Ancelotti brands Digne red card 'a joke'

Until one of our right-backs is fit, we need to put a midfielder over there to provide cover and support as we all know James won't be doing that and we surely need him playing further forward anyway. Can Digne play there (if he escapes the red card) and try Nkounkou on the left?

Calvert-Lewin was totally isolated today without Richarlison and a clearly unfit James and again I can't see an obvious alternative on the books.

Some interesting problems for Carlo!

Bad day at the office tactically today, Carlo Ancellotti knows that. Not just about the players, looking forward to how Carlo bounces back from that himself.

The midfield was weakened too much with the introduction of Iwobi and Sigurdsson at the same time. There just isn't enough tenacity, pace or composure on the ball to relieve any pressure.

I can't go in for criticism of these players, Carlo deserves some constructive criticism for setting up the team as he did. We never really coped from start to finish with Southampton's energy and better passing. (Have they got 63% asthmatics too?)

Wins in the PL don't come easy for anyone, and nine times out of ten the physical battles have to be won predominantly in midfield to earn the win. This is where we failed and Southampton won it, hands down.

If James is on the pitch we absolutely can't have any other passengers, faux10s, or iwobbly wingers starting or being in the same team.

We need players in the team who can win the battles and wrestle control. The threat and aggression of Richarlison was sorely missed. Especially so away from home. Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Bernard, good players don't cut the mustard for this requirement.

Gordon is a bit more direct and closer to Richarlison than any of them. Nkounkou is very inexperienced but he could offer more than those three, in terms of firing some very dangerous crosses in.

Ancelotti has some big decisions to make before the Newcastle match to put out a team who can get control of the game. Assuming Coleman, JJK and Digne are out. Team for Newcastle 3-5-2

Pickford
Godfrey Mina Keane
Davies Doucoure Allan Delph Nkounkou
James Calvert-Lewin

Same goes for now, we have recently had Allan and Doucoure winning those battles then feeding James to let him do his stuff.

Today however we lost the battle because were not only sloppy on the ball but more importantly we were not aggressive enough without it, in the Premier League you don't get away with combining those two deficiencies on the same day.

The lack of movement and support up front for DCL is another debate for another day but its one of the reasons why I'd have liked to see us take a punt on Josh King, not a top top player of course he isn't, but he would have offered some support that could play across the front from left to right with Premier League experience.

Carting out the likes of Iwobi who never performs especially in wide area's, Sigurdsson who just looks bladdered after 35 minutes these days or Bernard who just doesn't make the impact he did two years ago, it's become a bit predictable.

Hopefully in January we can offload a few more and bring in at least two more that can offer more options in area's we are still lacking.

Didn't realise Carlo was a Game of Thrones fan.

You have to find some fun somewhere on days like this...

It's how we react is in a nutshell, but physical Everton might have to become a touch more pragmatic, to get through certain times of this season, until we can find the extra quality that's needed to compete on a much better level every week?

You can't always play well and display all the glitter and style, sometimes when you are half an hour in and it's just not happening for many in the team, that's when you need a unity an to almost have the mentality of

"Do you know what, this is just one of these games we get out of without losing"

Today however we didn't really have enough inner strength, defensively soft and I could almost see when that second goal went in, players slumping shoulders.

As you say in the above post Tony, it's how we react next week now, that's when you find out about the mentality.

I realise to a large extent this is just a facet of the modern game, where professionalism replaces that long lost old thing – passion, but I cannot imagine if fans were present this would have been accepted.

When you are 2-0 down and time is running out, why not change things? Why not push players up, crowd the box, bang in long balls, show some sheer bloody-minded determination to just get the ball in the net, to have a go.

We looked jaded and lifeless today and I hadn't imagined we'd miss Richarlison so much... weird subs, the whole thing a grim reality check.

As for Siggy he lacks pace and just slows the play down. Bernard is wasted on that left wing and would be a better fit, in sort of a David Silva mould. No surprises that the fleeting glimpses of his brilliance in the cup games has been when he played as that attacking mid through the middle.

Sadly I feel Carlo's reticence to use him means he's on his way out as soon as a decent offer comes in, which is a mistake, considering the other options we have.

1. Don't bother contesting the red card after this week's media fiasco there is next to no chance it will be rescinded.

2. You can't play the same system without Richarlison. We don't have another workaholic left forward and no one who can cover the ground he does therefore the replacement has to be a left midfielder not a winger and we accept we lose an attacking option but at least we don't capitulate out of possession, lose confidence in our teammates and stop playing like we did today.

