Everton vs Aston Villa

Nothing like a 3pm Saturday kick off, I get that empty feeling when we are not playing then.

I am slightly dreading this game to be honest. A huge game for Lukaku in front of the home fans as he must step up to the plate.

Hopefully Barkley will come off the bench and get some game time under his belt, he might just spark our season into life?

A couple weeks back, I noticed that Benteke’s return was timed perfectly to coincide playing against us. Of course it is. I just hope he is as off it as his fellow Belgian. 10 months out, he should be damn rusty!

Somehow these idiots always seem to play us better at Goodison than at Villa Park, but I am confident..........until I remember that Stonesy is hobbled. Godspeed John Boy. Let’s try this:

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Alcaraz Baines
Besic Barry
McGeady Naismith Oviedo
Lukaku
Subs: Robles, Osman, Eto’o, Distin, Atsu, Barkley, Hibbert

As silly as it sounds, our dreadful start to the season won’t have done too much damage to our league campaign if we can start recapturing our form of last season. All our closest rivals ie. Man Utd, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal have all being struggling for form thus far and we only sit 5 points behind 4th place. Put a run together between now and the new year... and we can be right in the mix again... but we must start by winning tomorrow.

Hopefully, Coleman and McCarthy will be fit as they are very influential to the way we play. I would go with Besic instead of Barry to give us that extra bit of energy in midfield against a very hard working Villa side.

I would love to see Browning start in his preferred CB position but I suspect RM will either go with Distin or Alcaraz.

My team to face Aston Villa:

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Browning Baines
McCarthy Besic
McGeady Naismith Pienaar
Eto’o

Howard
Browning
Baines
Jags
Distin

McCarthy
Barry

Pienaar
Naismith
Coleman

Eto’o

That would give us strength on the ball and goalscoring capability with Ross, Lukaku (or Eto) and Nais switching it around up front.

Obviously injuries have played their part in that but we still aren’t creating that many chances. Albeit as you pointed out the majority of games have been away so that puts it a little into perspective. We’ve had tough fixtures to start with now we’ve got a run of games were we’d expect to pick up points. But we need them key players back.

I do know this: if we leak 3 or 4 tomorrow, can you imagine the grief the back four are going to get on here. I’d be delighted with a 1-0 win myself. Here’s hoping...

I would pick the same team as Mark:

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Browning Baines
McCarthy Besic
McGeady Naismith Pienaar
Eto’o

Browning should start. Distin/Alcaraz is a regressive step, neither have been effective for a long time.

Eto’o over Lukaku because he is just a better player.

Five points from fourth spot or 17th position, whatever way you want to look at it, it’s time the players turned up and showed some balls.

Player for player, there are not many Villa players that you would pick over ours.

Hutton is a weak link at right back, he is fine going forward but terrible defensively, I am sure Baines must be looking forward to going against him.

Might not be too pretty at times, but I think we will win 2-1, with a late, late winner.

Let’s do this.

Let’s get this season going......properly....

COYB.

I am neither of the pessimistic persuasion, it’s just that our performances to date, have in the most part, been disjointed with all too few moments of quality.

Needless to say, that the injury situation has not helped in any way, shape, or form either, but players who you would expect better from, have let the team down at crucial times.

They say that winning breeds confidence, and to a degree, becomes a habit. I believe that losing too is the direct opposite, and teams would certainly tread carefully against us, when on a winning streak, but believe there is three points up for grabs when playing poorly.

I sincerely hope that my trepidation is proved wrong, and today is the springboard for the season ahead.

COYB

It's becoming a potentially crucial period over the next few weeks, although it’s relatively early, we can’t say the same in another month or so and we need to start winning more matches in this period to get where we need to be.

Not winning can become a bad habit itself.

Just for once, use your best strikers together.

We need to re inject some urgency in to our play and fight for everything! Less of the pretty stuff and more nasty please. I’ll take a one-nil off someone’s backside to get this season going.

Get em fired up Bobby and get the crowd going and we’ll win it.

Besic or Barry? Not sure. I can definitely see something in Besic and think that he seems to be growing with every minute on the field. A lot find the Premier League hard to find the pace but he seems to be doing it quickly.

And Browning with Jags... Why not, he’s a talented confident young man and he again will only get better and better given the confidence of the manager and game time.

Please today boys. Please.

Would love to see Besic start and Rom and Sam up front together.

We must be careful of Villa on the break. Holding the ball and playing in their half is fine so long as we have an intact defence.

Team selection today will be very interesting.

If you look at comparisons with other youngsters given the chance at rival teams. Players like Andros Townsend and Harry Kane, Blackett. Sterling, Shaw, Ward-Prowse.

However, is it not a case that these players aren’t good enough or seen as good enough by the manager.

I do have the opinion though that sometimes, if they are thrown in at the deep end they give that bit extra and shine. I’d love to see players like Browning etc given some game time and even the likes of George Green... A massive massive talent and why not have him on the bench and let him have the odd ten or fifteen minutes (situation permitting)

Look at what Rooney did.... Green is as good.

Howard
Coleman
Baines
Jagielka
Distin
Besic
McCarthy
Pienaar
Barry
Naismith
Lukaku

This would be a 4-3-1-2 formation with Pienaar behind the front 2 and Barkley to be introduced after the break. I feel this would give us our defensive stability back and also getting 2 forwards playing together.

With Mirallas out for a while, I don’t trust the other wingers yet. When Barkley is fit, I would like to see him replace Barry or Besic in that line up for more creativeness from midfield. With our full backs bombing on, I feel this may be the way forward until Mirallas is back fit.

I don’t know if the youngsters you mentioned are good enough, but talent should be the criteria not age. You mention Garbutt but are you really suggesting that he replaces the current England full back, that would put enormous pressure on the kid. Also would not Oviedo be ahead of him in the pecking order.

I know you can't always pick and choose when you can play youngsters but I would think they would have more chance of coming into a team that is winning than one that is struggling as we are at present.

He’s from Macclesfield, definitely a boyhood red.

Apart from that, Everton will win.

Come on, you Blue Men... make my weekend a happy one. COYB!

As for today, a win would give us a great boost going in to two games we should be winning. We would fly up the table with three wins in a row.

I’d go:

Howard
Coleman Jags Alcaraz Baines
McCarthy. Besic
Naismith Eto’o Oviedo
Lukaku

Eto’o just behind Lukaku. Besic and McCarthy putting in an effort worthy of the gods.

I don’t give a shit who starts though. I don’t give a shit how pretty we play. All I care about is the 3 points. Any way, shape, or form. We have to get moving in the right direction.

Subs: Robles, Hibbert, Gibson, Besic, Pienaar, McGeady, Eto'o

http://www.nsno.co.uk/Everton-news/2014/10/Martinez-villa-the-last-side-i-want-to-play-this-weekend/

Let’s just pray for three points.