Everton vs Arsenal

Here’s my team to start tomorrow:

Howard; Coleman, Stones, Distin, Baines; McCarthy. Barry; Pienaar, Mirallas, Atsu; Lukaku.

Despite our strong home record last season we have lost two of our last three games at Goodison conceding six goals.

We need Seamus Coleman fit so badly.

We need to get off to a strong start with same kind of tempo and intensity that walloped Arsenal in April, we need to scare Arsenal under the evening air at Goodison Park.

We need to start holding on to a lead more doggedly.

We need to cut out conceding sloppy schoolboy goals when under little pressure.

We DEFINITELY need to stop conceding goals from setpieces, corners, free-kicks etc, it's becoming so frustrating because it always used to be one of our strong points but the last two years it's crept in almost alarmingly unnoticed and reared its head again last weekend at Leicester.

Finally we need our big players to have big games...that means not carrying a below par Romelu or Kevin Mirallas if he starts.

Big players win you big games.

Personally, I'm quite excited by the partnership of Lukaku and Naismith. Naismith doesn't have the technical ability of Barkley but he does have excellent movement around the box, works hard and most importantly, he scores goals. I'm confident that if Naismith starts on a regular basis his goal tally will easily hit double figures by end of season.

I expect us to line-up like this:

Howard
Coleman Jags Distin Baines
McCarthy Barry
Mirallas Naismith Pienaar
Lukaku

Hopefully, Distin and Jags 'horror show' last week won't be repeated.

Howard
Coleman
Stones
Distin
Baines
Atsu
Barry
McCarthy
Mirallas
Besic
Lukaku

That for me would give Arsenal something to think about, yeah it won't happen but would be nice. Besic I feel has the ability to create behind Lukaku and would link up well.

The Jags and Distin "horror show" has been all too frequent over the past two season's sadly.

I don't mind admitting that just seeing those two at the back at times has had me shaking, every time time we concede a corner you almost feel it's like conceding a penalty such is the lack of assured leadership when defending.

Its up to one of our defenders to stand up and start barking orders out, ala Dave Watson, John Terry for example.

What gets me is why when defending corners don't our players run and attack the ball rather then allowing the opposition players to do just that while all of our players remain static for a standing jump.
Any good defensive coach knows that you have more chance of winning a header from running and gaining momentum rather than a static standing jump.

Lets just watch how we defend corners tomorrow and study this.

Earlier subs than last week if not going well. Besic, Atsu...?

Got a good feeling about this one. Everton 2-1 Arsenal.

We know they don't like it when you get in their faces, Wilshere/Giroud at al, off squealing like little girls to the ref.

2-1 win for us tomorrow, big game needed and coming from Rom, both goals for the big fella.

Lets do this.

Howard
Coleman
Baines
Stones
Jags

McCarthy
Barry

Mirallas
Pienaar
Lukaku

Naismith

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
McCarthy Barry
Mirallas Naismith Atsu
Lukaku

Coyb!

Time for Roberto to put his three post Brazil words into action. Dynamic - Intense - Brave. Let's go for it.

I couldn't agree with you more re Ba, a real handful... and they are there for the taking..

You take care, mate...

I'm very excited about this kid and I think he could come on and play well in a big game.

Also hoping the crowd is raucous and gets behind the team in a major way.

Ramsey came on for the last 10 minutes last year and looked a cut above. Arteta for me was their weak link with his lack of strength and pace, and him not playing is a blow.

I just hope we can take it to them at a high tempo, get the crowd going, get in front and keep it that way.

Hopefully we’ll get see some of Atsu’s pace up against Monreal; McGeady for me is not a player to be relied on in big games – he’s too hit and miss. Saying that, he’ll probably prove me wrong and score a whopper.

Attack, attack, pause for a deep breath, and attack some more.

Fuck them.

I'll settle for any sort of win, even an undeserved one just to get some points on the board and get some momentum.

Wenger will not set them up the same way...

It's early season for them too, though. So I'll stand on mine.

Attack them, attack them, attack them. They respond poorly to it.

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
McGeady McCarthy Barry Pienaar
Naismith Lukaku

Yeah, boring I know, but a good team to start with. To change things around, we have Mirallas to come on in the 60th minute for Pienaar/McGeady, Atsu for McGeady/Pienaar around the 70th minute and Besic/Gibson on for Barry/McCarthy (if we are leading 2-0).

Their team would look something like:

Schezny
Monreal Mertesaker Koscielny Debuchy
Oxlade Ramsey Wilshere Cazorla
Sanchez Giroud

Formidable looking line-up, and their wide mid-fielders are better on paper, but our full-backs are better on paper. If the crowd is up for it, we should nick it 2-1.

We know Arsenal will come at us and if we can counter anywhere near as well as we did against them in the first half last year, we will be in business.

Coleman a must for me, we don't want to become too predictable by relying too heavily on the left. If I thought we could win it in the first half like last year and we were able to repeat some of the "Ole" stuff we produced in the second. I'd pay twice. Can't see it happening though. This is a much better Arsenal team.

