I'll miss him, but tbh I'm just really looking forward to watching Richarlison in a fully functioning side for once.
From a side fighting relegation to one that could push all the way for the title. He'll be brilliant for Spurs, and a move he thoroughly deserves.
Go well, Richy
We are so Aston Villa 2011-2016, it's so fucking similar.
We've had our Martin O'Neill, our Gérard Houllier, just had our Alex McLeish, and now we're onto our very own Rémi Garde.
It's nothing particularly outlandish, but everything he mentions, they're already doing.
- crunch wide areas, double up on attacker
- narrow defensive 4 protect box
- structure consistently shifts to protect from the switch
- congested V prevents opportunity
For less than £80m Palace have managed to bring in Eze, Olise, Guehi, Anderson, and now Ebiowei & Doucoure across the past three summer transfer windows.
It's amazing what a bit of imagination and thought can do with a not-so-major transfer budget.
Still here watching this again.
Think if you could have designed the perfect winner for Wednesday's Derby, it would have been exactly this.
Gwladys Street. Corner. Backpost. Everton's number 9. Bullet header. No VAR.
I'm so happy Goodison's final years has this goal.
If Richard Masters had got his way and deducted Everton 17 points this season, they would still be outside the relegation zone.
We shall not be moved... 🎶
Ralf Rangnick talking in his first United press conference about how he used to travel all the way from Brighton in the 80s to watch Everton at Goodison.
I would have appointed him just for that
"What is a little bit of pressing? A little bit of pressing is like a little bit of pregnant. I mean, either you are pregnant or not. Either you want to play pressing or not, but please not a little bit of pressing." - Ralf Rangnick.
Tom Davies having a solid 4-5 months consecutively, to then fall behind Andre Gomes and Fabian Delph in the midfield pecking order for practically no reason.
Very odd
I say Dyche'd and absolutely mean it.
Overpowered them, outworked them, bullied them on the transition, killed them at set-pieces, excellent shape, own box defended superbly.
Was the only way to win it tonight, and they did it to perfection
Ndiaye, Harrison, Iroegbunam and Lindstrom all in before the end of July for a spend of around £25M.
That's not a bad group of players for a club who are dwarfed financially by every other club in the league
- Everton average crosses per game: 19.8
- Spurs average crosses faced per game: 18.5
Everton crosses today: 36
Nah Ange, we saw a weakness and you got Dyche'd
🚨Davide Ancelotti son of Real Madrid and Former Everton Manager, Carlo Ancelotti has been discussed as a potential alternative to Marcelo Bielsa
(Source -
@MailSport
)
Amount of games with 2+ non-penalty xG created for recent Everton managers in the Premier League:
Marco Silva - 6 in 53 - 11.3%
Carlo Ancelotti - 9 in 58 - 15.5%
Rafa Benitez - 1 in 19 - 5.2%
Frank Lampard - 1 in 38 - 2.6%
Sean Dyche - 10 in 41 - 24.4%
A shame he made that crucial error, but Alex Iwobi was superb yesterday:
- 0.3 xA (highest)
- 11 passes into final 3rd (highest)
- 5 passes into pen box (highest)
- 10 progressive passes (highest)
- 46 carries (highest)
- 60 touches (highest)
Play. Him. Centrally.
Currently listening to a podcast with Chris Wilder, and he's just admitted to that despite growing up in Norris Green with a family of Kopites, his second team after Sheffield United was always Everton. Loves the fans, he loved Howard, loved that side from the 80s.
If Everton can afford to spend the type of money it'll take to get Zaha out of Palace, then they really shouldn't be spending it on just Wilfried Zaha, if that makes sense.
We're in February and with 23 games played, Everton have conceded just 15 times from open-play this season!
No team has conceded less, only Arsenal and Liverpool can match it.
Defensive improvement was imperative at the start of the season, fair to say they've managed it
Lampard's programme notes for tomorrow's match, something else.
Understanding, charismatic and connected - everything you want from your manager in the modern-day.
Comparisons with 5 games to play:
2021-22:
18th
-2 points from 17th
GD -20
2022:23
19th
-2 points from 17th
GD -25
2023-24:
16th (would be 14th)
+5 points from 18th (would be 13 points)
GD -14
Not done yet, but getting there.
Imagine being told two months ago that our manager would be Rafa Benitez and has first three signings would be Asmir Begovic, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray.
@Karlage11
@GaryLineker
I wouldn't like it mate no, but then again I wouldn't have been a twat and done what Dominic Cummings has done, so swings and roundabouts
0.5 xG conceded (Brighton's 3rd lowest ever under De Zerbi) a seriously impressive number against a Brighton team that are chasing a lead for pretty much 90 minutes of play.
Dyche got control of the defence, and now it's the best it's been for a while now
The Premier League creating an Everton-specific sanction policy (never to be used again) and the investigation concluding with the club more or less receiving the highest possible punishment is, urm, not a good look in my opinion...
Formal confirmation of Everton's appeal into their 10-pt deduction expected to come later this week
Here's a look at mitigating factors & case for defence after consultation w/sports lawyers
Could centre on disproportionality & lack of sanction policy
Laughing me head off at Blues getting upset at Iwobi, erm, going on holiday. Shite season? No holiday for you mate. Should be in your garden practicing Cruyff turns like Yannick Bolasie...
Everton's high-risk pressing strategy under Sean Dyche - a thread:
Much said about our defensive performances recently, so I thought I'd dig into a potential reason as to why it's dropped off recently without solely blaming Michael Keane.
One moment I thought was weird from the commentary today, claiming Everton "again couldn't hold onto a lead" after Brentford equaliser...
Meanwhile, Everton's record when scoring first in fixtures since Sean Dyche's appointment is now:
Games - 9
Wins - 6
Draws - 3
Losses - 0
Rafa's Everton: First Impressions.
We're nine weeks into the Benitez era, so I've sat down and picked it apart. A humongous 8,000 words on the aftermath of Ancelotti's departure, pre-season, tactical & data trends, what needs fixing, and what comes.
At this point, I genuinely find it really hard to not come away from any of Dyche's games so far and not be deflated that we didn't boot Lampard and hire him earlier.
So many games & points pissed away.
Obviously, rumours are rumours, but if it turned out that the two front-runners for the Everton job were in fact Christophe Galtier and Graham Potter, then it definitely indicates that *some* people at the club actually know what they're doing.
Madness really, Leighton Baines will retire soon and people still aren't aware how for a good 2 years he was the best left-back in the world.
No denying he's one of the best left-backs in Premier League history.