Coady: No need to panic but we need to be ruthless

But what we saw Wednesday was a team without the intensity and focus. Badly missing on easy passes. Momentary lapses on defensive responsibilities. And, most of all, coming second to every loose ball, every challenge.

Only Coady, Tarkowski and Gana (and Garner in the late minutes) consistently won their duels. Everybody else consistently lost. That cannot happen. Not ever.

I didn't see the whole game but just about managed to watch most of the second half. Exactly as you say, too many players with too little intensity or commitment.

After the Man Utd and Spurs defeats, I put that down to a couple of blips but we never got steamrollered either. I fully expected us to bounce back against Newcastle, but sadly we didn't.

Like baling out a sinking ship with a teacup, we definitely need something a lot bigger and better against Palace — and please, please, no pitch invasions if we win!

Oh we had odd one-off bursts, usually when the crowd went into positive feedback mode – Neville on Ronaldo and in Martinez's 3-3 derby, the end of last season too.

Just like true discipline – self discipline – it has to come from within.

You can't, up to a point, buy it; you can only foster it if you find a spark there in the first place.

But basically we've been dragging along at Liz Truss levels of 'Meh' since 1995... any coincidences to be made? Yes!!!

We can't blame the players for not trying this season at least, and players with your character and professional attitude have at last given us long-suffering supporters a glimmer of hope.

We are prepared to be patient as we know that Rome wasn't built in a day, but please please please, start to do your talking where it really matters — on the pitch.

Many thanks.

Apart from the two bad misses against Spurs, the last three matches have brought zero chances.

As I say though, without Coady and Tarkowski right now, I do think it would just be back to last season, getting smashed every other week.

At the moment, those two are making a very very poor team a little harder to beat easily.

Effort
Creativity
Forward
Possession

Oh and goals!!!

I want to add that, when we are in possession, we need more determination and forward momentum. Far too much stopping, thinking and passing it backwards. It's this hesitant and ultra-conservative mindset that I though we had shaken off.

Our midfielders need to be attacking at pace, put the opposition on the back foot and out of position. We are not stress-testing these last three difficult matches. We'd gone into our shell. If Gana starts, then the other midfields have to commit more, especially when they have manufactured some space. Our forwards then can better make their runs and pressure their full-backs.

There's other issues at play but I want to see more forward thrust from our midfield from now on. It's come more into focus with Patterson out and Mykolenko not being effective as an attacking left-back. A change in formation and bringing Garner in may help with it.

It is now obvious that opposition teams are aware of weaknesses in Everton s implementation of their tactics. Simply put, if Everton are not able to score, it gives the opposition defence confidence to risk pushing up their defensive line into midfield. It gives them more confidence if, in doing so, Everton are pushed deeper, give the ball away with poor passing, and lose possession easily.

The forward momentum that this all gives to the opposition will put the best-organised defence under pressure, eventually causing errors and goals against.

It should start with engaging the opposition higher up the pitch and not allowing them to push Everton deep.

Coady and his ruthlessness, I do not understand.

They are so busy – apparently – learning from all the mistakes they make from the previous game, they don't have time to prepare or focus.

They're fine centre-halves. Just like trees standing by the waterside. They shall not be moved. Therein lies the problem. They need to be moved. Further up the pitch.

The problem with our solid centre-halves is that neither one is prepared to sacrifice his own game for the benefit of team. They play to their strengths. Neither would fancy themselves in a foot race with a hungry Premier League striker.

There is nothing wrong in defending deep if you can spring out in numbers or if you have a couple of box-to-box midfield men. We don't.

Gana. never did discover which way was north. Allan had the skill but not the legs. Doucoure has the legs, but not the skill. Onana has legs and skill but his decision-making defies belief at times. Offer him a choice between a Ferrari and an insignia and he'll be driving in the Vauxhall.

Gordon, Gray and Iwobi are the only ones with pace and skill. But they tend to play miles apart on opposite sides of the pitch. They don't function as a unit. All three are often accused of having no end product, but their options are often non-existent. We don't put players in the box for them to feed or aim at. Dave Thomas would struggle to create anything in this team.

The "complete" footballers who can switch defence into attack tend to already have jobs with the very rich clubs. We can't attract those players. So we have got to find a way of doing it as a unit. A way of getting players (plural) into the opposition area.

