By default, Just in time

Not exactly the most glamourous of strategic battles played out at Goodison on Wednesday night.

But there was still much content of substance both Rodgers and Lampard will have learned about their players; in both positive and negative aspects of individual and collective performances.


In both West Ham defeats this season, we’ve encountered opposing teams with good European experiences to draw upon; slightly edging it in all aspects at Goodison, waiting for their moment. Then in London, bucking the possession-monopoly trend, believing they could hit us hard on the counter.

On both occasions, this approach worked for them.

The squad Brendan Rodgers has inherited already had considerable European experience. It continues this season.

That experience brought the willing confidence to try to play a game out, 1-0 up from minute 9 to the final whistle.

It didn’t yield three points for the Foxes.

How much this was because Lampard was effectively willing to tell his players:
‘Plan A simply isn’t working. We need to take desperate AND mature measures - fast’
and how much Leicester’s players’ collective trust in seeing a game they had dominated possession out, just with one goal, led to complacency
is a fascinating one to analyse – IF we can somehow detach ourselves from the emotional significance of the result, or the implications of it, in the very short-term.

To get the Leicester negative aspect of complacency out the way; not piling more players into our penalty area when wide midfielders had good crossing opportunities, but only one or two options to cross to? Some may suggest a fixture pile-up for them. It’s an excuse. The best simply don’t make those excuses. Put the game away at the earliest. The manager can then make substitutions accordingly.

Leicester were complacent. A door was left ajar.


At the same time, WE could be making endless references to the team Benitez was clearly struggling to foster self-resistance towards early blows landed on us. The mortal blow to the Spaniard’s job, conceding a second goal less than 60 seconds after falling behind at Carrow Road, a very obvious example.

Frank Lampard, neither as a player, nor manager of Derby County or Chelski, would likely have faced a scenario so bad that ‘lower-percentage’ measures had to be brought to immediate consideration.

That was exactly his only realistic option to deploy in the 2nd-half on Wednesday night.

It worked.


Salomon Rondon clearly isn’t exactly Robert Lewandowski or Karim Benzema.

But the presence of someone that could change the individual approach of the highly-experienced Jonny Evans, thus breaking the rhythm of Leicester’s play performance, inflicted an immediate change to the pattern of the game – perfectly fairly.

It’s no criticism of Richarlison, who despite missing two good shooting opportunities, will never let his head go down mentally (the two disallowed goals in the 2-1 Arsenal victory proof, should any be needed). And he delivered another equaliser in injury-time here.

Yet despite the changes working, at least to yield some form of tangible result; the way OUR gameplan was second-best for most of this fixture is very concerning.

Alex Iwobi, clearly enjoying more freedom to roam across as an energetic midfielder, enhancing his strengths; a fan winner now. But seeing him take possession from the right flank and dribbling sidewards into midfield was a clear indication that, individually forcing the issue our players were, collectively – we were second-best.

Remembering how low percentage play being an option Howard Kendall felt he had to use for the most part of the 1997-98 season - entirely due to a lack of funding and loss of key personnel - nearly relegated us. Last Wednesday's game did have certain echoes of unnerving realities.

Despite these very concerning details, upon all this were personnel with the attributes to keep going for the full 90. For as long as this is possible, there’s always hope.

I for one have waffled on-and-on about just how amazing this 21-year-old man (Anthony Gordon)’s mental resistance to collective superiority is. Even on a night where some terrible crossing of his own occurred at exactly the wrong moments and areas of the pitch; team-mates will always notice how he is the quickest to pick himself up in his mind and get on with his duties, faster than anyone else has done here at Everton for decades. And when I say: “faster”, I include faster than Coleman, Jagielka and even Cahill.

Having Yerry Mina back was crucial too for structure and stability – not that anyone needs it pointing out.


To conclude on Wednesday’s fixture: could do better. Could’ve been worse.

How can we look at things going to Anfield on Sunday from OUR perspective?


Well, it’s not so much giving Liverpool the right level of respect, as to how much respect WE can force out of this far superior outfit in just about all areas and facets of the two squads available.

Can we keep two of the best full-backs in the world not only in their own half of the pitch, but as near their own goal line for as long as we possibly can? Keeping them honest to OUR attacking threats, meaning if they do get any chances to counter-attack, they must go the entire length of the pitch – rather than just 40-50 metres.

Can we deal with the pressure applied on us when (regretfully some of) the best possession dribblers of the ball have it in our penalty area – with near 100% precision?

And then – their real ringleader; if it’s still 0-0 or 1-1 into the final ten minutes, with Mo Salah gametime-subbed, can we stop Virgil van Dijk waltzing into our penalty area and heading home a well-taken set-piece – when all else they’ve thrown at Pickford’s goal has been repelled?

Goal difference against Burnley has been mentioned. Comparing Liverpool’s and Man City’s goal differentials – taking into account City’s home fixture vs Watford, with chances to increase a slender +6 superior goal difference running out; you can bet Klopp will have more than just van Dijk all-too-well aware of the opportunity we (again, regretfully) are all-too-vulnerable upon.

It’s not a nice way of looking at things. But it’s the here and now. We’ve got to face this head-on and with full conviction. There’s no other way.

So whilst the wildly-overused phrase: ‘Anything can happen’, it almost certainly could on Sunday.

The 0-1 City defeat proved we can raise our game against the best.

The 1-0 Utd victory another cliché: ‘The points have to come from somewhere’.

Completely ridding ourselves of differing of meanings to differing teams is something we could do ourselves the power of good, against Liverpool and Chelski, in the following days.