Razor-Thin Margins But Ancelotti's Men Forge On

A very good win against what was a pretty fair West Brom side. Hard work but this shows that, as a squad, we're a bit weak still to be able to rotate players and maintain performance. I recognise now how difficult a game every 3 days must be too. Liverpool have collapsed under the same load for the same reason.

The key thing for Everton this season will be to keep Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin and perhaps even Godfrey. Next season, with just a couple of new faces, we could be some team. We're not there yet but we're progressing towards it.

Revenge for 1968!

I thought this would be a tough game with them scrapping under Big Sam, and with their disallowed goal, we scraped over the line.

Signs of creativity were there for Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin to get on the end of and we fought hard when we lost the ball.

Chelsea away next will also be a tough game and perhaps a ‘Dogs of War ‘ approach will be needed. We have players in form, let's hope we can get a result.

It's truly high wire stuff being a blue, nothing comes easy and the life expectancy of an Everton supporter must be years below the National average.

We rode our luck last night just like we did last Monday evening but we got through. In fairness, we were without Seamus, Tom and James all of whom might have started, we were also without Olsen and Mina and we tried to rest Siggy and Allan for Monday.

We need to get some of our injured players back for Monday. I have no doubt that if we can reach the levels achieved against our neighbours, congrats to them on the new record, then we can get a result on Monday evening.

You have to say that it's been some response since the Fulham loss.

I said to my son 'We're playing inconsistent, drab, error-strewn football. ' with a glum expression on my face.

He said, 'No, we're playing inconsistent, drab, error-strewn WINNING football...' with a huge smile on his face...

Ah well, the exuberance of youth!!

Can we please in future not refer to Ben Godfrey's surges through the middle as rampaging freight train-esque runs but as John Hurst style runs.

Thanks.

Uncomfortable watch,but good win,hopefully pass the ball better in the next game.

Another ugly win, but one I'm happy to gloss over due to the injury list and it's obvious a few playing are carrying their injuries, the defence is getting us through these wins and a bit of luck is going our way, but goals count to fans, that is why Richie got MOTM even though Godfrey had a really outstanding game, but points are definitely more important than MOTM awards.

Well we are all delighted to be in the mix of a possible Champions league place with just 12 games left. But I cant remember us having so many players off form yet still producing winning football. Doucoure has been poor in the last few games, and last night he went missing leaving Gomes to play alone in central midfield. Also Doucoures 2nd touch is always a tackle, great engine but its no use having a great engine if you cant control the ball when its played to you. DCL his form has fallen off the cliff interesting to hear the commentator say he hasnt scored a goal from further than 9 yards, and therein is his problem. Either through injury or just rotation Carlo started with Iwobi and Bernard and as usual neither contributed anything to the game, and despite Carlo saying he was pleased with Iwobi I think that was just to try and boost his confidence as when he has started he is usually the first one subbed.

I thought it was interesting to read that Everton were looking to extend Kings loan period, well he has been here a month and is only brought on with minutes left in the game. That doesn't tell me that Carlo would extend his stay.

I know it seems like a really negative post after getting another 3 points on our travels, and as I said in the first line of this post I am delighted to be in the mix for a top 4 spot. But I think we will need to improve a lot if we are hoping to get a Champions league place. Again Keane and Godfrey look very assured at the back and Richarlison is back to his best. Also Allan made a big difference when he came on, he spots and cuts out any danger before some of his teammates are aware of the danger, I believe him staying fit for the rest of the season will be pivotal to us challenging the top 4.

I think Chelsea will be the hardest game we have in the run in, as the City game will have nothing riding on it for them and is potentially 5 days before the CL final. Be nice to get a result on Monday but it will be tough. I suspect they will go on to finish 2nd.

I was really surprised by Carlo's set up last night. Gomes in a midfield two was never going to work for me. Once Allan came on and we went into a diamond we looked a lot better.