3. The red cards earned by Richarlison and Digne show a complete lack of professionalism and that petulance has had a long term affect on the team from which we may only recover after we are out of contention. Getting yourself sent off because you are frustrated in these circumstances is tantamount to desertion and I hope the perpetrators are disciplined by the club but I sincerely doubt they will be.

Southampton were first to almost everything today and showed us what real teamwork looks like. Hopefully he'll learn from today coz we better not play like that when we play Leeds etc or they'll tear us a new one.

1. Deny left-wing and right-wing crosses and Calvert-Lewin is out of the game

2. On the right wing, James must be supported by a strong right-back. In last night games, Godfrey (not a natural right-back, I sympathise with him) in this area became Southampton's focus for exploiting Everton's defence... the second goal was a classic example: a hole at right and cross to left side... goal!

3. Midfield: our engine room out of service, well, overwhelmed by quicker hard-running Southampton midfielders

4. Iwobi: his ball control is so poor sign!! Sigurdsson just disappeared in the game..

5. James unfit... should have rested him

Still, COYB get on and beat Newcastle.

If you notice the red card incident, Walker-Peters rolls around banging the turf with his hand as though his foot has been severed. As soon as the red card is brandished, he jumps up and continues and runs around as before. Neymar would have been proud of that performance.

I hate players who try to con referees and they really should be punished retrospectively. Not that Kevin Friend is a saint himself, I thought he came into the game with a grim look, probably under ‘instructions' and was determined to punish any tough tackle by Everton with a card.

I strongly suspect that Ralph Hassenhutl instructed his players to pressurise the referee by exaggerating the fouls. Another incident to illustrate my point - the Calvert-Lewin yellow card towards the end of the game, he goes hard on Vestergaard, just a normal tackle that any Premier League centre-back experiences about 10 times a game, and he goes down with a scream, that I could hear on my TV.

Shameful, just shameful, and I totally agree with Carlo – yesterday was a fallout from the derby. Sure, we played shit and deserved to lose, but it could have longer-term repercussions on our season. Just very angry and pissed off with everybody today.. grrr 😡

It's about time we have a boss with balls...

Calvert-Lewin isolated with no service. Gordon looked promising but physically looks like he could do with some bulk without losing his pace.

Lots of questions for Carlo this week. Let's hope we get the right responses.

I agree with Carlo that the red card was a joke. Digne was chasing the player down and caught the trailing leg. The reason there was no ill effects for Walker-Peters is that Digne was trying to lift his leg to avoid applying pressure in the tackle. There was no reckless or harmful force applied.

All this is in the heat of the moment, and the nuances of the situation are lost in the referee's fog and red mist that descended upon him because of last weeks shenanigans.

For me, it was a yellow card and a stern warning and this is ordinarily what would have been the outcome.

Calvert-Lewin's booking was as bad as the sending off. He put his foot up and the defender kicked it. Then the defender squeals like a stuck pig and out comes the card. For Digne's red, read Keane last season (v Burnley). Totally accidental. You can see Digne trying to avoid him once the first contact was made. He was penalised because his opponent slowed down and fell over looking for a free-kick. If this is not over-ruled then football is going to hell in a hand cart.

A real problem is the 3-match ban rule. Rugby League has a panel that reviews every red card. Punishment is made to fit the crime. It ranges from very long bans where there is violent and dangerous play to 'Red card sufficient punishment'. This is read as perhaps the ref was a bit over officious.

To be banned for 3 games because your opponent is too slow and no attempt was made to play the ball or make a tackle is ridiculous. Football needs to look at itself.

Southampton deserve some praise for a good game plan, well executed. The teams were fairly evenly matched at first but, once they started to dominate us, there was only really going to be one result. Godfrey was out of position constantly and, as others have said, this was compounded by having very little cover in front of him from James. We need Coleman or Kenny back as soon as possible, and will struggle for points without a recognised right back.

It's worrying how easily beaten we were without a couple of key players, and it will be even worse now without Digne for three matches.

I'm not convinced we will go through with this. I think perhaps Don Carlo was being a bit rash in his reaction to the 'joke' of a red card.

We already look bad enough having Digne chase after Walker-Peters like that, following an unsuccessful attempt to stop the player by clipping his leg. For him to then run at pace directly behind him, rather than attempt to get alongside him, where he had zero chance of getting any contact on the ball, and then weirdly hold up his hands before he trod on the player's Achilles... signalling seemingly that he knew what was about to happen?

