Dr Defeat, won’t you help us…

One result.
Already looking at the wrong half of the League table.
Several key players sitting on treatment tables.

The positive of Alex Iwobi responding well to installed belief from his manager, through accomplished use of the ball when in possession – albeit mostly in his own half of the pitch.

Other than that though; a field day for poison-pen journalists.


I’m going to resist such temptation, save this observation that isn’t necessarily discussed in the sporting media, but will only become a more-and-more significant aspect of top-class athletic disciplines in the 21st century.

Everton only enjoyed 37% of possession yesterday.

Yet this is considerably more than what we’ve become more used to since words and sentiments spoken by Arsene Wenger have been discreetly echoed by the likes of Pep Guardiola – and now taken fully on board by The F.A. over the past five seasons.

Avoiding the topic of why we were afforded slightly more possession – at home other not – the simple observation that we can’t compete with any success in such a glaring statistic – like it or not – means opposing teams are clearly taking certain requirements of the game far more seriously than our personnel currently do.

But how? Why? And what can be done (that hasn’t been done already) to change this?

The Premier League’s speed of play, like in all high-funded team sports, is developing at a rate never known before in living memory. Every facet of athlete potential is being analysed in more detail than ever before, in search of every 0.001% performance-increase that can bring more to a team’s fortunes.

In terms of passing the football – and therefore controlling physical exertion and mental stress sacrificed in a contest – having both the individual attributes in every position of the team throughout such a contest, PLUS the continuity of ‘culture of practice’ established that delivers on requirements short-term and long: it’s now EVERYTHING.


So “how?”.

Playing personnel with greater running durability will find it easier to ‘go the distance’ and be I the right places at the right time more often for the team. Obvious enough, you’d probably (and rightly) say.

Personnel with greater muscle strength will find passing the football with less force, more accuracy and more disguise; resulting in opposing players predicting what they will face a harder to instinctively decide process of though. Again: not that hard to know.

Then thrown both in together with an attribute very few of us humans are given at birth: physical balance. Doing both the above, passing the ball quickly, accurately; being in the right place at the right time – even when the opposition are in close proximity; will sometimes mean moving in a direction different to that of the ball being passed by mistake, or having to carry out your duties against tightly-marking opposition. Having both the strength to hold that marker off – then, with less than 100% perfect body position, pick the best possible pass to a very high standard – player after player, time after time again; keeping possession requires 11 athletes with very good balance at all times.


“Why?”

Finding and hiring athletes with such physical attributes, and talent to play the game at such a high speed and precision, won’t come cheap – or be found easily, for that matter.

Buying in the £20m-£30m budget player market for as many one-trick-ponies, for as long as we’ve been doing [you’ve-heard-this-all-before]…


So “what can be done/(tried) that we haven’t already”?

Very good question.

It would be wonderful to be able to spend £100m on one player, knowing the rest of the squad would respond through the banishing of complacency. We’re not allowed to. Again: you all know all-too-well why.

When things have been going well, beit short-term or something more settled, just about all of our present and previous managers have enjoyed times when players, free of weight bearing down on them, have looked confident enough to pass the ball; Lampard against Brentford in the F.A. Cup and at home to Leeds in the Premier League, the odd glimpse of what was going on at the training ground.

Rarely will anyone be 3-goals-up in a game of football though. Asserting control of a football match requires the ability to pass the ball efficiently – when the score is either even, or still in the balance.

Yesterday we saw an opposition display signs of complacency in that 2nd-half, against the orders of their manager; but a goal up and looking forward to (very regrettably) tougher challenges ahead.

Post-Chelski may be used to playing tense matches where domination isn’t matched by a healthy scoreline in their favour.

There’s something else they’re VERY MUCH used to doing, that we’ve seldom ever done since 1985: and that’s play twice a week – EVERY week, throughout a punishing football season.


A FACTOR THAT IS FORCED UPON EVERY ATHLETE THAT HAS TO COMPETE IN MORE DISCIPLINES OVER THE COURSE OF A SPORTNG SEASON, IS THE REQUIREMENT TO BEING IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION. HAVING TO DO SO MORE REGULARLY REQUIRES MORE DEDICATION TO REST, RECUPERATION. IT REQUIRES EATING A MORE HEALTHY, UNPALATABLE DIET. IT REQUIRES RESTING THE MIND MORE, SO AS TO TAKE IN VITAL KNOWLEDGE FROM COACHES INSTRUCTIONS AND PLAYER CHEMSITRY, THROUGHOUT THE WORKING WEEK.


How seriously do OUR players take this?
In comparison to our rivals? Or anyone else, for that matter…


Yes, it’s worth mentioning that Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury record stems back to Ancelotti’s decision in the Covid-19-shortened 2020 Summer offseason to really muscle up DCL. A decision which undoubtedly brought far greater performance to the striker’s game, but at a consequence has left his body open to injuries ever since.

But that’s an excuse all teams faced 25 months ago.

And as Lampard has made public; there’ve been way-too-many excuses made for way-too-long now.


PS: The thread title "Dr Defeat, won’t you help us…"
is in reference to the Miami Sound Machine's 1984 classic hit. And specifically: Gloria Estefan's vocals "Won't you help me Dr Beat?".