Second string overpower reds at Anfield

Classic!

Klopp in the crowd.

Broadhead misses open goal. Difficult chip.

When Robertson hit a 35-yard, straight ball into Everton's box yesterday, I'm sure a more committed keeper could have come and smashed both Van Dijk and the ball, especially because the Liverpool player was on the half-turn, and wouldn't have known much about it.

Maybe I'm wrong but only a last-gasp clearance from Digne prevented a certain goal and I personally think the more a goalkeeper plays on the front foot, the less saves he usually has to make, which can only be good for the team.

Why not get him match fit by playing with the U23s, and get his confidence back?

Second goal!!!

Even at U23s level, the referee lets them bastards get away with murder. Fraser Hornby gets studs raked right his ankle from behind, and nothing given, whilst a deliberate elbow on one of ours (can't remember who) also goes unpunished.

Good performance from the defence with Virginia in goal having next to nothing to do.

It's so difficult even for the best youngsters to make the big move up - and that includes up to Championship quality on a consistent basis.

It was a great performance from our defence. Adeniran was probably Man of the Match, driving forward from midfield, although Josh Bowler ran him close. He was very lively on the right wing until taken off. Broadhead too, playing on the left, had a good game, taking his goals well.

A very satisfying performance leaving us four points clear of 2nd-place Brighton who we've still to play at home.

Really got under the skin of them.

Really interesting! Clearly no consistent approach at overall club level. Conflict? Agreement to disagree?

It's great to see players getting experience that's a level above the U23s but hard to see a pathway for players like Dowell to our first team at the moment. I wonder how many in the U23s will become first team players but one or two would be great.

It is disturbing though that we have no "overall" club philosophy on team set-up.

This, surely, is something that needs to be addressed and nowadays, I imagine, will be part of the remit of M Brands.

So, I suppose it's a case going forward of "watch this space".

I gave up criticising Pickford and his lack of commanding his 6-yard area, he is glued to his line, he will never be a top class goalkeeper with this big flaw in his game, unfortunately.

It might not be though – could just be a weakness in his game, as suggested above.

We'll played lads, hopefully we'll see one or two in the first team at the tail end of this season.

A couple of other points; agree with Dave(#29)about Pickford for the same reason.

And Tony's point(#21) about Dowell; I reluctantly agree because I watched the Sheffield derby, and his game doesn't suit the cut and thrust games like this. He'd probably blossom in Italy or Spain. But what a talent.

I would rephrase Dave @29: the option is always there for them to play, but I doubt it is ever their decision alone. The PL2 rules allow for up to three over-age outfield players, plus the goalie, to play in any PL2 game.

Of course, the U23 coach must want to play them, and must be on board with the benefit of having them play what is likely to be a one-off appearance for what we, the fans, believe is a vital step in regaining match fitness in preparation for a return to the first team after a long lay-off.

To that end, it has to be something the full backroom team is on board with – coaches, trainers, physios, fitness specialists, sports psychologists...

And maybe that is where this one comes home to roost. I think it may be possible that the negative psychology of a first-team squad member playing for "The Stiffs" outweighs any positive benefit of improving match fitness? It happens so very rarely these days, there has to be some kind of explanation like that behind it.

Then again, is this a case of us fans, watching so intently but always from the outside, and at a disadvantage of not being true 'football' people, not being an intrinsic part of the club system and all its layers and structures... we don't know what the fuck we are talking about?

Doesn't explain fully why he has been on the bench a few times, unless it is to let feel James part of the squad in readiness for his return? It is frustrating for me as a supporter waiting for James to come back, it must be even more frustrating for McCarthy himself.

I heard a discussion by a journalist and an agent about specifically overseas players, playing in the Under 23 games. The agent said most overseas players have it in their contract that they don't play in these games, obviously I don't know if it applies to British players.

But you very rarely see many players playing in the Under 23 teams even if they have been out with an injury. As you say maybe they just don't fancy stepping down a level.

Whyever did they scrap the Central league games where the first team played at home 1 week and the reserves played at home the other weeks. They were full of first team players which I think helped the young lads who were picked for these games mature quicker. Now by and large there are no first team players playing and they end up playing lads of their own age.

Clearly to me, they do not think it's necessary, or they don't see the benefits we, as fans, see really outweighing some unspoken negatives they must see?

Obviously, it is better for McCarthy to sit out three Premier League games on the bench as an unused sub, never given a runout, rather than to get real game time in the cut and thrust of the PL2.

And then, on the 4th game, the biggest of the lot, not to even be in the Squad... Go figure!!!

