A Game of Two Halves

Gareth Cooper 30/09/2015 16comments  |  Jump to last
Looking back at the emotional shift that occurred for myself (and the bulk of Evertonians) on Monday night, I started thinking that this is becoming something of a habit. More often than not this season, I've felt that squirming feeling of doubt poking at my faith in the Blues to come out of games with a win. This is because, for some reason, we seem to have taken an age to kick-start ourselves into action, or, like Monday, need the opposition to spur us into action with a couple of swipes to the gut.

The good news is that we do eventually get going and start playing the way we can, but my question is: Why are we not getting into this position earlier in games? Why in most of our games (excluding v Chelsea and Southampton) do we only get going around the hour mark?

My take is that this is a case of the exceptions proving the rule (in a round-about way). In those two games, the way Mr Martinez set us up was slightly different to our other matches. He went with a formula used for some tough games last season (the best example I can think of is the home win v Man Utd) built around solid defence and potent – and most importantly 'fast' – counter-attacking. This to me is how Mr Martinez likes to tackle games against teams he feel pose the most potent attacking threats, by encouraging them on to us and then hitting them hard in the gaps they leave.

I would say, based on the Chelsea and Southampton games, this style has worked pretty well this season. The only duff attempt was v Man City, who themselves attack in a more calculated manner (IMHO); albeit I don't think we were too bad that game.

Back to the original thrust... In games we expect to win, or the perception is we need to attack or break down teams, the chemistry from the start isn't quite right. Mr Martinez won't be too gung-ho attacking and the speed of play slows, taking away our most threatening players' edge. The set-up is more conservative and I feel this is a slight hangover from last season when we were often exposed at the back. The football may be neat, and thankfully we look much more assured in defense, but we rarely make the breakthrough, especially against well-drilled defensive units of the Pulis ilk. We are then prone ourselves to the odd error (Mr Barry this time) and the suckerpunch.

As I said before, the good news is we seem able to respond (Barnsley, Reading, West Brom, Watford), if a little too slowly for our increasingly fraying nerves. The real frustration for me is the loss of points through drawing with teams we could beat. The missing piece of the puzzle for me is how we take these teams on earlier in the game avoiding the need to bring our shovels every week to dig ourselves out of self-dug holes!

Get this right and maintain our defensive poise and we could be looking at another Martinez Season 1, rather than the somewhat disappointing sequel. Getting this part of our game to click will be all-important given our run of fixtures from November to January against very 'beatable' teams. The right approach could leave us in a very strong position come the New Year.

Do others see this the same way, or are there other takes on our early season form?

Finally, and off topic, made up with the performance of our young lads at the moment. The future seems a brighter shade of blue.

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Reader Comments (16)

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Michael Penley
1 Posted 01/10/2015 at 02:32:05
I don't agree that we "got going" at all against West Brom. Two of our goals should have been ruled out, so we should have lost.

The issue for me is clear: Martinez still can't figure out how to break down Pulis-type defences. In an open game we're generally excellent (save for the Spurs game).

William Cartwright
2 Posted 01/10/2015 at 04:05:02
Two goals to be discounted? Absolute twaddle. The off-side rule clearly states if the attacker is in line with the last defender when the ball is played forward then he is "on side". Throughout the season for most teams outside the Sky 4 and the Redshites, the rule is applied generally cautiously. It should be appreciated that we received the benefit of good decisions. They would never happen for us against the 'top' clubs.
Michael Penley
3 Posted 01/10/2015 at 06:13:39
Well you can justify it however you like but Kone's position looks suspiciously similar to the situation in page 8 of the rule book.

1. Link
2. Link

He certainly wasn't "level", as you describe it.

Lyndon Lloyd
4 Posted 01/10/2015 at 06:29:43
Doesn't the rule say something about offside being determined by a "scoring" part of the body's position (i.e. head, feet) vis-a-vis the last defender? And in that case, do the same parts of the defender's body apply? In the first of Michael's (3) links, Kone's head and leading foot are both exactly level with Brunt's right foot.

In any case, the decision is so marginal that in a "these things even out over a season" kind of way, it doesn't actually matter. Lord knows we've been robbed of enough over the last 30 years that we shouldn't deny ourselves the benefit of a slender doubt...

Peter McHugh
5 Posted 01/10/2015 at 06:37:53
For whatever reason, I get the impression at times that we need to be let off the shackles. When we play less rigid and a more natural games we seem better.

Deulofeu seems to be chomping at the bit. I hope that after this tough run in first few fixtures at home that we start playing two wingers. One noticeable difference this season is we’re definitely playing a higher tempo on the counter.

Personally, I would like to see a higher tempo throughout the whole game. We still don’t seem to press up high (unlike a Chilean or Barcelona type team) but it’s the manager’s call and perhaps also, we don’t have the personnel to play this type of game.

Ian Smitham
6 Posted 01/10/2015 at 06:55:47
Here is a link to the LOAF as it is called:
The Laws Of Association Football
. It explains Offside and the associated Offence, Offside in itself not being an Offence.

At the level of Premier League a hand would not be regarded as being able to be Offside as it can not be used to score.

In the first link above, one can see the Assistant is clearly struggling to see Kone and is moving around to try to get a better position, Kone is probably well aware that the defender is obstructing the Assistants view and so is taking up an excellent position.


[I would have cut and copied the relevant section, but, alas, either my iPad is not up to it, or I am not, apologies.]

Patrick Murphy
7 Posted 01/10/2015 at 07:58:31
Last season there is a good chance that we would have lost at Barnsley and therefore gone out of the League Cup and we probably would have lost at WBA too. quite possibly we may have lost at home to Watford. We can't prove any of that but the fact that the team are prepared to battle back and gain something from a game after falling behind is in stark contrast to last season when a goal against often signalled game over for the Blues.