To my mind, the entire sequence is sadly fully deserving of a red card for utter stupidity, as I said at the time. It looks no better on the reshowing and I think trying to step through that video with the FA panel to justify a series of really bad decisions by Digne, leading up to the foul from behind – which has been outlawed in the modern game – puts us on a hiding to nothing.

And if it is not rescinded, that makes us look even worse in the eyes of the FA, the refs, the pundits, the media...

Carlo and his staff want to have a word with the whole squad about how to keep your 'head when all around are losing theirs' we all know it goes on, but we are not or ever have been flavour of the month/year/decade with referees/Media.

It's ironic really, against Spurs for example, they targeted Richarlison, with each player taking turns to foul him, albeit not seriously. I can't remember if any spurs player was booked in that game, but I can't recall any further repercussions for any spurs player in games played since. Van Dijk last week made his intentions clearly known, but you can get your bottom dollar he wouldn't have been booked at any stage during that game, or targeted by the officials in subsequent games had he still been available. We injure a couple of players from one of the so called big six teams and immediately the whole world turns against us.

We've been too soft for too long. Leighton Baines for example, great player that he was, was a prime example. Any injured opponent Bainesy would want to help him up, pat him on the head and ask him if he's all right? This has been going on too long and it's about time we showed a bit of steel, albeit fairly. As many have alluded too, suddenly we are seen as a major threat to the so called big six teams, although in my opinion it's a bit early in the season for that, but it seems the premier league want to put an end to this threat. The nailed on penalty shout on James totally ignored, the ridiculous sending off for Digne.

What next, well we'll see next Sunday. Can't wait to find out the referee in charge for the Newcastle game.

It was pathetic from start to finish. Iwobi had a big chance yesterday and he blew it. That should cement his place further down the pecking order.

Godfrey showed great endeavour. He tried, hopelessly at times to make things happen. And fair play to him for displaying this attitude. He's not a full back. That's plain to see. But I've seen enough from him to make me think he should be given a start at CB alongside Keane. We just cannot keep clean sheets and I'm afraid Yerry just isn't performing. Whereas Keane has made a solid start to the season.

That means a decision to be made at full back. And whilst I am no fan at all of JJK, I don't believe he has the quality required, I am a fan of putting round pegs in round holes. No doubt we would be in better shape with a full back playing in that role and Godfrey's pace and power in the middle.

Whilst the unbeaten run was nice it wasn't convincing save for the performances of one or two players which were a big improvement.
I know hindsight is 20/20 but when I saw RS and Soton coming up in the fixture list I sensed a possible roadblock.

A part from the point gained in the RS game it's been a lousy week with a lot of flack from the media and eslewhere about what happened.

I just seemed it had affected the approach to the Soton game and they came out cold and stayed that way.

We are starting to lose players and this is where Carlo can show his worth. He has to have them focused for the Barcodes game otherwise it could be another long afternoon. C.O.Y.B

Here's a simple test: If Alexander-Arnold or Robertson had done to Digne what Digne did Walker-Peters, would you have been calling for their sending off?

Of course you would. Quite rightly. He raked his studs down the guy's achilles. Accidental or not, it was utterly idiotic.

Digne had already had a dig at Walker-Peters, and the ref had played advantage. He then began chasing him down from behind with absolutely no hope of winning the ball. I was yelling at my TV for him to just leave Walker-Peters to the covering Allan. It showed a complete lack of in-game intelligence, and we're now an entire left flank down for the next few games.

The Calvert-Lewin yellow, on the other hand: now that really was ridiculous.

One appeal was upheld, resulting in the red card being rescinded. The second will be heard this week. I'm not expecting any consistency from the FA, especially as the first involved Sky 6 darling Son, who is 'not that sort of player'. Whereas the second comes from a player in a team now vilified as thugs by ex RS pundits and lacky journos who seem to have the FA (and a number of Friend-ly referees) in their back pockets.

Carlo is quite right to stick up for Digne and appeal the decision. If it is not upheld, it will once again demonstrate the inherent bias of system in favour of the so called top teams.

Surely if a player screams like this he's been injured? But no he sprinted away, before going down from the second challenge, and although it was clumsy, maybe you could also argue that it was accidental?

I thought the Southampton managers assessment was quite poor, because I'd honestly be embarrassed to be a manager, and hear one of my players scream like his did from the initial challenge, but still be able to get way from Digne, with real pace, once he saw how much space was in front of him.

I wouldn't have used the word hopelessly, I'd have said he showed loads of character, because it's not always easy in football, but the lad kept going and going, and showed an attitude which will definitely stand us in good stead in the future.

Carlo has got to get the balance right, and this might mean either Holgate or Godfrey possibly going to play in the midfield, sometime in the future?

