West Ham Utd (h) The power of positivity The collective sigh’s of relief mixed in with the sheer joy and elation when Gylfi sent Wilshere down County Rd to put one in the top corner were clear to see. Not just in the stands but on the bench too. This was a massive win, not just for the manager, but for all of us.
The outrageously incompetent Paul Tierney aside, the game was excellent from start to finish, and it encapsulated what Everton and West Ham are, you just don’t know what you’ll get from one week to the next. The search for consistency for both clubs seems to be never ending, even with ever improving squads.
Everton started the game with a mixture of confidence and nervousness. The West Ham midfield was small and lightweight, Fornals, Lanzini and Noble are hardly going to trouble you physically, and this would play out across the 90 minutes. It took Bernards goal to really settle us down. Why he didn’t go straight through on goal when he was put through is a mystery, but why do that when you have the ability to beat 2 defenders and squeeze it under the keeper? I wish he’d just shoot!!! Once that went in you could visibly see a weight lift of the players. All of a sudden pace, power, directness and confidence returned, the siren had worked it’s magic again and we had March - May 2019 Everton back.
Change is as good as a rest, so the saying goes.
Those 17 days that served Everton so well last season in helping to rest, recover, refocus and re-energise the players, maybe the recent international break has helped Silva realise that he just had to change things, tactics as well as personnel, he had left himself no choice.
When the team came through at 11:30am I was as surprised as delighted. 8 of the 10 outfield players were forward thinking players. No defensive minded midfielders, a worry at first glance, but Davies and Gomes showed fantastic discipline to patrol the middle third of the pitch and nullify the Wet Ham midfield. Declan Rice is as much as a myth as Ozil and Alli, completely shut down by Davies.
Mina was excellent again, and unfortunate not to get on the score sheet, only the buffoon Tierney saw an issue with his goal...where was VAR? Keane was solid, Sidibe is a breath of fresh air getting forward with an end product, much needed as our attacking options are so heavily weighted to our left side. Lucas Digne our new captain. And what of Theo Walcott? Possibly his best game since his 2 goals vs Leicester. Credit where it’s due, he looked a completely different player to the stale bench warmer of the past 12 months. Who knows, maybe that bump on the head vs City actually made him remember who he actually is and what he can do? Stranger things have happened!!
The front four were quick, industrious and hungry to win the ball back and press once again. There were missed place passes and some wrong decisions taken, but the link up was sharp and they gave the West Ham back four no peace at all. Great to see, hopefully no longer will we have to see our striker isolated and 30 yards away from his nearest team mate.
Quick mention for Pickford, brilliant save from Ogbonna from another horrific error by Tierney.
Cool and calm under pressure today, and you could here him directing the back four. Clear and concise.
I’m not a fan of Pelligrini, to me he was part of the Villareal stitch up, and to see him on the touchline with a face like a kicked over Lasagne was just a perfect end to the game.
Today was all about positivity though. The manager deserved credit for taking the risks with selection and pattern of play, it could have backfired, perhaps he thought he had nothing to lose? He commented that he had spoken to the players in the week, and the players had spoken as a collective, hopefully some home truths were dished out.
Friday’s pre match press conference if you watch it back and compare it to others the manager has had, was different. Silva was on the front foot, directly answering questions, not generalising, he had an air of confidence and importantly, very positive body language.
On to Brighton, no changes necessary regardless of who’s available. I’ll be on holiday so no match report from me. See you in a couple of weeks!
UTFY COYB