It's surprising looking at the U23 stats, the senior players who have played the most in recent times are Niasse with 3 goals in 2 games last season, and Funes Mori, who also played twice last season.

(I guess I was really thinking about the season before, 16-17, when Niasse played 6 games in PL2, scoring 8 goals. That was his first full season at Goodison Park, after playing a few times under Martinez since his arrival from Russia the February before... Remember, he was then – at least initially – denied squad number and locker by Koeman, and never played a senior game for us that season after looking terrible in pre-season half-game at Barnsley. So he's a bit of a special case... in more ways than one!)

So far this season, James McCarthy has played just one game for the U23s, and that was way back in October. Beni Baningime and Jonjoe Kenny have played just 2 games each, and Mason Holgate 1 game. That's it.

Going further back, we had another similar oversight, when our Scouts went to watch Southend, and failed to notice Stan Collymore, but we ended up with Brett Angell who played alongside him. Gordon Bennet! He would have been better.

And for the first couple months of the 2015 season, it sure did look like we had the better player of the two. Ah, well.

Unsworth has something right with simple formations, man-to-man marking, and success.

I shall do some research!

Galloway happy to have found the 'whole package' in Everton

That was December 2015, when he was on something of a peak.

Here's a bit of context, that you will no doubt remember well:

Galloway played in Everton's final two Premier League games of the 2014-15 campaign and was called upon to deputise for Baines (who needed surgery on an ankle injury) for the first four months of the following season, acquitting himself with remarkable maturity that had many observers purring about another future England international refining his trade at Goodison Park.

However, he played very little part in the second half of the 2015-16 season after picking up a knee injury that would keep him sidelined for more than two months. He returned in May, played for the Under-21s and featured in couple of pre-season games under new manager Ronald Koeman but the competition for places in the squad by that point meant that a loan elsewhere made more sense.

They did play a loose 4-4-2 for the last two games, but it's not a simple 4-4-2 and not a traditional 4-4-2. There was no 2 banks of 4. The defence was set up in a 4-2 formation as in 4-2-3-1. Then the attacking midfielders are ahead but in the channels. The attacking two don't play side-by-side, but instead one drops into the No 10 position and makes a 4-2-3-1. It's a flexible formation as it will also look like a 4-3-3 at times.

They have used a back 3 on occaisions and have played 3-4-3. Mostly though, it's been 4-2-3-1, which is Unsworth's formation of choice and has been for a while now. Unsworth is not afraid to change formation mid-game as he did when Gordon came on and he went full 4-2-3-1.

Chopping and changing formation is not simple, but he's winning games, he's making his teams harder to predict, harder to train for, and more flexible. It's hard to do this successfully, and shows he's not the simple coach many paint him out to be.

Whether it was the injury or demotivation, I don't know... but he lacked awareness and his concentration was poor.

It does bring home, though, that we shouldn't get too excited by youth players until they consistently show they should be at the top table.

His career will not be over then and the likelihood of another contract somewhere else. There's much to be said for the argument that players get too much too soon in this day and age.

The first team play with wingers and Sigurdsson as a very advanced midfielder (number 10). The reserves play with attacking wide midfielders and a second striker (think Cantona or Sheringham role).

The two midfielders are more defensive so it's not a traditional 4-4-2 with the 3 banks, I don't think it's similar to the first team though as the main striker gets far more support than the first teams, and the wide players offer a lot more defensive support. The latter probably contributes to the brilliant defensive record when compared with some of the vulnerabilities of the first team.

Personally I don't like the Number 10 role that Sigurdsson plays and I don't think there's many truly successful teams who utilise it. I prefer a second withdrawn striker.

Maybe he'll get a game there? I hope James and Everton are okay with this.

I was on Tranmere's books at 17 earning ٥ a week in 1968 till a drunk driver put paid to that but I was over the moon and just loved playing football.

To think 18-year-olds are earning 㿊k a week just for being part of a club squad just beggars belief.

Sky have got a lot to answer for.

I don't want to consider the impact and them, being beneficiaries.

That would take the biscuit.

The attendance was 4,362. So there were hardly any Evertonians there then? I find that hard to believe

So yes, hard to believe. Or not, if you consider that is a pretty typical attendance these days for Everton's U23 games, even though they are topping the PL2 table. We really don't seem to have many fans following the junior sides.

Now quite why you have that many kopites turning up at Mordor on a wet Monday night is a whole other question. Perhaps they are all the poor locals who have been priced out of first-team games by the rice tourist fans and this is the only chance they have to see the red twats live?