Rub of the green and Brazilian gold lift the Blues to victory over Palace

Let's hope the whole team is ready to get into Arsenal. I'm convinced EFC can beat them.

I also want to call out my mate Terry White for emailing me yesterday to predict that Carlo would start Coleman at right-back specifically to deal with his old enemy Zaha. Carlo did, and Coleman ate Zaha's lunch.

Lotta smart people on TW.

These players have had spells under Koeman, Allardyce and Silva where they have completely downed tools and I will be glad when these parasites leave our club.

Take Silva, for example; if there were players who should have had a gripe it was Calvert-Lewin, Holgate and Davies who were continually overlooked despite their competitors not doing the business, yet they prolonged his stay due to their character.

I hope they excel until the end of the season so we can get rid.

The reason John Pierce's comment is a great one is because it condenses the truth into its simplest form. There's no excuses now for the lad so he's performing to the best of his ability. There's nowhere for him to hide, it's bleeding ridiculous.

Richarlison is just getting better and better. No wonder Barca are desperate to sign him up and making silly offers. What did they pay for the 26-year-old Coutinho? Richarlison is going nowhere and has to be a core member of this renaissance of Everton FC.

Calvert-Lewin looked 5% off today, a tiny bit jaded. I think the 2-week break is needed for him to get back to full power.

Respect to Seamus for a great battling performance, I enjoyed watching him giving his all to the cause and keeping Zaha largely out of the game.

Roll on, Arsenal away; from what I have seen of them this season, we have a decent chance of getting 3 points there. We should go there confident we can do damage.

I am losing confidence in Pickford, but he's got 4 big games to rescue it back.

Ancelotti looks an inspired choice. Lots of work ahead, but we are making steps forward.

Palace is always a tough game and in their first four seasons back in the top flight they never lost at Goodison but we've now beaten them three on the spin here so all is well.

The decisive moment was Richarlison's goal coming at a time when I could see Palace going ahead and we were on the ropes.

Coleman rolled back the years today, he was excellent and if that was one last hurrah then it's great to have seen it today.

Schneiderlin was very good credit where it's due.

There is problems in defence however and I still feel it all stems from Pickford in goal, he brings so much unrest amongst the fans now so I can only imagine it's the same with the players in front of him.

But anyway, on to a very winnable (yes I know we haven't won there since 1996) trip to Arsenal.

But this is a bang average Gunners team let's not beat about the bush, they are there to be beaten and likewise United in March 1st.

If we can get even 4 points from those two games then we have every chance of the Europa League.

After the Anfield defeats (losing 5-2 to their B team and 1-0 to their C team), I was done with this group of players. I was ready to disown them. This feeling intensified with the Newcastle game.

But then they win 2 on the bounce showing heart, fight, determination and finally some quality, and they reel you back in.

I'm ready to forgive if we can beat them at Goodison and get top 4. High bar? Well, they've highly (and repeatedly) let us all down. But actually now we're playing like a team. We're forcing victories through sheer will.

The Richarlison goal was brilliant. Well done, lads!!

What I draw from this is how bitter they must all feel that, for their peak years, these players had coaches who were shockingly bad. I think the phrase 'shockingly bad' just about sums up Marco, Sam, and the Blonde Bombshell.

That extra ٣ million a year we are paying Carlo is probably the best spent money Everton have made in the last 10 years.

Calvert-Lewin – not his best game but a great flick for Richarlison and learning the centre-forward skill of being in the 6-yard box when it matters. 20 next season, I think.

Richarlison reminds me of a young Ronaldo (current Juve). Holgate could be a future skipper, and Lucas Digne is the toughest Frenchman I know. Hope we get Euro footy next season.

Neither Louis van Gaal or Mourinho could return him to that form and in spells has raised his game under three different managers here before reverting to type. I expect the same under Carlo if given the time.

That's not me beefing Everton up, fact, play and believe, like today, take our chances, no gifts, and we can smash Arsenal.

The Master, in this case, will teach a master student, and fantastic player for Everton, a master class in how to play to win and win, with total belief.

In Carlo, we trust.

For some reason, we expect them to operate at peak performance no matter what. Well, I for one have fully never bought into the players down tooling. For me, the manager's job is playing the best team with the players he has got in the best positions he believes can do the business. In truth, this often means playing players out of their best position with scant instruction or limitations curtailing their effectiveness, for the good of the team, we are told.