Coady and Tarkowski will definitely limit the number of humiliating hidings which have so badly scarred many an Evertonian, but can we win enough matches with them? Their former clubs didn't.

The team has improved since last season (couldn't have gotten any worse!) but too many times our attacks break down due to poor passing and our inability to contain counter-attacks.

Our full-backs are not offering anything going forward and are not great defending either. Iwobi has gone walkabout again recently. Gray and Gordon continue to go past defenders with relative easy but then go catatonic with their final-ball decision-making… and up front, well Maupay and Rondon are Championship players at best. Without Calvert-Lewin, we will struggle to score goals.

I've always said well finish between 10th and 15th this season, so I'm not particularly worried about this bad run. We haven't been battered, or humiliated, so far this season. The team has better shape and spirit than last season's spineless disaster and they seem to be together.
Also, the squad is much improved and I believe Lampard and his staff are on the right track and need to be backed in the next two transfer windows. All our games, so far, have been decided by individual errors, poor refereeing, the VAR, and some moronic decision-making by some of our players.

So be ruthless, Frank, drop or rest the likes of Seamus, Mykolenko, Iwobi, and either Gray or Gordon, and use your squad!!

My team against Palace would be.

Pickford
Holgate
Coady
Tarkowski
Vinagre
McNeil
Gana
Onana
Garner
Calvert-Lewin
Gordon

4-1-3-2

Agree completely. Our centre-backs mean we have to sit deep. That's okay defensively. To attack from this position, we need someone like Jorginho who has a good range of passing from very deep.

Our closest is Garner. Gueye is a presser. This pair could be vaguely like Drinkwater and Kante at Leicester. Gordon and McNeil would then be the Albrighton and Mahrez types on the flanks with hard-working Maupay and Calvert-Lewin playing like Okazaki and Vardy.

Lampard will never be a Claudio Ranieri.

I agree with the points you make though.

Until we have a system that suits the players, we will continue to be dragged all over the place by average teams.

As Villa have just demonstrated, patience isn't part of many owners' vocabulary, and our owner has proved that time and time again. The fear of losing their Premier League status is their biggest concern, and it's even more concerning for our club with the massive investment needed for our new stadium.

Bearing this in mind, I think Frank has 3 games to save his job; otherwise, Moshiri will again be looking for a new manager. Frank has been allowed to bring in 7 new players, although he might have wanted to buy better quality but, through the constraints of FFP, he has spent what the club could spend.

I really don't see a lot of improvement from last season. We still sit deep and our attacking options are markedly less with the sale of Richarlison, him being replaced with Maupay. Frank has bought 4 midfield players and surprisingly none of them are attacking players, so hasn't improved that department.

Defensively, he has brought in 2 centre-backs, neither have any pace, so the criticism of supporters last season, that we have to sit deep because our centre-backs have no pace, hasn't been addressed.

This team has lacked goals for quite a while and that is still the main problem that is holding this club back, so why did Frank spend all his money on midfield when we needed 2 strikers, one to replace Richarlison and the other to provide competition for Calvert-Lewin?

I think Saturday's game against Palace will be a tough game, so this is now time for Frank to be brave and start playing front-foot football, which so far he seems reluctant to play. Given he was a prolific goal-scorer from midfield that puzzles me even more.

I would just say, despite my criticism of Frank's style and purchases, I don't want another change of manager. Most of us like Frank and he understands and likes the fans, which is important.

But results determine everything and, unless Frank changes those results and quickly, I fear we may be looking for yet another manager under Moshiri. Heaven knows who we could go for… I shudder at the thought.

But if we're eventually the 5th (?) team to pull the plug, that puts us at the back of the queue for a viable replacement.

Though that said, we've been there before – two or three times, when people we're baulking at Howe.

Stick or twist? It's always a gamble.

I'm in team stick… for now.

Last-ditch but excellent tackles enabled us to get four valuable points and keep the Man Utd score down to just a goal defeat. We played too much on the back foot, especially trying to keep one-goal leads at Brentford and Leeds which ultimately failed when a more attack-minded approach might have secured more points.

I hope Frank Lampard and his coaches were in attendance with these team talks – they might have learned something to their advantage and used in training sessions along with long passing and man-movement off the ball to improve the often dreary, dismal play we have to put up with.

It's starting to get like last season when there wasn't much pleasure or anything good to look forward to going to watch the Blues. It was only us supporters who garnered that wonderful spirit that kept us up – nobody but us. We dragged, pushed and urged that team and gave them the energy to win enough points to do so.

