Swansea City v Everton, Match Preview

Last season, Everton were one of the few teams to do the League double against us, and in neither game could we realistically complain.

After a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park, where, apart from Leon Britton, the shortest man on the pitch scored a bullet header from a corner (it was Leon Osman), in the return at the Liberty we were mugged by David Moyes’s evolving and committed team – they always start slowly, and then get better as the year goes on.

Well, at least they used to! This year, they’ve started strongly, and this weekend’s fixture promises to set us one of our harder tests.

The reasons for their better start are not hard to discern – this year, for once, Moyes got his incomings and outgoings done early, to good effect, and this most competent of PL Managers was able to drill and train his squad such that they were ready for the off from the get-go.

Their most recent fixture, a fizz-bang cracker of a game last Monday against Newcastle Utd in a classic advertisement for Sky Monday Night Football, saw most commentators concur that in a 2 - 2 outcome they were slightly unfortunate, having had two justifiable "goals" ruled out by poor officiating decisions.

For that game, they went with this line up...............

24 Howard, 02 Hibbert, 03 Baines, 06 Jagielka, 15 Distin, 18 Neville Booked, 21 Osman, 22 Pienaar Booked, 25 Fellaini Booked, 07 Jelavic (Anichebe - 44’ ), 11 Mirallas (Naismith - 83’ )
Substitutes:
01 Mucha, 05 Heitinga, 23 Coleman, 34 Duffy, 14 Naismith, 19 Gueye, 28 Anichebe

They lined up in a distinctive 4-1-3-1-1 with Howard in goal, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin and Baines across the back, Phil Neville holding, allowing a 3 of Mirallas, Osman and Pienaar to support the rampaging Marouane Fellaini, just behind Nikica Jelavic. It worked, once again, too.

Those players were chosen from this full squad.........

1 Jan Mucha GK,
2 Tony Hibbert Def,
3 Leighton Baines Def,
4 Darron Gibson MF,
5 John Heitinga Def,
6 Phil Jagielka Def,
7 Nikica Jelavic Fwd,
8 Bryan Oviedo MF,
11 Kevin Mirallas Fwd,
14 Steven Naismith Fwd,
15 Sylvain Distin Def,
18 Phil Neville Def,
19 Magaye Gueye Fwd,
20 Ross Barkley MF,
21 Leon Osman MF,
22 Steven Pienaar MF,
23 Seamus Coleman Def,
24 Tim Howard GK,
25 Marouane Fellaini MF,
27 Apostolos Vellios Fwd,
28 Victor Anichebe Fwd,
30 Francisco Junior MF,
34 Shane Duffy Def,
42 Luke Garbutt Def,
43 Conor McAleny Fwd

Let’s look initially at the most recently chosen first team.

The American keeper Tim Howard is nowadays a PL veteran, and must be rated as one of the PL’s best. Gone are the days of his Man Utd period doubts, and he continues to make excellent stops when times are tight. Covered by Jan Mucha.

Hibbert, at RB, Jags and Distin at CB are all solid defenders. All have PL experience in spades and all are classy and reliable footballers.

Baines, at LB, is all of these things and then some. Many Swans will remember his free-kick goal last year, a thing of beauty to all but us Swans. This marauding LB is on the cusp of overtaking Ashley Cole as the best LB in England, and his combination with South Africa’s captain at left MF (Pienaar) is one of the things this side relies on to give them attacking momentum.

Pienaar, for his part as well, is no lightweight. Back at Everton from a rocky sojourn at Tottenham, he has proved that his talent and class endures, and he always influences games.

The rock solid Phil Neville, the Club Captain, has of late played as the holding MFer, but has the flexibility to fill in at either FB. A top class, classy professional footballer, he is Everton’s Gary Monk/Alan Tate in spades. Never, ever, lets his side down. Btw, if you don’t follow him on Twitter, @fizzer18 is always a good read. One of the few modern footballers who are real.

Leon Osman, just like our Leon, is influential. Always underrated, but trusted by Moyes, he has a habit of changing passages of play with key goals.