But what happens when you have a manager who cannot get the best from a player, or ignores players? Players first of all lose confidence in their own ability and then confidence in their manager. Not so much a 'down tools' as loss of confidence and a loss of belief in themselves or their manager.

It's exactly the same in everyone's day-to-day job... no difference. Get a manager who can communicate, has a plan, and is clear what he wants each player to do; then you have a motivated individual and a team playing for a manager.

In Carlo Ancelotti, we appear to have a gold carat manager leading high paid individuals fashioning them into a team. His experience is worth more than a summer transfer window. At long last, we have gotten away from spending huge amounts on players whilst getting opportunists as managers.

It is perhaps why great teams operate so well... they understand what they have to do, a team held together by confidence in their ability and belief in the manager.

On a player level, we may have some distance to travel, but we have the best buy the club could get, a world-class manager. In the time he has been here, it's clear to see the uplift in players' desire and work rate. You only get that when you have a leader to believe in.

Many here will say footballers are paid well enough, indeed they are... but, if you put the wrong fuel in a Ferrari, it stutters... doesn't matter how good you are.

Okay, and now the bit I hope you get... I think the RS have at most 3 or 4 world-class players in their squad... that's all. They have a world class, unconventional manager who brings out the best in the rest and plays to the strengths of a few.

In Carlos we have the same.

A few months ago, I thought – despite his poor form – Pickford was not our biggest problem. But, as the weeks go by, he is getting there. The number of gaffes is mounting steadily. I see no evidence of increasing maturity. What I do see is a keeper so desperate to be involved in the action, a keeper whose hyperactivity has an unsettling effect on those in front of him. He is now failing to make what should be routine saves. A rookie keeper would have been ashamed of the goal he conceded today.

And since Duncan took over and Carlo has continued when he can is playing players in their best positions. Round pegs in round holes doing jobs and working hard.

Calvert-Lewin said after the game “Win our personal battles.” Not playing to a philosophy that doesn't suit the parts; playing to strengths and being positive about their role in the team.

There's really no reason at all to fret over a very ordinary Man Utd side coming to Goodison and, while Chelsea are capable of good stuff, they're a very schizophrenic team that has had some truly dreadful losses at Stamford Bridge this season. The RS are the RS, but all bets are off in a Goodison derby.

If Carlo maintains the hard work and self-belief, I see no reason we can't keep our momentum going.

‘The Master, in this case, will teach a master student, and fantastic player for Everton, a master class in how to play to win and win, with total belief.'

How many beers deep were you when you wrote this, Paul? This Eric Cantona level gibberish.

Never, ever, have I ever seen a Portuguese person with a better tan than Mike Walker!!!!!!

Gbamin and Gomes will improve things again if they are fit next season. Add 2 more very good players to this (patched-up) team and let's see how good we can be. And please don't sell Richarlison.

I'm not fussed about the Europa League... Thursday, Sunday shite. I would rather be in the top four. Thanks, Silva.

I just hope we can get a bit of consistency now over the remainder or the season because the teams above us will defo slip up.

Don't fear Arsenal or Man Utd.

Play the kids vs Liverpool and give the first team a break and assault the other teams around us with a fresher squad!

Sure, Holgate has been playing well, but against an attack of Benteke and Ayew you primarily need height and strength. Hence places for Keane and Mina.

I really think our world class manager deserves a little more respect. Just because you personally cannot understand why a team selection has been made, it does not mean that there is not a reason. It probably means you don't understand the game as well you think you do.

A great manager. A motivated squad. A world-class game-changing player that every team with top 4 (or better) aspirations needs. Four or five young players who are amongst the best in the league. A new world-class stadium complimenting a world heritage site on the river about to be approved. A billionaire owner and Alisher Usmanov getting more and more involved.

It's early days, but a perfect storm is brewing at EFC, big things are happening for the club. We are slowly getting back to where this proud club belongs. There will still be hiccups along the way but I've not been more optimistic for a long time.

I'm not saying I think he's playing well, because I don't think he his, but I give him credit for that save though, and anyone who doesn't, is bringing their personal dislike of the player into their judgement imo.

The Palace goal was really poor, but I don't think Mina and Keane had won a header between them since the start of the second half, and our play was very slow and sloppy, until Richarlison produced speed, style and precision, and then Pickford's wonder-save kept us in front, and was the last chance that Palace had all day.

https://www.90min.com/posts/6542124-the-candidates-to-replace-jordan-pickford-for-england-ranked

Schneiderlin was great Siggy not so great although showed flashes, but one thing I do recall is at one point we tried to break from the box losing the ball and every one was too slow to react except DSL who ended up for a vital second being our only defender, and probably saving a certain goal.