The negativity on here is a joke. Even Man City have had a patch when they didn't play well and it's at this time of the season that the strength of a squad is tested. We have key players either injured or just coming back, and we all know that our reserve players in midfield and up front are nowhere near the calibre of the first choice team.
What we are now seeing is what the RS and MU have been doing for years- play well below par but find a way to win. Score a fortunate goal, have key decisions go in our favour, have one player who rises above the rest and grabs or creates a goal. There really is no cause to be negative here- we should celebrate the fact that this team is starting to develop character, players like Godfrey,Keane,Holgate,DCL and Richi who will dig in and keep going, not to mention the excellent Doucoure who admittedly needs to improve his passing but is perpetual motion and never gives up.
DCL is being starved of chances at the moment and missed a golden opportunity last night, but he is putting himself about and creating space for Richi who is on a great run now.
Our back four must be one of the best if not THE best in the country especially with a fully fit Allan in front of them. Chelsea will be a tough game but we do seem to raise our game for the big boys this season and it is a game made for James to strut his stuff.
I can't believe that anyone expected a game last night any different to what it was. Sam sends teams out to be solid and tight and very few teams play well against them. We did well but will need James and Tom back for Chelsea with Doucoure re-energised..
Phil- your reference to John Hurst is very accurate- he didn't have Godfrey pace but he used to glide past players as if they weren't there- smashing CB and very unlucky never to get an England cap when he was at his peak.
Final comment- what a save by Pickford from that header- very few keepers would have the agility to get to that.

I agree with both sides to the argument. We are winning games despite having (currently) a very mediocre MF. I'm sure Carlo realises that MF reinforcements must be his priority this summer.

Mark D, I also thought that last night. I love our old away kit. I can still see The Holy Trinity strutting their stuff.

Colin- you are absolutely right in that there is something very nostalgic in that yellow and blue kit. It conjures memories of Bally, soaking wet and gripping his long sleeves, Kendall covered in mud from another sliding tackle and Harvey so good that he could skip over the mud and still play pure football.
That team knew how to win even when not playing well!

Graham # 10. Agree with what you say about Chelsea being our hardest game in the run in. I was thinking along the same lines after the game last night, but also thought Spurs at home could be a difficult hurdle to overcome. I think Man City can win the league with about five games to spare, so hopefully they will take their foot off the pedal a bit. Seven points from the next three games and we will be right in the mix for top three or four.

Dave # 11. Totally agree. It's also that time of the season when the performance doesn't matter, it's only the result that counts. I will happily take twelve scrappy 1-0 wins until the end of the season.

Actually, make that fourteen scrappy 1-0 wins, because we're also going to win the FA Cup!

I recall the 1969-70 Championship season: we started the New Year by exiting the Cup at the first hurdle at Sheffield Utd but then won by one goal or drew an awful lot of matches through to the end. In fact and without looking up the stats I managed to get to every game and apart from a 5 goal thrashing we gave to Chelsea and the glorious Goodison night for the 2-0 title clincher against WBA, oh and the normal 2-0 against the RS, we played horrible, scrappy winning football. I remember the game at Stoke particularly: Alan Whittle and yet another goal for another 1-0. We didn't mind then and we shouldn't mind now. The good performances will come.

Gerard - Chelsea was 5-2 after we were 5 nil up. Easter Saturday.
And yes there were some very scrappy wins that season. Forest at home I remember with Tommy Wright scoring the only goal of the game.

Dave#13 - just texted our former school mate. Being gentle as he is a red rather than a kopite (the latter live near you, whereas reds live near me)
"Purina have withdrawn from negotiations with Liverpool to be their shirt sponsors fearing contravening the 2011 Trade Descriptions Act.
They wanted promote Winalot on the Liverpool shirt."

As I said when we were top in September - let's enjoy it while it lasts.

Very good Phil!
We are well ahead of schedule at the moment and Carlo has made no secret of his view that we need another transfer window before he will consider us ready for an assault on the Top 4. I will be amazed if we manage it this season but if we don't I will take great comfort from the fact that the team is starting to take shape and is now showing some guts and determination.
I now have pride in what we are doing which is a great change to the sense of embarrassment when I was watching a side where several players did not seem bothered. Siggy is a prime example- all of a sudden he is being played in a more favoured role and he is doing well- still nowhere near his price tag but having been very critical of him earlier in the season I can now see that he is trying hard and making a decent contribution.
A right back and a creative midfielder will work wonders in the summer.