From that perspective Everton should do OK this season and certainly better than last, but I do agree that it would be nice to see the team go for it a little earlier in games and perhaps not put the fans through the wringer quite so often.

The fact that Martinez is cautious or has become so, is not the end of the world, most teams that do well over a season tend to keep the game tight unless blessed with exceptional talents such as City et al.

Chelsea won the title last season based as much on their defence as their attack, and as they say it is a team game and every department has to pull its weight, sometimes the defenders will earn the team a point or three, sometimes it will be the forwards who do their stuff. In the end it doesn't matter how the game pans out as long as Everton have at least one more goal than their opponents although a few more comfortable wins here and there would be most welcome.

As regards having 2 goals chalked off on Monday night, I would say what did the scoreline read in the Tuesday morning papers? Everton FC have been on the end of some ridiculously tight decisions in the last few seasons and most have been proved to be incorrect. It's bad enough hearing fans of other teams moaning about the quality or authenticity of Everton's goals and it's pretty galling to hear some Evertonians doing likewise.

Peter Mills
8 Posted 01/10/2015 at 08:22:06
Interesting thoughts, Gareth. If we play 2 defensive midfielders, it leaves us with only four players whose chief remit is to attack. If those attacking players come from Deulofeu, Barkley, Kone, Lukaku or Mirallas, they are all at their best playing on the break.

In the absence of the signing of the No 10 there was so much talk of, the player with a good touch and movement outside a crowded penalty area, there will be room yet for Osman and Naismith, although they may have to do their stuff coming on from the bench.

David Hallwood
10 Posted 01/10/2015 at 14:34:38
Kone wasn’t offside because the officials ruled it that way; it’s in the records book and It’s not going to get chalked off retrospectively; so a goal it is then; swings & roundabouts.

Onto the way we play; a TWebber pointed it out halfway through RM’s first season. He likes to play possession football early doors and gradually expand the play. If this is the case, he may be even more defensive than Dour Davey, because we haven’t many 4 & 5 goals in a match but, on the other hand, I think we’ve only been stuffed 4 or 5 once. The bad news is it was v the RS.

That being said, I still think the build-up is far too slow and doesn’t utilise the pace we now have in the side.

Clive Rogers
11 Posted 01/10/2015 at 21:15:07
Part of the problem on Monday was playing Naismith wide left where he was completely lost. Every time he got the ball out wide, he turned and played the ball backwards. He cannot play that position and it was no surprise when he was pulled.
Oscar Huglin
12 Posted 02/10/2015 at 10:44:16
Michael Penley is just determined to be miserable. Monday was a great win and a fantastic game of football, and we’ve started this season better than most of us could have dreamed – just look at the teams we’ve played (Southampton, City, Spurs, Swansea, Chelsea and we’re only 7 games in) and our league position despite that.

If we beat the shite on Sunday we could very feasibly move into the top 4 after 8 games despite having already played 6 of last season’s top 8. Stop moaning and get behind the team, we could be on to something special this season.

Michael Penley
13 Posted 02/10/2015 at 11:14:22
Oscar (#12) miserable is right. The next time the officials make poor decisions against us and everyone on here is moaning how we should have won, I’ll point out that results don’t lie and we played badly because we lost.

But really, the only reason I’m interested in decisions is because I’m a former ref. I’m behind the team 100%.

Laurie Hartley
14 Posted 02/10/2015 at 12:35:17
Gareth in answer to:

The missing piece of the puzzle for me is how we take these teams on earlier in the game avoiding the need to bring our shovels every week to dig ourselves out of self-dug holes!

Going by what I saw against West Brom on Monday night, I would start Gibson instead of McCarthy – he looks to get the ball forward as soon as he gets possession. While McCarthy is very good at breaking down attacks, he tends to pass sideways or back when he is given possession.

Harold Matthews
15 Posted 02/10/2015 at 14:05:58
The brilliance of Deulofeu has certainly messed up my thinking.

Prior to his emergence, I considered Barkley playing behind Kone, Lukaku and Lennon as our best starting XI but the front three of Kone, Lukaku and Deulofeu did a fine job against the Baggies.

Incidentally, when defending corners and free kicks, Why does 6’-4" Lukaku stay upfield? Doesn’t make sense.

Nigel Gregson
16 Posted 02/10/2015 at 14:25:23
No Gareth I don't see it the same way and this is why:

1. Stubborn defensive opposition cannot be broken down from minute zero. All teams are fresher and concentrate better in the first half while parking the bus. In the great season two years ago, we were scoring most of our goals in the last 20 minutes. Our flair and unpredictability is far far more effective against tired legs.

2. You may not remember this but we WERE hitting teams early and taking leads last season. It happened in 16 games. You know how that season went.


John Raftery
17 Posted 03/10/2015 at 10:47:52
Winning matches against teams which are set up to defend deep is proving difficult for the majority of Premier League clubs. Most like to bring the opposition on to them and then expose the gaps on the break.

Many teams, Leicester and Palace being two obvious examples, now have speed merchants capable of tearing through defensive lines by playing on the counter attack. That is why we are seeing a lot of cagey play in the first half of games with a reluctance to throw people forward.

Most matches are won in the latter stages. Few managers including Martinez will throw caution to the wind in the opening half and none will have more than four creative players on the field at the start. The idea of playing only one defensive midfielder for 90 minutes would leave us exposed to the counter attack.

One of the great strengths of the 1967-70 team was that we had two midfielders who could play both defensively and offensively. Their names were Kendall and Harvey.


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