My point is that this Dominic might not be a Liniker or Kane yet but he's one of the hardest working players on the pitch and is developing a real talent for being in the right place at the right time as in the goal and that miss.

All in all a great day out with some good football plenty of heart in the mouth moments and all enjoyed with some cracking fans around about me.

But you cant argue with what Carlo did at the end of the day we won a very scrappy game. But I am sure he saw all the old frailties that we have seen for a number of times. For 10 minutes after Palace scored Everton lost their composure and despits making a howler for their first goal his save from Benteke to stop them taking the lead was brilliant. Had we gone a goal down I am not sure we would have come back to win the game.

I still think the crowd inside Goodison became nervous when Palace scored and that nervousness seemed to get through to the players. We can all well understand why our crowd become nervous as the Newcastle result is still very prevalent in the fans minds.

But despite a scrappy game there were some positives Richarlison again proved what a match winner he is. I am sure Carlo knows if he is to build something good here then Richarlison has to be at the centre of it. I think only Barcelona would turn Richarlisons head andif they do come calling and he wants to go then nothing short of the 𧵎 million they paid for Courtinho should we accept. I also thought Coleman was terrific I cant remember to many full backs keeping Zaha as quiet as Seamus did yesterday. Also without doubt Schneiderlin had his best game in years, virtually running midfield on his own, long may it continue.

Johnny again 34 - posting an opinion piece from a site like 90min.com has nothing to do with facts and/or supporting evidence (use Pickford's own poor stats for that).

Fun fact about DCL. Did you guys know that only Mbappe, Sancho & Abraham have more goals than he for players under-22 (top 5 flights)? His coming good has been one of the top highlights of the campaign IMO.

Pickford has been poor, I don't need to bother with stats to see this mate, but if you are trying to tell people to look again, because it wasn't a great save, then its obvious you don't like our goalie, which is fair enough, but not fair enough that you can't give credit, where credit is definitely due, which again is just my opinion.

Sorry Tony bit of a rant mate haha. On a positive note I haven't felt this confident about things for a long time mate. And it's great.

Sorry, but not one keeper in 10 would even have the quickness and athleticism to get into position to make that save. And he knew everything about it. Watch the replay again. His eyes are on the ball, no flinching or turning away. Certainly your opinion isn't shared by Hodgson, who was caught on camera yelling despairingly, "Fuck me, what a save!"

You can say as many times as you want that it's not personal, but Tony is absolutely right, if you can't give the man credit for a brilliant play no matter your overall view of him, then you've lost the plot. I assume when the play appears among the top ten Saves of the Season, which it assuredly will, you'll still be denigrating it.

As for the link you provided, I clicked in to read it just as one of the author's nominees, Ramsdale, performed a clown act with a flap at a high ball worse than anything you've ever seen from Pickford, giving up a ridiculous equalizer at Sheffield. The article also talks about geniuses like Henderson and Forster. I couldn't care less who plays for England (I'm a Yank), but while I do believe we're eventually gonna need a better keeper, I certainly wouldn't want any of those "candidates" replacing Pickford at Everton.

For those who do, every shot on target starts at 10% likely to score. It really was quite a save by JP.

(of course the one he let in had less than a 5% chance of being a goal, lol)

Most of us on here have seen Big Nev so that's the bar.

As for Roy's comment, the camera was on close-up, and even those basset-hound jowls couldn't obscure his words from even the most basic lip-readers.

Pickfords problem, he is too comfortable simple no competition there, He has a few to many howlers in him however I will give him credit where it is due

He has a steely resolve and doesnt crumble which I have seen quite a few keepers do in the past, He has a real confidence in his own ability( a must have for a top keeper), He is still one of the best keepers in the PL, They all come with their own good and bad traits, I just feel he needs to be pushed harder and maybe dropping him for a few games will focus the mind

Not fit to tie Big Nevs bootlaces I am afraid but then again who was ?

Some good points well made in your posts. However I have to side with Mike G regarding the save Pickford made.
it was a show stopper, a game changer and if we are going to murder him for the goal (and we are). Then we have to be even handed and give him credit when he pulls one out of the bag

If I was playing in front of him he would make me a nervous wreck so Kudos to Keane, Mina and Holgate.

Jim was the steady Eddie and Nev the young pup who pulled of brilliant saves and then made a howler the next minute.