This is a very strange season. For the first time in 30 years I am struggling to see a full game, I find myself regularly switching to something else when we take the lead, the way we play is so rigid and deceptively unconvincing that I am always fearing a reverse. This didn't happen even in the dirk days of Kendall III, most of Smith and half of Moyes: back then I knew we were we not good enough, whereas now I think we are. I get the impression that Carlo is conditioning them, willing them, to develop the reflexes to win games without a two-goal cushion, but it is soul-destroying.

On last night's game: I am saddened that Gomes has been singled out as the whipping boy "de jour"; I thought he had a reasonable game, sticking to his remit of recycling possession and playing the occasional ambitious ball forward. Again, I see him as an Ancelotti project; I think he is trying to bring him back to a level where he is comfortable in dominating possession the way he did pre-ankle break.

Also, I think that the main reason for our painfully labored play stems from the inability of any of our back four to bring the ball out of defense: Keane, who is tasked with this by way of high confidence, takes all the time in the world to decide what to do next, by which time the opposition is in shape. The last ones who could do a reasonable job there were Heitinga and Stones. Hence I think Branthwaite will have a role to play next season (unless we sign someone else/better with this skillset).

I can see several different points of view. In my opinion we are still lacking in midfield. I looked at the side last night and thought we would do well to get a point as the defence is solid. However I ask the question would any of our midfield last night get into a top four team or a team playing champions league?

Bernard - I like him but I have always thought he hasn't the stature to play in the premier league. Unless you are someone exceptional like David Silva you need power and pace. At 5'5' easily muscled off the ball

Gomes - he has great vision and can produce a killer pass but is far too slow and gets caught on the ball too often. Wonder if he is still thinking of or feeling about the shocking injury.

Doucouré - too inconsistent for me. First touch and final ball often poor. Puts in a shift though.

Iwobi - what more can I say that I havn't said before. We were conned into buying him. Must have a good agent. In my opinion completely useless. Again last night runs around like a headless chicken and his crossing has to be the worst I have seen from and Everton player.

I know we were without James and Tom but Carlo needs to strengthen midfield again at end of season if we are to do any better. Crying out for a couple of proper wide players with pace. I'm sure he knows this.

It did get better when Allan and Siggy came on though. Be interesting too see Gbamin if we ever do!
I think we have the basis of a top four side with a few tweeks here and there.

I think there's still a decent footballer in Gomes. He has vision and decent passing ability, even though he gave the ball away several time yesterday. I don't accept the injury excuse (except for tackling), his major problem is he's just too slow. Painfully slow for the premier league. He might improve his passing, he might even start to tackle again, but he'll never get any quicker.

Sigurdsson is a great player to have on the bench but not, IMO, as a starter. With an improved MF next season he will be a squad player.

Doucoure I really like but I think he's running on empty, hence the recent mistakes. He'll be in most starting XI next season.

Bernard is another player I admire but like Gomes, too slow. He's also too diddy for the prem and unlike Shakira and David Silva doesn't have the body strength to survive.

It was always going to be about prioritising and staggered progression to get the squad inherited into a position where it can realistically challenge. Years of a non-strategy to transfers left a very unbalanced and very unmotivated squad.

The progress made in 12 months is better than I anticipated. It started by addressing gaping holes in our midfield. This has served two-fold. Our previously beleaguered defence now most of the time has a midfield in front of it that protects it. And, the players we had, for example Davies and SIgurdsson, have responded to training and playing with Doucoure, Allan and James around them.

Next step; a creative midfielder but not to replace anyone, to add more competition. Full back cover and more competition up front.

If we add 3 or 4 like we did last summer who build on what we have already, I for one will be as pleased as I was last summer.

Lyndon, Razor thin margins says it all.

We're just about doing enough, but with the injuries and pivotal returning players like Allan still getting up to speed any win is welcome.

The defence is sound. Richarlison and DCL have goals in them. Top four chances is all about the midfield three of Allan, Doucoure and Davies staying fit and James Rodriguez creating some magic to win tight games. They get a lot of criticism but Gomes and Siggurdson are good to have in the squad and are really trying for the team.

When Allan came on last night you could immediately see there was better cohesion and shape in the team because of it. A cool unfazed head with athleticism in that position is worth its weight in gold. Tom is learning off a great player and it is an ingredient of his improvement.

