’ll learn to kill things off better and not give the opposition a sniff of getting back. In this case, the final score line was great but I dread to think what would have happened had they got one back early in the 2nd half - its well known that its hard to shift back up a gear once youÂ’ve taken youÂ’re foot off the gas in a game and relaxing with a half to go was too early. (We tried to sit back on our 2-0 lead against Arsenal and look how that turned out...different team/league but not too dissimilar situation imo)

If I were to nit-pick, I would also say Martinez should have made subs earlier with the Sunday game in mind. 3-0 up after 47 mins and yet the first sub is after 69 mins, second 81 mins, third in injury time? What about getting the likes of Besic, Gibbo, Atsu, Osman on the pitch a bit earlier to keep the intensity up and rest a few legs at the same time?

All in all was a great result but a few things to work on. We can all agree to at least enjoy the result and be glad weÂ’ve started with 3 points but IÂ’m not going to start thinking of cup finals just yet - long way to go.

Onto Palace.

That we did that with Lukaku still short of his best illustrates our attacking potential. Indeed, our deadly finishing reminded me of many a great performance by top European sides, and demonstrates that we have the attacking ability to tear teams apart.

Our defence has looked below-par this season, but we have a great unit, and it will improve. 0-2 against West Brom, and 4-1 against Wolfsburg = a dream weak. That we can pick stuff to moan about after defeating one of the best teams in the competition 4-1 illustrates the potential of this side.

We need to get through the group (we took a massive step tonight) and then the lottery of the knockout can begin. We can beat any team at Goodison, and we need to make these European nights a consistent feature.

The passing style is great when it has an end product and at times tonight it was sublime going forward but at the back, well Jagielka gives me heart murmurs. So many times he takes the easy pass which ends up as a hospital pass yet when he has to defend he was great. Stones was my MotM a totally composed performance.

Full of confidence now. 3 more points on Sunday and hopefully see some new faces on Tuesday at Swansea.

How cool is John Stones? This lad is going to be some player. He plays like heÂ’s been doing it for 10 years.

They went for it by taking one of their defensive midfielders (Malanda) off at half time and committing men forward. Back-fired when they messed up spraying it across the back for the penalty (the main contact was torso to torso and dragging down on McGeadyÂ’s arm which continued into the box), and at 3 nil we were happy to sit back and defend with occasional breaks when we looked very liable to add to our score. A bit nervy, but it all worked out okay in the end.

A bit surprised by the reluctance to make more changes earlier than we did (again) - not sure when Besic and Atsu are going to be considered safe enough to help close out a game.

EtoÂ’o is a revelation to me. A fantastic option to give Lukaku 20 minutes off each game; let the young lad run the defenders all over the place and then the old head comes on and exploits all the weaknesses caused by tired legs. I honestly hadnÂ’t realised how good his work ethic and vision were. Thought he was more of a poacher / fox in the box, but he is prepared to battle for the ball and play lovely passes to the runners. Adds another dimension to our attacking play.

How many of our team would get into a Man City, Chelsea or Man Utd team? The team ran themselves into the ground last night but some are still not satisfied.

Like I say, to expect us to perform like Barcelona or the above teams with the quality that we have in the squad is frankly not realistic.

We know It wasnÂ’t a perfect performance, there never is an error free performance from any team. There needs to be criticism, but it gets out of proportion on here too many times.

Scoreline flattered us but we didnÂ’t look like losing at any time last night.

First half we were simply just too slow at the start. I thought it was a plan from Martinez to conserve energy, as it was roasting just sitting in the stands.

Great result and the highlight of the night was someone shouting at the Scottish bagpiper at the end of Gwladys Street.

"Bloody foreigners, coming to England taking our jobs!"

I donÂ’t care how we got there, itÂ’s the result that counts. Let the record books show that Everton beat a very strong German side 4-1 at home.

ItÂ’s swings and roundabouts.

"The pitch and breakdown return to Europe – with the first goal against pitch was added, when the ball of Diego Benaglio wobbled in the gate. Of Wolfsburg number 1 and captain had thereupon into the cab, because his contact lens had fallen out. Whether Benaglio is really attributed the gate, decides the UEFA probably not until today. However. We are all disappointed over the achievement, like that Benaglio. The VfL worked in many scenes naively. With the second goal against Robin Knoche played a breakdown passport into the feet of Everton star Romelu Lukaku. Then it became correctly annoying shortly after rekickoff, when ref Luca Banti pointed to the point, although Knoche Evertons Aiden McGeady had brought clearly before the line to case. That was a wrong decision, meant interior defender Knoche disappointed. To the appearance altogether it granted: "We made too many individual errors, which have the opponent punished." Arnold added:"Four things get – we imagined that completely differently." Klaus Allofs was already served to the break. Also after the page change one saw, how the manager short circuited times the eyes and shook the head. "That was not what we can do. That was not what one must deliver, over internationally to exist to be able," like that Allofs, which was correctly sour. Nearly excusing he said still: "Within all crucial ranges that was much too little. The fact that we appeared in such a way as German representatives does pain to me."

I love "EH, THAT IS CORRECTLY FUCKING ANNOYING!" and that the ref Â’pointed at the pointÂ’

PENALTY!

And hereÂ’s a narked Wolfsburg Â’greenÂ’ (?) commenting and sounding very like Â’ein taffeevebberÂ’

"So that cannot continue with the VfL. This club disgraces us in all of Europe up to the bones. Becomes time that Winterkorn this alibi coach slings out named Dieter Hecking upright and the Allofs equivalent afterwards.

Hecking possesses nevertheless with the player zero authority. Those dance nevertheless as desired on the nose around.

And then this ready for the scrap heap purchase politics of Mr. Allofs. Bendtner is to put times rather again with its pink plush slip into the sun chair. De Bruyne and Gustafo play at present football, as if they would have testicular cancer. Malanda does not think itself except a few bad passes and Knoche capable of must before the play a Guiness beer have drunk yesterday and thought it would be neÂ’Cola.

Which teaches the Hecking actually the whole week at the training place, except bad passes, wrong insertions and miserable field goal technology to the players.

Hecking dismiss immediately, even until Sunday after the failure against Vizekusen do not await.
Felix Magath bring back and is good.

If this cucumber troop tears itself on Sunday in the home game against Vizekusen not together and gets three points, then it was for me, for"

Quite!

ThatÂ’s a little harsh! He didnÂ’t have the best of games but to state he was a Knoche.......well IÂ’m correctly annoyed at that.

Also after the page change one saw, how the manager short circuited times the eyes and shook the head.

Johhny 5 is ALIVEEEEEEEE!!

If our biggest problem this season is losing intensity every time weÂ’re 3-0 up then I think weÂ’ll be alright, especially if we hold out and make it 4-0 anyway.

It reminds me of when Kevin Pietersen was asked if he was worried about his trend of getting out on 158.