On the right last week was one of the Merseysiders’ new acquisitions, Kevin Mirallas, who came from Olympiakos as a Belgian International (and we all know how good they are). Able to play as an out and out forward or in midfield, centrally or wide, he was a fine addition.

The front 2 last week are special.

This is the PL, and Marouane Fellaini is thus far one of the most impressive players in the League. We remember him well. Apart from bullying Ash Williams and Neil Taylor before squaring a ball that Jelavic tapped in, he’s this season embarrassed Man Utd and other luminaries. We will do well to keep him in check. He of the Shock-Peter hair and 6ft plus stature is a handful in every game.

Last week, up front, they started Nikica Jelavic, signed last year from Glasgow Rangers, and the best stat I’m aware of about him is this – in his first games for Everton, from his first 12 touches of the ball, 9 were goals. Wow. First touch and in. Impressive. Reports suggest that he may be injured and thus we may get to miss him, and his replacement is likely to be the in-form Victor Anichebe, the young Nigerian who has started the season well, too, although both Fellaini and Mirallas can lead lead the line on occasion.

The thing to remember about Everton is this: This is a physically imposing, energetic and intimidating, tactically astute, serial Premier League member. This is a side that has been in the PL since its inception – and comfortably, too, apart from one wobbly season. Coupled with that, they are managed by the impressive David Moyes, and as I’ve said before, he’s a PL Manager you really wouldn’t want to start a fight with. He strikes me as if he’d win, and his players and team reflect this.

So, you can bet your life we’re in for a hard, hard game.

There is, nowadays, a greater depth within their squad.

Jan Mucha is the reserve GK, and cover at the back is provided by Dutch World Cup finalist CB John Heitinga, last year’s Club player of the year, but currently kept out by the evergreen Sylvain Distin and current England CB "Jags".

Again on the bench against the Toon were Seamus Coleman, RoI International and ostensibly a RB but who often plays as a Maicon style Wing Back or MFer.

Shane Duffy is the County Derry born CB who emerged from the Club’s fabled Academy along with the class of Ross Barkley (currently out on loan) and Jack Rodwell, sold to Man City for £15m plus. Forward cover comes from Steven Naismith, the Scottish Int’l striker picked up cutely from Rangers on a free, and Magaye Gueye, the French-born youngster who represented Senegal at the Olympic games.

MFer Darron Gibson, ex-Man Utd, is out with a thigh injury, so we’re unlikely to see him.

Squad depth runs from Forwards Conor McAleny, a Liverpool born further Academy grad, Apstostolos Vellios, a Greek U-21 Int’l central Striker. MFers Fransisco Junior, a young box-to-box runner born in Guinea-Bissau, and Bryan Oviedo, a Costa Rican Int’l left sider with 13 caps both give middle of the park cover. Another young Defender, Luke Garbutt, became an Everton scholar from Leeds Utd, and is progressing well.

David Moyes, as you know, is one of the PL’s best and most experienced Managers, and in assembling his squad for this season, has shown his ability to attract decent talent to the Club by all the various routes, both Internal and External, and coupled with that the Toffees have started the season in good form.

We know to our cost how effective they were against us last year.

As for our own form, we will want to put behind us the disappointing showing at Villa Park last week, and return to more profitable ways, although from a personal point of view I feel there were instances in that previous fixture that had things gone our way – I’m thinking of the Guzan double save and Danny G and Luke M’s misses – things just might have been different. Ah well, " If my Granny etc......".

ML may well, I feel, make some slight changes.

Against a physical side like Everton, Ki’s prowess, both on and off the ball, and even Kemy Agustien for similar reasons, may be considered. The options at the back are limited, and I don’t see any change there.

Lastly, Pablo’s encouraging cameo in the last 15 mins may see him give a spell to either of the wide men.

Whatever line up ML chooses, this will be a difficult encounter, but in this Division, when was it any different?

And that’s what makes this journey all the more rewarding. I, along with all my fellow Jacks will be there to give my unstinting support; because that’s what we fans do.

Enjoy the game.

Onward, Swansea City.

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