Also we could do with some directness, pace and penetration from the right wing. Iwobi has been a massive disappointment in this regard. He was a lost soul last night, contributing nothing at all. There were big opportunities for him during the game, against a team struggling for confidence, he fell way short. Maybe Josh King should be starting there?

Bernard is too lightweight for he league and struggled to make much impact again. Trust in both him and Iwobi has got to be wearing thin now.

I'm not sure it's a lack of speed that Gomes is suffering from, but he could be sharper to the ball, and sharper in his general play, which could either be because of his injury, or probably because the games are coming that thick and fast, that training will probably only be very light at the minute.

Lewin's chance last night was a point in case imo, because a fresher player would have definitely moved towards the ball, when the chance arose, instead of waiting for it to spin across his body, which is not to make any excuses for Dominic, because the best players always get to the ball early, and this is why I personally think Gomes, is struggling at times?

But as we go forward with our ugly wins, everybody else apart from Chelsea and City are falling apart in comparison. We have a great defence and true brilliance up front and this will be the basis for the midfield strengthening we need this summer. One good midfielder and a top class right back could see us champions next year.

As I've said before, Iwobi is absolute garbage and I've said that since I saw him play for Arsenal and reiterated it when we signed him for an extortionate amount. Someone tried telling me he isn't and I simply didn't bother responding. We need a skillful and direct winger like ASM, Bailey or Raphina to come in when Richy or James are out, not someone who looks acceptable once every 5 league games (and even then, rarely scores or assists).

Welcome aboard Sukhdev, I've been saying this since the day he signed. He was rubbish for Arsenal he's even worse for us. Arsenal took us to the cleaners and made us pay the bill!!

Cheers Colin. Hope someone is stupid enough to offer us money for him in the next few windows.

Personally speaking although one or two individuals did not perform to standard I thought we were comfortable and never had any doubt that we would not lose that game.

We were in cruise control for much of the game whereas they were in overdrive but a blind man could see the difference in quality. We could always step up a gear but West Brom were flat out.

Nice Jay, I am in the same spot. I came in and out of the game while live and caught some giveaways that shaded my take. Watching thru it does look like some sort of anti-gegenpress. Contraccolpo? Don't know, guess we'll get Professor Gaynes to clear that up but it did look tight on the defensive setup.
I still believe this is by design to compensate for the small lineup and limited qualities of that lineup. Game management and limiting possession for possession sake seem to be the order of things. Their ability to convert when they get forward could be more cutting edge but they're at least getting to the final third with a look on goal rather than getting there and not timing properly with support.

Martin, those are the two positions, in that order of priority. Brands will be working on it now. Can I add a third ? If we can do a player plus cash deal Iwobi /Tosun /Kenny for Zaha , Ismailia Sarr we would be further strengthened and add the threat from the right wing that we crave. Those have got to be the positions Carlo is thinking about when he says we will only make two or maybe three signings this summer.

Mark Daley so right, revenge for that 1968 cup final that we threw away.

Oddly enough we beat Albion twice in that season too and oddly enough I think at Goodison the result was 5-2 and at the Hawthornes 1-0 Alan Ball scored 4 in that Goodison game.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Will it be deja vu (going to Wembley again ? )

Tony post 31. Sounds great but there's a reason swap deals hardly ever happen. Too complicated these days with agents plucking at the carcass.Plus these clubs are not daft and practically giving away their Jewell's for our bums. Not happening kidda.

Too easy to criticise Carlo's selection last night - the guy's working largely with the squad he inherited and a ridiculous schedule dished out by the greed-driven EUFA & Prem. IMO, he's doing a great job and we should be grateful for having him and the optimism he's giving us, in spite of the doom & gloom merchants.
As others have stated, it's been obvious for ages that our big problem is in midfield, which Carlo improved & will want to improve further. The lack of pace, strength & creativity in MF has increased pressure on the defence and starved the strikers of opportunity - it also doesn't contribute enough goals.
For the summer, a first choice RB is essential - Seamus OK as back-up for another season. We definitely need two quality quick & strong midfielders who chip in with 5 or more goals each.
Gomes is a liability - far too slow for this league, hence gets caught in possession &/or gives the ball & cheap free kicks away - never scores. His first instinct is to pass backwards, and often puts team-mates under pressure. Nothing to do with his horrible injury. Must be off-loaded.
Iwobi's versatility may make him ok as a squad player?
Bernard flatters to decieve - must be offloaded.
Doucoure very energetic, which we needed, but looking very tired now - not surprising given some of those he's playing with - a good squad player. Sig - makes valuable contributions, but his days are numbered, mainly owing to lack of pace & energy. Tom D - a good player getting better every season, very energetic (compared to all except Doucoure) and looks to turn & play forwards.
I fear that most PL clubs will have player burn-out problems next season, and think the signs of this are already evident:-
Very little pre-season before this season. Compressed schedule this season. Stupid multi-country Euros this summer (should have been cancelled last summer, not postponed), S.American tournament & Olympics this summer, ridiculous venue for World Cup this coming winter.