I doubt very much that any of us want to go through that again and I don't think I am exaggerating the situation. It's up to Lampard, his coaches, and the players to sort themselves out.

What is it with the culture at Everton? We cannot, for decade after decade, keep living on the fact that we were good in the '60s and '80s (so were a few clubs).

Drab football and drab finishes.

All this defence passing around shite doesn't cut it with the fans. We want entertaining football and goals.

Idrissa Gueye cannot do the job he was put there for because Iwobi is in his way running around like a kid playing in the playground. I love his enthusiasm but hold your position, lad.

Two wingers who offer nothing.

Agree, we need to be higher, but with the 2 centre-backs, can we be? It feels like we've addressed phase one of the rebuild.

I don't know if Zaha is playing tomorrow but he is obviously a threat. Just as much from his constant whining and trying to draw a decision from the ref.

But let's not worry about him. Our players need to step up. Literally – step up the pitch. They owe us a performance and a result.

I still fancy the idea of Maupay playing off Calvert-Lewin. Early long and direct balls from Coady and Pickford could work.

Goes against my grain, but you work with what you have.

Shouldn't it be part of a well-paid professional's make-up to play with 100% commitment every time he plays?

If this is lacking, then Lampard should leave those players out of the squad and put in players who will perform 100%.

Everton have weaknesses, which is why they are where they are. While we all can pick certain players out for flack, the team as a whole is not on the same page; bereft of good strikers, we will continue to struggle for points.

Lampard unfortunately will soon follow Gerrard if he cannot turn things around with what he has.

Onana and Gueye pass sideways or backwards all the time and Iwobi has been really poor the last few games and hardly involved. Why he chases the ball across their back line time after time, getting nowhere near it, is a mystery.

Garner and Doucoure need to come in on Saturday.

Since Lukaku left in 2017, we have gone through six managers and half a billion quid on transfer fees, yet none of that cash went on a decent striker.

Apparently all those managers decided what we needed was more defenders, midfielders, wingers – but no strikers.

That is the elephant in our dressing room. There is almost no goals in the side and, until that situation changes, we will continue to struggle.

Dad is stepping in and it needs to be done. As I've heard a hockey coach state eloquently, "I can't buy confidence pills at the store." We just need to settle down and do the proper things until they start to work in twos and threes without venturing on to some new formation.

Iwobi and Maupay can create some one-twos with the forwards so we need to build from there. Trying to stretch the defence with forwards that do not link up well is madness.

We're still very short squad-wise. For want of a better way of putting it, we need replacements for Alli, Townsend and Rondon in order to have options from the bench at the end of games. I wouldn't go changing formation and style just as it's starting to bed in.

The fixtures up until the World Cup are a different type of test. Having lost these three, I can keep calm if we pick up 10 points from the next 4 games and get through in the Carabao Cup.

It's not exactly “Nil Satis…” but it's sufficient progress for now.

I totally agree with your analysis. Best yet.

For me, we need to look at quality in the final third. 9 months into the job, and 1 transfer window, Lampard has – without a shadow of doubt – strengthened us at the back and introduced legs into the midfield. Who knows… in another 9 months, we may have a bit more quality in the final third.

The formation of relying on Gray and Gordon needs to be looked at. Both aren't delivering but are getting a game, week after week. I would like to see 4 proper centre-midfielders with Iwobi as the spare man and Calvert-Lewin up top.

The centre-backs, whilst resolute, are slow, and require us playing a deep line which makes it hard to get up the pitch without creating huge gaps.

The full-backs are okay defensively but creating next to nothing in the attacking third, their passing is rarely progressive and they don't beat anyone with dribbling.

The centre of midfield is better than it has been but more combative than creative. The lack of movement and options around them makes it tough for them.

The wingers are a big issue, both Gray and Gordon have some pace but lose the ball frequently. Their ball retention and decision-making leaves much to be desired though they are often left isolated.

Maupay struggles to hold onto the ball too whilst Calvert-Lewin struggles to stay fit.

We've not been good this season and the xG models have us even lower down the table and with less points than we actually have. Not creating enough and actually giving up more shots than anyone in the league.

Not sure how to fix it but I think a consistent winger who can hold onto the ball whilst also creating and scoring would help a lot. That would enable us to get up the pitch more often… but then every team would like one of those!