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Everton vs Chelsea (PL) Sun 22nd Dec 24 14:00 GMT

I think after today there isn’t a title race.

Fair play to Slot. He’s doing a good job with the Dippers.

Today went much the way I thought it would. Not a great watch but positives to take away. Sanchez, Tosin, Neto, Caicedo and Enzo all played well.

Palmer needs hooked when he isn’t really at it. I’d have brought Nkunku on for him and Guiu for Jackson. No wonder Nkunku allegedly wants out if his only minutes in his preferred position come if Palmer is injured. Gusto had a decent game. Don’t get the dislike from some. He’s learning a new position and is getting better at it.

Its a decent point without Fofana, Lavia and Cucu.

 
I can't understand managers when they play against bottom feed managers like Dyce who they know will sit deep with 10 men behind the ball and we still play the same way with the same players...its been like this for years regardless of the manager, Maresca it appears is no different, even the lateness of his subs worry me, he needs to change the game earlier, not with 15-10 mins left.

While the conditions were not great we played with little urgency, all walking pace to the half way line and then a slight jog from there on in.  We know you need to play quick passes to pull the defence out of position and you need players with the ability to have ball control and play quick one two's.  This was not the game for Jackson IMO, perhaps Felix or Nkunku up front keeping the ball on the ground especially in these conditions...and why our two wingers are constantly playing cross balls in the box when we don't have a CF is beyond me...Jackson cannot head a ball. Neto of late has been putting some great crosses in only to be wasted.

Whether it be in the January window or the summer, we need a CF who will bury half chances and not take 1 out of 5 which Jackson seems to do and certainly a CB even though a clean sheet today was welcomed Everton were still given a couple of chances they should have buried.

Anyway...can't complain too much we are still in 2nd and above Arsenal...

 
If you truly believe we are in the title race, and could win the title, then you are disappointed with this result and see it as two points dropped.

However if, like myself, you believe we are not and are, in fact, in a top 4 race then I believe we gained a point today, not lost two. Everton were at their best today. It was a hard game and we always struggle here. 

So for me this is a good point.

 
Scott Harris said:
I feel like they will eventually if this continues. It just requires a team getting promoted to do well and for the other teams to not fall off, like Wolves have done this season. Everton have become the least interesting team in the league.
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They seem to be making a better fist of it this season. They haven't been below 16th since mid-September.

For a while they seemed to be circling the drain (or the 'Sunderland vortex'): https://www.graceonfootball.com/p/the-sunderland-vortex

 
axman2526 said:
If you truly believe we are in the title race, and could win the title, then you are disappointed with this result and see it as two points dropped.

However if, like myself, you believe we are not and are, in fact, in a top 4 race then I believe we gained a point today, not lost two. Everton were at their best today. It was a hard game and we always struggle here. 

So for me this is a good point.
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I'll certainly take the point today, but Everton under Dyche never came to play football today, mauling, grabbing, dirty fouls, and ten men behind the ball for most of the game but we should have gone out with better energy than we did and gone out with the belief that we can come away with 3 points.  We may not be in a title race, but with a win today would have kept the momentum and the belief alive....still a long way to go, a couple of key injuries to Liverpool and who knows, we have all winnable fixtures up to the end of January...I just want to keep Arsenal behind us and shove it down Arteta's throat..

 
Our last league game at Goodison Park sees our recent recent form there has yielded only 2 goals in 8 games, 1 of which was a pen.

Certainly glad they are moving, and I certainly hope, for our away fans sake, their new stadium sees us find ways to break their defence.

 
We had an off day and Everton played their game well. We started well but when we couldn't score, that gave them belief to get stuck in and we didn't respond in kond.

I'm not worried, we are still an excellent team and progressing amazingly this season. Today injuries didn't help (imagine Reece, Cucu or Lavia playing instead of Disasi who is just simply not a right back) and neither did the weather.

Sanchez MOTM for me, saved our bacon twice with fantastic saves, no one else really stood out.

 
Virosh said:
We had an off day and Everton played their game well. We started well but when we couldn't score, that gave them belief to get stuck in and we didn't respond in kond.

I'm not worried, we are still an excellent team and progressing amazingly this season. Today injuries didn't help (imagine Reece, Cucu or Lavia playing instead of Disasi who is just simply not a right back) and neither did the weather.

Sanchez MOTM for me, saved our bacon twice with fantastic saves, no one else really stood out.
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Also, as was pointed out earlier, the weather made playing our passing game next to impossible. 

Had Liverpool played their game there, as they should have, they would not have won imo.

 
Deino said:
Probably not but Chilwell doesn't fit at all in this system and Cucu's better. Your point works better in this scenario. 

Just chalk it up to a Maresca blunder, he was due one anyway.
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We can't really say this? He's hasn't even had a chance to show that he is not capable.

 
axman2526 said:
Also, as was pointed out earlier, the weather made playing our passing game next to impossible. 

Had Liverpool played their game there, as they should have, they would not have won imo.
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Liverpool would have won. Not only do Everton roll over 9 times out of ten, Liverpool show their quality take their chances. We are inconsistent in this area as Jackson should've taken one of his. 

 
KonaKai Blue said:
Liverpool would have won. Not only do Everton roll over 9 times out of ten, Liverpool show their quality take their chances. We are inconsistent in this area as Jackson should've taken one of his. 
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Yeah fair point, think they would have had a hard go given they play a passing game too. But with Salah, yeah probably.

Maresca was happy with the result, said in his presser he was more happy with us today than he was vs Brentford.

 
axman2526 said:
Yeah fair point, think they would have had a hard go given they play a passing game too. But with Salah, yeah probably.

Maresca was happy with the result, said in his presser he was more happy with us today than he was vs Brentford.
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I’m just glad spurs put 3 past them. They’ve now conceded 16 goals. So much for breaking our record.

 
Yesterday showed the reason why we WON'T win the PL this season, the players and the coach felt the pressure of knowing they had to win to put us top.

Jackson missed 2 chances that Liverpool wouldn't have missed, apart from that, did we create anything of note?

Maresca blew it as well, he picked the wrong players from the start BUT then he should have had the bo**ocks to change it, (who can forget JOSE hooking Joe Cole after 20+ mins when he knew it wasn't working), Gusto shouldn't have started as a LB, Veiga should have been there and Disasi on the bench..Sancho against Young (39 years old), didn't beat him once in first half, he should have been hooked at HT, instead he played the full 90. Evertons priority was NOT to lose, Liverpool went into their game with no pressure on them against a Spurs team with a weakened team and played like champions, we can finish in the top 2 this season BUT only if Marasca grows a pair.

 
I thought with Cucu playing for us we might have nicked it as he has started popping up in goal scoring positions.

Pundits on BBC thought a penalty for Pickford's challenge on Gusto.

Sanchez made 2 or 3 vital saves and Tosin a fantastic block. 

 
Not that it matters now but a few of the "experts" believe we should have had a pen, and Pickford sent off,  for his challenge on Gusto.

This is where we need to be smarter in the dark arts. Gusto should have stayed down and rolled around.

 
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