Most fans preferred Jim Arnold at first but when Neville Southall became consistant and cut out the young keepers errors he and us never looked back.

In Pickford we have a young keeper who as he matures will be remembered more for the game changing saves he makes rather than poor errors he is currently making.

Worth the admission money alone was Richies goal yesterday and that save from Pickford.

I listened to my mate who questioned the coaching Pickford must be receiving, and for a kid with outstanding athleticism, then something is definitely going wrong with our goalkeeper right now?

It's a few years since Nigel Martyn retired, but he was awesome from the start all through his career, and I don't remember him making any defenders or the crowd edgy or panicky.

I've been watching them v Bayern and they are so full of vitality and have missed two sitters. I think there was a miscommunication and the reporter must have asked him what he had been doing since out of work and misunderstood his dull Glaswegian tone "drinking red bull and watching 'lipstick'", because it's night and day from West Ham.

They have a young left sided centre half that would be perfect for us but I'm not going to try and spell his name.

Ps Lookman on for the last ten minutes

And none of those three have ever played in front of a keeper as good as Picks, except Mina in his 5 games at Barcelona (ter Stegen and Cillessen). Mina's WC Colombia keeper was Ospina, who flopped in the Prem. Keane at Burnley played with Heaton, a mostly Championship keeper who couldn't crack England. Holgate played in front of Stek and Robles before Picks.

Jordan certainly makes us nervous, but he is pretty much the best keeper those three have ever played for, so it's hard to say credibly that they're dissatisfied.

I always wondered why Lpool persisted with Grobbelaar, but he had Hansen and Lawrenson in front of him.

Right now, I don't trust him. And I'd wager our defenders don't, either.

I think when a team constantly concedes from set pieces as we do then questions will be asked of the keeper. There is no way any defender will come out and say Pickford makes them nervous, but there is definitely a nervousness in the crowd when we face a dead ball situation. I remember Hansen saying about Grobellar that he came for everything in the air and took a lot of pressure off the defenders for doing that. Hansen went on to say and because he comes for everything he will drop one from time to time but then we as defenders need to help him out when that happens.

I will admit not many keepers playing in the Premier league come and dominate their 6 yard box, the only keeper that I have seen of late who does is Pope of Burnley. Now if Ancelotti decided Pickford was not to his liking I would have Pope all day long. I think he will be pushing Pickford for his England spot when England play next.

Brian #67, I think the questions about our brutal set piece defending have been asked and answered. It has been the product of horrendous coaching (improved by Carlo) and poor defensive execution, not the keeper. I think anybody expecting Pickford to come out and take the ball off the heads of the attackers repeatedly left unmarked by our floundering defense over the past three years is borderline delusional. Picks has his issues, but -- with one or two exceptions -- he could not remotely be held responsible for our recurring set piece disasters.

I guess you have already forgotten Newcastles opening goal the other week. Pickford came and flapped at a corner didnt clear the 6 yard box and it ended up in the back of our net. The 2nd Newcastle goal he was at least a yard behind the goal line how the hell did he think he could possibly make a save from that position. I would remind you of what the late great Brian Clough said after signing Peter Shilton, this is one of the most important positions in a team and this lad will save us more points to help us win trophies. He also said show me a team that wins the league without a top class keeper.

Yes defenders are also responsible in conceeding from dead ball situations but in my view Pickford is as culpable as any of our defenders.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46333097

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42508636

Playing for England he displays less erratic performances. It's probably because he has more confidence in his defence. Since he's been with us, and definitely at Sunderland, he's always had way too little to be confident about, and he's still a young goalie with time on his side to approach excellence.

Don #74, wife and family still quarantined in Wuhan with no end date yet projected. Stressful time.

There are only 5/6 truly world class keepers around now, for me Oblak and Ederson lead the way.

Pickford reminds me of lloris at spurs. Capable of the sublime but also a ricket. The fact his place in the French national team is beyond reproach and also his position at spurs has been nailed on, has probably prevented lloris from going up to the truly top level.

Let's hope somebody comes along to really push Jordan! Both at national and club level.

Conor, that's the point exactly with Moyes, because he comes out like he's a student of the game and full of knowledge, but as Kevin, said on that other thread, you get found out in the end?

I would love to see a team go down the Leipzig rout, especially if it was Everton, because although experience is needed, you can't beat hungry youngsters imo, but that's the problem in this country, the vultures come and take the hungry ones off you, because these type of players always want to win.