Tom. (32), not sure of the Goodison score, but we did win, the 6-2 game was at the Hawthorns and Ball scored four and I think Alan Whittle got the other two.

As Ancelotti said Everton where lucky to win that game. Midfield is still not good enough, allowing West Brom too much possession by continually losing possession. Everton where dependent on defending deep, Ancelotti knows that this has to be the case, because of a limited midfield.

In attack the quality of Richarlison stands out with his bullet header and recent shots taken. The limitations of Calvet Lewin are also apparent with poor shooting ability and reverting to flicks, which is never good in a attacker. He does cause bother to defences, but need to concentrate on Ancelotto one touch recommendation, he does have limited ability beyond that, other than the occasional header when he gets in position.

The defence is solider, but Pickford is still prone to mistakes. The biggest step forward is in Mentality. Long may it continue.

I love the pace debate. It isn't always about raw pace, more speed of mind fro me. In Gomes' defence, I saw him look up a few times last night and have to turn back in frustration as there was little movement or running ahead. You can only go forward if the options are available otherwise it's a hopeful punt that inevitably gives possession straight back to the opposition. You need movement in front of you to play it forward with purpose and intent.

You don't need pace to be a good player. But you do need the ability to see the game quickly and make decisions just as quickly.

The manager is getting every drain out of this limited squad. Those who expect players to perform like robots who run on rechargeable batteries given the way games are coming think and fast I can only assume haven't played the beautiful game to a certain standard.

At my level (decent, nowhere near professional), the culmination of the season was a 4-team play off in 5 days. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Against the top teams at that level. Brutal. You never ended the week with the same team or squad you started and those who played all 3 fixtures more than felt it physically.

90 minutes of football at even my level takes more than a day or two to shake off the stiff muscles and tight hamstrings. To do that 2 or 3 times a week repeatedly will take it's toll. The human body is the human body regardless of salary.

These boys are doing well, as is the manager.

To me as I age I regret the diminution of sheer excitement that, for decades now, football fails to provide. To me it's turgid viewing when accurate attempts on goal can number less than the fingers of one hand - and that's a regular feature of almost all teams throughout Europe, apart from the one or two predominant in their own league.

I'm not a huge fan of Rugby League but I have to say that the on-field commitment of players in that sport, and their total acceptance of the ref's decision, and their definitive, reliable use of VAR, puts Premier League football to shame.

Rugby Union and Cricket follow suit as far as I'm concerned, so why is the Premier League so far behind the ethos of every other major sport played in the UK and across the world?

Why is football governance still so amateurish?

Keith (34), if you genuinely believe of Gomes that ‘his first instinct is to pass backwards' then I'm sorry but I reserve the right to view any of your other observations with a liberal pinch of salt. Nonsense statement.

Lack of pace or little goal return could equally be said about Tom Davies.

Of course Andre Gomes is not exactly succeeding at the moment but don't make stuff up or tar and feather him for flaws that you don't talk about with your preferred players.

Don

It's a fair point VAR should be black and white. We have a ref, if there's a technologically assisted intervention it should be absolute. Ludicrously they cite hair width offsides as “clear and obvious errors” while flagrant fouls are reasonable oversights. It's a complete joke it's just served to muddy the waters instead of improving the game

A right back is a must next season. We simply don't have the same threat on the right as we do on the left. When Coleman is playing it is not as apparent. But we basically need a right sided Digne.

