Sheaf Saint

Should have been a yellow for simulation.

He was clearly trying to win the ball, that's why.

Finally something goes our way.

Yes, it has.

Mid way through the first half, against the team bottom of the league, and we've done literally nothing in attack so far.

On current form, Tella is a better option than either of Redmond, Djenepo or Adams. If Walcott was fit and in the firm he was before injury, it would be a toss-up between them.

It wasn't weighted for Mina to run onto. It was a straight pass to feet, and Mina's first touch was excellent and enabled him to create the chance for himself.

With a simple pass to feet under no pressure. It was the Chelsea CBs who made that goal, by leaving Mino in too much space, not Redmond.

Adams at least showed a bit of strength and ability to hold the ball up and bring others into play (at times). Moussa was somewhat hamstrung in an attacking sense because he was being forced to stay back and provide cover for Bednarek. Ings didn't do much up front because he got no service, and on the occasions he came deep to retrieve the ball, he had very little support and couldn't do it all on his own. Redmond consistently slowed down/stifled our attacks, gave the ball away needlessly, failed miserably all night to take on a man and beat him, and when he did track back to help out in defence he either gave away stupid free kicks or wimped out of tackles altogether. He was a complete non-entity, as he has been ever since he had that purple patch that earned him an England call up a couple of years ago. When you consider how long he has been here now, his overall goals and assists stats relative to his number of appearances is just appalling. We just can't afford to carry passengers like that, when his supposed role is so crucial to our attacking style.

You just know we're not gonna score when Vestergaard can't put that chance away.

Oh FFS Redmond.

That was the chance.

2 attempts. Neither on target. And then Redmond does what he always does.

Another really soft FK to give away. It's like we're trying to give them chances to punish our high line non-defending.

Well that's a strange sub. Djenepo to RB, Bednarek back to CB?

Everton were given a penalty for a very similar incident at Anfield last week.

Expect nothing different from him these days. Can't remember the last time he put in a decent cross.

Offside

Bednarek looks so uncomfortable at RB it's almost painful to watch.

In fairness, DCL is one of the best in the PL at winning headers. Thus is gonna be a looooooong night.

What was it about my post that prompted you to say that? Surely my stating that we need to stop doing X, which hasn't been working, and do Y instead if we want to get a result, is a pretty clear indication that I have been watching recently. The only one I missed was Newcastle.

I've been watching Everton a lot recently, as my nephew has been a regular bench-sitter for the first team for the last few games. They have better quality than us in most positions, and Ancelotti has got them well organised, but their home form has been poor of late with defeats to Newcastle and then Fulham. I think the key will be to play like we did against Chelsea and defend a little deeper inviting them onto us a bit. They're not all that going forward and if we can shut off the supply to Calvert-Lewin then they don't have much else in the way of threat except Richarlison, who is a very hot and cold player who is prone to sulking when things don't go his way. I'd be tempted to start Tella again alongside Armstrong in the AM positions, with Ings and Adams up front. He's got something about him and the Everton CBs aren't the most mobile. Watching their game against Man City last week, Keane just stood completely still and let Silva take a touch and shoot for their third goal. He made no attempt to put in any kind of block. That's a weakness we need to exploit. We just can't keep up with this pattern of going full intensity for the first 45 minutes and fading so badly in the second half. We need to be a little more patient and manage the game better over 90 mins, and then we might get something out if it. I find it alarming that Ralph can't see this.

Because opposition managers suss out our weaknesses and make a tactical change at HT to exploit them. Combined with the fact our intensity in the first half can't be sustained over 90 minutes and we are usually knackered and chasing the game by 60-70 minutes, we start getting desperate and inevitably make mistakes up front and at the back.

We have been thrashed.

Fuck off now. Just fuck the fuck off. This isn't a close, unlucky defeat. It's yet another trouncing that our abject defending deserves. Fucking sick of this shit now.