Wenger was close so many times, but although Arsenal made loads of money, and built a new ground by qualifying for the champions lge every season, he could never keep hold of his best players, which meant they usually fell just a little bit short, but Moyes knows better I'm sure!

Who would you prefer in front of Pickford, Englands 2 central defenders or ours?

More importantly, hope you're all re-united soon.

Gordon West did ok.

Everton great seemingly.

Not sure what his save % was mind.

I think Arsenal might be at it again as they have bought all these youngsters recently and there is talk Arteta is getting rid of Ozil,Auba and Lacazette in the summer and going that way. Like you I would love to watch a team of Blues playing like kamikazes, attacking from all angles.

Pickford makes great saves and makes terrible errors. He might improve and mature with age.

My litmus test is often asking friends who support other clubs what they think. None of them would go near him.

When I were a lad he might well have benefitted from a boot up the arse, but that's so last century these days I'm told.

There's also been much debate over how good Pickford actually is as a shot stopper, invoking all sorts of complex stats. Normally I dig stats, but in this case I think I'll defer to the eye test, which tells me there have been countless times this season Pickford has saved our bacon with big-time saves, often in one-on-one situations. He has his issues, no doubt, but let's be fair.

You only have to watch him and see his expressions to know he panics every time a ball comes in his six yard box.

I think he is better than a lot but certainly not top six material and I think it will be a long time before he matures.

The guy hasn't just 'played for England', as you, apparently so incredulously, state - as it obviously just doesn't fit your world-view - he is EVERTON and ENGLAND's NUMBER ONE because he makes the saves he does, and the MANAGERS - not 'No, he's just shit' merchants like you - see that EVERY SINGLE DAY THEY WORK WITH HIM!!!

Re: Robles, I honestly wasn't responding to any specific post, I'd just seen his name crop up a few times in various threads and felt the need to pump the brakes on that sort of silly talk, LOL.

However, the real problem with both of them is that they do not create a sense of calmness in their fellow defenders. The truly great keepers, Southall, Jennings, Banks, created confidence and calm around them.

Pickford does also remind me of Gordon West, especially in his early days. West matured into a much better keeper in 1969-70 than he was in 1962-63. Let's hope Pickford learns to reduce the errors.

Pity we didn't play Holgate and would love to see our front three start for every game of Rich, Moise and D.C.L, potentially a dangerous trio that could easily fire us into the Europa League.

Hope it resolves itself soon and positively.

As for Everton, the question is, can that high profile be monetarised? If we can "cash in", then I'd sell him. But by cashing in, I'd want to be able to pocket some money after buying a decent replacement. If his reputation is shaken right now, then his price will have fallen. So, I'd keep him. I think he's turned the corner and his performances now are improving again. I would expect him to start for England, and if they have a decent tournament then Pickford's price will rise as a result, and then we could sell him. If not, keep him and play him unless we find a bargain replacement. The reason I'd be happy to keep him is to give Joao Virginia time. He's meant to be a top young keeper and could save us a fortune. I say meant to as he made a load of errors in just 2 games for Reading and then was less than impressive for our u23s. I hope he can come through his own mini-crisis. Otherwise, why not see if Newcastle will part with Woodman?

I note some talk above about Dubravka, I would ask those guys how much they have seen of him. Very erratic keeper for my money. He's the most error strewn keeper in the Premier League this season, according to the official stats. Pickford has made less errors, the exact same as Pope.

I could post a load of xG against stats if anyone is interested, but they effectively say Pickford is slightly above average.

xGA, since you brought it up:
–Dubravka's is 46, meaning he should have allowed 10 more goals than he has.
–Pickford's is 33, meaning he should have allowed 4 fewer goals than he has.
Goals Conceded (36 vs 37)
Saves (103 vs 63)
Save % (74 vs 63)
Clean Sheets (7 vs 6) - one of Pickford's was vs. Burnley, who didn't register a shot on target that game.
Passing/Distribution Completion % (51 vs 56) **
Accurate Long Balls (213 vs 218) **
Punches (12 vs 11)
Clearances (26 vs 18)
Sweeper Clearances (8 vs 7)
High Claims (12 vs 11)
Whoscored Rating (6.9 vs. 6.4)

As far as errors leading to goals, Dubravka does have more than Pickford. 3 vs 2 (and yet has still given up 1 less goal, so it's a wash). Using that to make the case he's "the most error strewn keeper in the Premier League" is pretty much ridiculous, mate.

** Pickford has played 90 more minutes.
** Everton also averages 50% possession vs. Newcastle's 39%