We need some players gone in midfield so we can bring in some better quality. Davies is now a key squad player backing up Allan and Doucoure. But pretty much all the rest should be up for grabs for me except Richarlison and Rodriguez. Gomes, Iwobi, Bernard, Sigurdsson all have ability, but they are all fundamentally flawed. None of them would be signed by our rivals for the top 6, which says it all. My heart sinks whenever I see them in the team - in my head that's last season's midfield. Even Sigurdsson- he has some good moments and takes set pieces. But he's had 25 shots in 25 PL appearances this season. One per game. He passes the ball once every 2.7 minutes (586 passes in 1,577 PL minutes), often backwards and sideways. His contribution is just not enough in open play. I can excuse his lack of tackling and heading as that is not his game. But as a creative midfielder, the ball is like a hot potato to him and he is simply not getting on the ball enough. He has to lead the exodus in the summer. I can only hope his recent headlines has attracted some suitors who might give us £10 million for him.

I get the impression that Carlo is laying foundations this year. He seems to be getting the best out of Pickford and the defence. Our defensive midfield looks strong, and we have DCL, Rodriguez and Richarlison in the attacking positions. 2/3 top quality additions to build on a very acceptable league campaign this year and we will be strong next season...

I agree with a couple of above posts regarding unrealistic expectations of this game pre-kick off. I mean honestly, who genuinely looked at the fixture and expected a game full of expansive flowing football? It was always going to be tight, what I liked about it was that the players seemed to just believe we would keep it tight and create enough to win it. Perhaps that attitude has been our downfall this season against lower opposition? I am delighted to be in the position we are (good work Carlo!) but I can't help but rue those lost points against poor sides ala Fulham, Newcastle etc. We would be right in the mix at the top without those. I feel confident for the Chelsea game, we are frequently putting in shifts against the bigger teams this season, 2-1 Everton is my prediction, DCL winner! Danny Broderick has it right (41) a new RB is an absolute must in the summer. I keep thinking of Aarons, is he too expansive for us? If Carlo wants to frequently play 3 at the back then yes, definitely for me, yet many of our solid performances this season have been built on the foundation of a back 4 with 3 CBs on the pitch. Personally I would play it a little safer than Aarons (who will cost north of £30M) and opt for a slightly cheaper option who offers defensive stability (Rob and Sam any ideas?). Buendia and King should be the other signings, we don't need to spend a fortune to move this team forward and perhaps we can swap Bernard for Olsen and move on Delph and a CB? What is going on with Gbamin? It's strange that he has not been mentioned by Everton given that he is back in training. I fear we will never get to see what he was truly capable of.

Danny@37, that post should be made into a thread imo. We all know the players earn a ridiculous amount of money, but that terminology about them not being robots, with rechargeable batteries, is a very good explanation imo mate.

I thought Lyndon's description of Godfrey's run as "freight train-esque" couldn't be more apt.
Godfrey's huge frame whenever he forges forward is quite a sight!

Agree that watching our team plays either takes years off our lives, or works out our hearts a little too much!
Nevertheless, if that means we keep winning, then I believe all of us would gladly take the trade-off.

I think it's unlikely that we will witness a significant change in how we are able to improve, in terms of our fluidity while transitioning to attack, or growing in our ability to dominate and control the game.

If we can do well, get into Europe or top 4, we can have the post season to work on this.

In the meantime, that doggedness in defence, the discipline and then the desire to win, is what we hope will deepen, to get us across the line.

I don't believe the margins were fine. I think we looked quite comfortable, posed a greater attacking threat than WBA, and played well within ourselves.

Danny@37: Good post, totally agree.

Blues, surely you've heard the phrase ‘you make your own luck in this world'? The harder you try, the luckier you get... right?

It's not a coincidence what's happening. All luck evens out over a season for all teams just by the law of averages. We are where we are because of the manager we have, the players and commitment.

A more consistent commitment and one or two class additions to the squad, and I'm not saying any names as the squad has worked its balls of has put us back, deservedly, as the top Merseyside club, not team, we are a club with deep history and also in the cup and the run-in for Europe, this is the most exciting season for decade for true blues. Rejoice. Keep dissecting things in your comments, I love the passion. However, we are fucking back!!!!! COYB!!!!