Why? It's an energetic game nowadays, and the physical aspect is hugh, something I think we found out to our cost yesterday, and also to a lesser extent against Liverpool the week before.

Holgate, and Godfrey are very athletic, and this is something Everton were devoid of yesterday, along with a little touch of real craft? It was still a massive improvement on some of the shite I've witnessed in the last few years, (imo) because although we weren't good, at least we can pass to our own players better nowadays, at least until certain players get on the ball.

I would appeal, for me it was a yellow at best.

The future issue is making sure players keep their discipline. That's in our control. We shouldn't be giving referees the possibility of red cards like the two we've had.

Totally agree. You can clearly see Digne pull back and try to get out of the way when he gets a bit too close to Walker-Peters, but to me it looked like both slipped a little and Digne ends up stepping on his leg. It's unlucky but I didn't see any malicious intent in it. Yellow for me.

Good thing we have a decent left back replacement in young Niels though. The ranks are thinning out! But we really need to sort out how we are going to play without Richarlison and Coleman. It just did not click at all against Southampton.

I think most who have played the game will have come across most fouls in their playing time. It's very rare a "new one" comes along.

This for me was a new one. Yeah I've seen plenty of tackles from a chasing player down the back of his opponents calf or ankle, especially when the fella with the ball has been cute enough to get across his path, but this one ?

I have watched it time and again and it was such a freak accident. Digne doesnt break his stride as somebody looking to foul would do. His foot is coming down quite heavily as he sprints and it lands right on the Southampton player leg near the achilles tendon. As it lands he is taken for a ride by the lads momentum and when he comes to a halt he is still on his ankle. It looks horrendous. I suspect we all winced a little. If it happened to one of ours we would be screaming for a red.

Was the tackle reckless ? Rash ? Malicious ? Clumsy ? Accidental ? You could make a pretty convincing case for all of those descriptions in a court of law...but he was always going to see red. Simply because it looked so bad.

The egg chasers will correct me if I'm wrong but I belief they have a rule which speaks about a "Duty of care" for the safety of your opponent. I don't think Digne showed enough care.

I'm not advocating we become the premier leagues Paragon of virtue. I fucking hate "nice" Everton teams, but three times in three hours of football we have had players not showing a duty of care. Making headline grabbing tackles.

Mr Ancelotti will not want his players showing overdue concern for their opponents...but he will be worried about the number of times we are needlessly giving these refs a decision to make.
He's no stranger to defending dirty play, but he will not be a happy man if he continues to have to defend stupidity

After the red card had been brandished he got up with no limp or evident signs of any lasting injury, and after going to the side of the pitch, carried on as if nothing had happened. Who's kidding who here?

Anyone notice Bednarek lying apparently unconscious when we had the ball. (Digne was supposed to have elbowed him.) Bednarek, Lazarus-like, recovered consciousness once the ref had stopped the game and carried on. While the refs continue to allow these cheats to get away with play-acting the game will continue its downward spiral.

* Or kneecap the bastards. Give them something to whinge about.
Ray Roche, The Voice Of Reason.

The irony is that they didn't need any game plan to see that match out. I don't think we would have scraped a draw even if Digne had stayed in.

Absolutely spot on. Post of the day.

So agree with the above, it was stupid in the fact that he didn't actually need to hound the player; he was running towards other Everton defenders, so Digne put himself in the situation in my opinion.

Good points, I have to agree. It made me wince, it looked like a bad injury was inevitable... but, luckily for the player, it didn't cause serious injury... did this stop him beating the floor in agony? The shame of being a little squealer no longer applies in our game.

I'm glad Ancelotti has come out calling the decision ridiculous, rightly or wrongly (red card), we need to start defending ourselves, getting gobby, throwing our weight around,

I don't care if that upsets pundits, opposition managers, or the press. Everton have been too subservient on and off the pitch for too long. I think a winner like Ancelotti sees this.

I don't know about you, but some of my red social media friends were quite telling yesterday. To have a "SOUTHAMPTON" (yes, in capital letters) post after the second goal indicates to me that at the very least, we have gotten under their skin again.

I don't know if you were around for the 1985-86 season? We pissed quite a few teams and managers off early on that season, a big brawl at QPR was a high point.

I loved it, we didn't give a fuck, and we carried on not giving a fuck for reputations, records, pundits, the red (devil) loving press or away fans etc.

Let's kick the Hornets' nest, we never got decisions anyway, where did that get us?

Of course I want to see us win in style, but I want us to be single-minded and win ugly as well. I want us to have what it takes to stay top.

