tajjuk

Over £360 million Everton have spent in the last 3 seasons, to look average away from home against a newly promoted team. I mean 1 shot on target is pretty woeful.

Someone has faked the kit because this is espanyol's kit - https://shop.rcdespanyol.com/es/equipaciones-2019-20-customizada/6169-camiseta-1%C2%AA-equipaci%C3%B3n-rcd-espanyol-2019-20.html

Well also to do a tackle really someone has to try and dribble past you, and that doesn't happen often, and modern footballers are so good that usually when they are in danger of being tackled they pass or they attempt to shoot (meaning you would then need a block, interception or a clearance) Even the most prolific dribblers only attempt like 5-7 a game, which could be all over the pitch so anyone could tackle them. SO you are unlucky to see a player with multiple tackles per game, like 6-7 is going to be most you will see from one player. Also DMs are the ones usually that have the most because if you have CBs having to do multiple tackles a game it means the opposition are constantly running at your centre-backs which is not good.

Bednerak was given the 'error leading to goal' stat I am pretty sure, but yeh Vestegaard failed to block the shot (along with someone else IIRC) though generally blocking is something he does quite well. I am not particularly saying he had a great game or is even that good, but I find it odd he is made out to be some sort of a scapegoat where the team played one of the best attacks in the league and actually limited them to very few chances. The reality is for us to beat a team like Liverpool, we need to take our chances and need a little luck. A team like theirs will create chances against the best defences, so restricting them to what? One long shot, one shot from the edge of the box and one genuine chance on the break (when we were pushing for an equaliser) is not bad. Fine margins, both goals were inches away from being blocked which could have prevented the goals. Mane's cut inside and shot managed to evade I think two block attempts, a little luck one of those connects and it could have prevented the goal. A the other end we needed a bit more quality/luck with our finishes and we could have had 3 goals easy, excluding the one gifted to us. But that is the quality difference, top players like Mane and Firminho find the corners top corners, whilst someone a little more raw like Adams puts his header over or one of our best chances, a free header 5 yards out falls to a centre back.

What's funny though is when our centre-backs make blocks and last ditch tackles, people say its because they are out of position and are not reading the game. He made no blocks or tackles according to whoscored, but he did make 2 interceptions and 7 clearances. Only Bednerak made one more interception and no one made more clearances. Out of all 3 centre-backs they only made 2 tackles between them. Also should be noted that Bertrand made no tackles, no interceptions, no blocks and no clearances. Also Van Dijk made no tackles in the game either. So looking in at a few stats in isolation without context makes for a stupid argument IMO, especially when you back it up with opinions of idiots on twitter. At the end of the day, though we conceded two goals. 1 was from an amazing shot that was pretty much perfect (it was not only top corner, hit early, but it also evaded the attempts to block it) and another from a shot (which I think was outside the box) that was largely down to losing possession from a throw in, so was easily avoidable. (and wasn't Vestergaards fault) Which meant against that Liverpool side with Mane, Salah and Firminho, the team/defence only allowed them to create ONE decent chance all game. (the one Firminho fluffed on the counter in 2nd half) Seems a bit harsh to start calling people useless based on that IMO.

So scoring one goal and creating several other good chances in a 2-1 loss, where they had to score a worldie to beat us (and even then Ings missed a sitter to equalise) is not 'giving them a game'? What tosh. Travels or not, this is a team that got 95 points last season and lost 1 game all year FFS, and we should have won. If you can't take positives from that performance than you are literally the most negative Saints fans ever.

Yeh god forbid people go to actually watch football, support the team and might bring kids who also want to enjoy the game. Nah let's instead be c8nts to everyone because that is what being a football fan is about right? And yeh lets not report racist scumbags either.

Plus the performance against the 2nd best team in the league last year was actually good and we were unlucky to not get anything from the game and could have won it. If we play like that more often than not we will win plenty of games.

Man City making Spurs look very ordinary, it's scary.

Pulisic?

Eh? I presume you mean Chelsea players. I get your point though, Norwich actually caused them some problems last Saturday, they were just woeful defensively basically gifting Liverpool 3 of the goals and putting themselves out of the game. On the balance of play the game was a lot closer than the final score. With a potentially 3rd choice keeper in (who has played 25 games in the last 5 years, mainly at championship/league one level), whoever partners Van Dijk looking a bit dodgy, TAA still having defensive issues and possibly some tired legs, there is certainly a chance of some goals. Trouble is we have a habit of defensive errors against everyone, let alone good players. I think we will create chances and maybe if we are clinical score 2, but I am struggling to see us not concede more than 2 at the same time, I think we'll score to look like we might be getting a draw and then concede a silly goal after about 70 minutes to give them the lead and concede a late 4th whilst we are chasing the game.

