I just don’t know where to start.
The unique territory Everton Football Club finds itself in is fascinating in so many respects, albeit not exactly all for the better.
But there sure is much to look forward to; last Saturday’s fixture in west Yorkshire providing much promise and significant evidence to back up hope.
How fast are we progressing?
Are Leeds really going to sustain last campaign’s very high intensity performances over another marathon season?
How much was Elland Road one point earned, and how much two points slipped?
How long can Richarlison and Coleman keep playing the way they are before either a rest or back-up has to be provided?
Well, to get the negatives out the way ASAP: many of our defensive players may not have delivered tangible returns on fantasy football contests. That shouldn’t stop us from praising our players for another very pleasing team performance.
One of our defenders is taking a lot of flack for personal errors; I prefer to look at team sports as a whole unit. How well are we attacking as a team and how well are we defending as a unit. Whether or not the link [below] warrants someone being forgiven on this occasion or not, there are promising signs that the change of approach to playing by Benitez is not going to equate to long-term results plummeting.
Allan and Digne thwart Leeds counter-attackWhat you see here is not only Allan very determinedly chasing back an advancing Patrick Bamford, fresh with his team back on level terms and eager to take the lead on a quick counter-attack. You also see someone backing him up with an equally-determined run to cut out the Leeds striker’s passing options simply by being the first player he sees.
As a result, Bamford hesitates for a split-second. That split-second is all the Brazilian needs to make a superb tackle, but the danger isn’t completely dealt with. Lucas Digne still has to challenge Leeds midfielders to see out the danger. He does, and a few moments of worry are extinguished, meaning Rafa Benitez can give a half-time team talk on his own terms, rather than having to re-prepare a comeback.
Michael Keane, like several players at our club, have been very loyal, when others have jumped ship. BOTH goals that have resulted in what may appear to be personal mistakes of concentration or technical ability can – to some extent – be explained by one part of the team’s overall performance that can vastly improve: pressing as a 10-man unit more quickly.
Why has this not already happened to the desired levels?
Our new manager has taken a gamble by sacrificing the number of intense pre-season fixtures his squad would face, in return for more time on the training grounds to tailor individual and team games our players need to take forward this season and (w all hope) – beyond.
It’s a gamble in that a lot of fitness level durability stems from grafting in the Summer months, but I believe it’s a calculated move that COULD pay dividends.
Cast our minds back to (yawn) lockdowns 1 & 2; both denied our previous manager a full and thorough pre-season. It also denied Carlo’s squad a full rest period. It’s something both Benitez and his medical staff have to take into account when asking players to go the distance throughout 2021-22, so Richarlison has to be very mature in what his body will and won’t allow him to offer. The same goes for many others.
These above three paragraphs may only to some extent explain why opposing defenders still have too much time to begin passing and probing possession beyond the centre circle; it’s been the way for goodness knows how many decades...
We also have to be able to do more with the ball when we have it, and this involves confidence. LOTS OF CONFIDENCE.
The transfer window will soon be closing, and I’m convinced that Moise Kean wants out and has been told to behave – just to make everyone’s job of formalities running smoothly. Ditto for James Rodriguez – though where and in what exchange/transaction, isn’t as clear.
If we want to hang on to Richarlison, we have to prove we can provide some form of player upgrade in the squad upon the Italian striker & Columbian playmaker’s joint departure – even if Brands and Moshiri decide that not getting 100% value from their departures will help quickly replace gaps in our squad AND consolidate our worrying FFP position. The latter may be spared the worst IF newspaper speculation upon Man City’s shopping spree gathers momentum of its’ own.
The point though is that we really do need to keep the ball more, and this means our most accomplished midfielder (Allan) must be allowed to try to dictate play for ourselves more. This may well happen – IF the player can stay healthy for as long as possible.
The other very big plus last Saturday was the maturity displayed by our #9 Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
I don’t know if or when Sigurdsson’s absence promoted DCL to #1 penalty-taker, but no-one in Elland Road would’ve known what was going to be a formality more than himself (and defender Cooper), so the long VAR decision was always going to be a stern test of DCL’s focus and mental strength. He passed with flying colours, not trying to do anything he wasn’t capable of, just put the ball in the net. His celebration was after the goal – not before.
So there’s much to look forward to in West Sussex. Let’s just hope there’s no injuries beforehand.
empresstouch