In the words of Maurice Chavelier.

Ah Yes... I remember it well.

He landed on his calf and the lad's stride pulled him along. If he's been sent off for serious foul play, I'd expect it to be rescinded.

However, if the red card is for endangering an opponent, I wouldn't bother because he did just that. Fingers crossed.

Yes we upset the media and other teams. Remember 84-85 and how we "ruined" the anticipated and much wanted Tottenham title charge?

You hit the nail; that team could fight as well as play and had strength of character. You have to have all of those ingredients to be successful. It's not about ability alone just as it's not about desire alone. Either on its own will only get you so far as we have seen in recent years / decades.

We're showing signs that we are travelling in the right direction. There will obviously be bumps and any team, no matter how good, will lose matches. But, with the pretty much national hysteria following the derby and reaction to us losing yesterday, we are clearly bothering people again.

Carlo is right to call it out, even if we all generally agree with the decision. Nice little Everton we no longer are and that is already irritating the pundits and red-tinted media.

Well said, I'm glad you were there for the ride!! I was a year older, but at last we had something to be proud of.

How great would it be to see 14-15 year-olds today revelling in it.

There is a world of difference between yesterday, and the bite of our previous gamess. It was almost unwatchable, and if I hadn't been watching the Everton of the last five years, I would have been thinking "What the hell is going on?" – but we've seen this vapid surrender many times before. Southampton should have scored five yesterday.

I've been thinking on what is wrong. I would say it is the difference between tactics and strategy. I heard Carlo's son described as a tactical genius. And that sounded an immediate alarm bell. It sounded too much like Silva. Tactics for individual games can be effective, but what about when you get them wrong, or they are successfully countered.

That's when you want your strategy to be the bedrock for your performance. Your style of play. I get the feeling that, if our tactics don't work, we are a busted flush. I also don't like how, if you take one or two players out of the team, the whole system falls apart. That is the opposite of a good team.

l was pleased Sigurdsson started over Gomes, he deserved it. I would have also played Delph over Allan.

We know our best 11 and, when all fit, on the pitch and firing, we are a match for anyone. As it is, we are obviously carrying some injuries. You can see it in Allan and James for a start.

Carlo by now should know who he can trust so l was disappointed in our manager as much as the team... he didn't do much to show he wanted anything other than to keep the score as it was in the second half. No change of shape or tactics.

Next up, l want to see a back 3 and James, if fit, in the middle as he can't rely on Godfrey linking up with him so he has to receive the ball central.

At the moment, l trust Sigurdsson and Delph (if played in their correct positions) but l don't trust much else off the bench. Which adds further to me scratching my head as to why we let Walcott and Kean go on loan when they would have been used to better effect than those used Sunday.

Let's not go back to performances of last season. We have 1 game a week for the next while, for fuck's sake.

Carlo realised he had made the wrong team selection and tactics and made changes in the second half and ultimately went 4-4-2 to counter their strange setup of 4-2-2-2.

Iwobi and James should have had a field-day against 4-2-2 but, because Godfrey was scared of getting caught out, he hardly ventured forward in support and James was not himself and doesn't do defence.

But it was the other flank where we had real problems because Iwobi couldn't keep the ball, never mind do anything with it, so Digne was left in no-man's land on frequent occasions.

Because they played so narrow, our midfield couldn't get a handle on the game either and Sigurdsson decided to have one of "those" days.

We drew the second half 0-0 and were getting better at the end but it was a bad day all round.

I am also very disappointed to hear fellow blues saying Digne "raked" his studs down Walker-Peter's ankle. He did no such thing – it was purely a coming together that happens every week in the Premier League.

Today, I noticed Lamela get away with a studs-up launch at the Burnley player which didn't even gain a foul from Michael Oliver and the TV people just washed over because it's Spurs and Mourhino. They even laughed about the fact that Mourhino has told his players they need to be absolute bastards.

And so the media bias continues...

I don't think I've ever seen Iwobi have a field day against anyone mate lol.

It's crazy but I remember him being half decent at Arsenal in some games I watched but here he just looks like a player that can't control a ball, has no end product and doesn't look like he will ever nail down a place in any one position.

I can't get my head around why certain players start their Everton careers okay and then completely spiral into the abyss. Bernard is another example, linked beautifully with Lucas Digne in his first season here under Marco Silva but, for about a year now, he's just looked like a football is completely alien to him.

Then David you say you would trust Sigurdsson if played in his correct position: you criticise a young lad playing in his first start but defend an experienced international who seldom puts a decent shift in and hides from the game.