Juan Mata has a foundation called 'Common Goal' set up that does this, has players like Mats Hummels, Chiellini and the high profile female player Alex Morgan signed up to it. Same concept, they pledge 1% of their salary.

Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Henderson, Fabinho, and Salah played the full 120 minutes, Mane played 103. With the travelling as well, the late night, it helps. They will still probably thrash us, but might rotate more after that.

The fact he was released by West Ham suggest he isn't. He is worse than Mignolet IMO and easily worse than Gunn or McCarthy. But we have to actually trouble him which is the real issue which means possession near their goal and getting past Van Dijk.

I certainly say that all those teams probably suit our style more than Burnley do, actually facing a more attacking Brighton than last year probably favours us a bit. (also as I said in the other thread, they literally scored 3 goals from 5 shots against Watford and most of the team was last years team which is really not very good). I reckon a more open Brighton we could get at and score against pretty easily. We consistently struggle against the park the bus, sit in type teams. Can't see any team in that next lot actually doing that, so could see some counter attack goals from us. I also fancy that 1-2 of those home games against the 'big 6' is winnable, I am not convinced by Utd under Solksjaer, that 4-0 flattered them a lot. Liverpool IMO are beatable especially after a European away trip midweek and well Chelsea are not the threat they were without Hazard.

Games are turned on moments, we were the better side without doing anything massively and then one hoof, in conditions that suit it and one f*ck up, the team unravelled from there really. Had we stuck one away earlier its a different game and we might have been able to control it better. People say conditions was the same for both teams, but then only one team was trying to really play football and conditions massively suit Burnleys horrible style. (honestly I'd rather see use go down than play like them and play absolutely deplorable c*nts like Barnes, who is not a good player) Crap happens, just unfortunate that August brought a storm you'd expect in November, and you'd hope the team would have reacted a bit better but there you go, the two in quick succession killed us off sadly . I don't get the panic though, early season form means very little, look at Palace they didn't win in 7 last year and didn't score a goal but they finished comfortably clear. I'm sure people will be fapping over Brighton but their squad is not very good, they started with the same team they had last year and only had 3 shots on target but scored 3. We'll see where they are after a proper amount of games. Panic when we are in December not after the first game which was never a 3-0 anyway and at a place we never do well, in conditions that massively favoured those hoof ball merchants.

Norwich actually gave them quite a bit of trouble, more than deserved their goal and should have scored more. But their defending was terrible, easy clearance under no pressure sliced into the goal, some midget marks Van Dijk at a corner, free header from a cross and probably only Salah's goal was not from bad defending.

Their defence is solid and conditions are favouring Burnley's crap football but if we keep playing we'll create chances especially if we get at their fullbacks who are both crap to be honest.

Also a bit worrying that the official site new item about it doesn't mention any agreement to buy or clause as far as I an tell.

Still potential for Hoedt and Cedric to go IMO, they have been re-integrated into the squad but we now have 6 first team centre-backs so Hoedt has to be to the one most likely to go (as Stephens is too crap to be wanted by European clubs) and I think Cedric might still attract a few suitors and the club might want to cash in before his contract runs out. Moe has to go, with Redmond, Long, Ings, Adams, Djenepo and Boufal there is no way he is getting near the team. So IMO the club should be looking to off loads those four, Hoedt, Lemina, Moe and Carillo, and maybe Cedric if they can get a decent fee for him. I'd also like us to get rid of Forster and Stephens but can't see those happening to a European club.

Let's also hope that exclusive buy clause is correct, don't want him to have a good season and then end up at like Arsenal or something.

The article on the previous page says he was. People need to remember the guy is 20 and has like barely 20 games at senior level, he going to be a bit raw I reckon, we've bought him to mould him into a top centre-back but it won't happen immediately. Augsburg I've just noticed are pretty much us of Germany, they go promoted into the Bundesliga in 2011, managed to hit the heady heights of 5th in 15-16 but have since dropped down the league and finished 15th last season. They also play in front of about 30k So I suppose it would be like buying a young player from a club about our size who had just had his breakthrough season, basically like buying Valery.

To be fair its not the German deadline day so the German FA probably worked normal office hours today.

For £4 million and some important goals not sure Austin is a poor signing, not by our recent standards i.e MoE, Carillo, Hoedt He needed shifting because he wasn't going to play, but he did ok IMO, but we hoped for more. IF we are sitting here beginning of September with the 3 in, and then Austin, Targett, Hoedt, MoE, Carillo, Clasie, Gallagher, Lemina all out then I'd say a very good window where we have (hopefully) improved the squad with some promising young talent whilst probably cleared a huge amount off the wage bill which should then give us options to improve again next year more easily.

Yeh surely its time to either give him a proper go in the squad or sell him on permanently as its looking increasingly likely that he is a good championship player not a PL one.