The crowd has a big part to play tonight. I'm going for an Everton win.... just!

Glad you have noticed it too.

I had a bit of spare time one night during July so watched a re-run of the season review of 2012-13, David Moyes's final season, and I noticed it, the sheer amount of goals we shipped by hoofed corners or deep free-kicks into our box, just absolutely slaughters our defence.

I would actually like to see which team over the last few years has conceded most goals from set-pieces because I'd bet my bottom dollar we'd be near one of the worst.

The thing is as well we are totally hopeless from attacking set-pieces too, we hardly even win aerial duels yet alone score from them. It's something I hope we have worked on during the summer but judging by last weekend it seems to have started already.

Jagielka and Distin always look so jittery with the ball at their feet and not a great deal more confident when high balls come in at them.

The psychology of a win over a top 4 team particularly this early in the season sends out a statement of intent, it breeds a winning mentality, an arrogance if you will, it sends out a message to Chelsea "Welcome to Goodison". If we are going to do something this season this is a marker for us.

All the players need to be up for this and get at them from the off to have any chance. There's little chance of stopping them scoring if we try to just keep it tight at the back. Baines needs to have a good game against Sanchez and Rom needs to give their CBs a really tough game.

I am nervous of this game coming so early in the season but their players will also be rusty. Hopefully a packed and rocking GP will help to get us over the line with 3 points.

However, my immediate concerns are the defence, which including last week at Leicester, and all the pre-season showings, that they have looked anything but a shadow of last years invincibility.

Tim has been a bit shaky too, but that could be down to lack of confidence, in those in front of him. Baines and Coleman are nailed on, but the Central Defensive pairing, leaves so many questions, what is our best combination?

McGeady was awful against Porto but I'm hoping now he's had 6 months to get used to Prem football & now has had a pre-season under his belt that we may start to see the best of him.

He has a lot of ability but has to start being consistent, he had a good first half last week, showed what's he's capable of, scored a great goal but second half he just gave the ball away. In fairness, everyone was poor second half.

An in-form player like McGeady could really make a difference to our season.

Good, strong bench with Besic, Mirallas & Atsu – I hope to see them all get game time today.

Different Arsenal side today, Sanchez, Ramsey etc and a strong bench. Considering the job Besic did on Messi, I wonder if RM is tempted to stick him man to man on Ramsey. Keep Ramsey quiet – that's half a job done there.

We're still more than capable of taking 3 points but we'll need a top performance; play like 2nd half last week...

These two home games against tough opposition are precisely what's required to get us up to speed....3-1 with Lukaku scoring a brace. Take that, Arsene!

4-0. Time for another statement of intent.

COYB.

Up The Toffees!

There again I suppose 'Up The Toffees' could be applied both in congratulatory and denegratory contexts.

So, very clever, you have covered both outcomes there my friend.

Not sure where a draw would fit in though.

Today will be very difficult. Arsenal will probably have their three German World Cup winners available who will be really fired up and full of adrenalin. As has been mentioned, the one thing in our favour was their long trip to Turkey in midweek. A draw might not be a bad thing at the end of the day. Chelsea next week will be even more difficult, judging by the way they played against Burnley.

So would three points from the first three games be such a bad thing?

I worry that the intensity Roberto talks about is not yet present in our game and that Arsenal and Chelsea will punish any sloppy passing as has been evident in pre-season and at Leicester. McGeady in particular seems prone to giving the ball away in bad positions and as such my team is:

Howard
Coleman Stones Jagielka Baines
McCarthy Barry
Mirallas Naismith Pienaar
Lukaku

Atsu can’t play next week so let’s see him today.

If we can get an early lead and the Old Lady starts rocking, their players won't fancy it. In the back of their minds will be last season's game. Team-wise I think Roberto might spring a surprise and start Atsu. Coleman should also be back, which in turn will hopefully bring out the best in McGeady. Ever the optimist, I'm gonna stick a fiver on us to win 4-1.
COYB

I'd go for the same team as last week except for Coleman coming in for Stones. Bringing Atsu and Mirallas on in the second half to murder Arsenal's tiring back 4.

Great first half, almost useless, and conceding possession all too easily second half. I know wingers quite often have this trait, but from what I've seen of him, his poor displays greatly outnumber his good ones.

As I mentioned, as have other posters, I would give Atsu a good go, bearing in mind he will not be available next game against Chelsea.

Funny feeling he will start with Pienaar, as again against Leicester, the Bainaar partnership was almost back to it's best in the first half, second half a different story.

Good observation there.

What worries me, is that if this has been the case, just how many has he got left?

As Michael said, he likes to reward players and I think he did enough last week to stay in. Not that it would bother me if Mirallas came in.

Coleman returning should be plus and hopefully Stones being gone from right back settles the two lads in the middle.

I think our attacking players aren’t up to speed yet, in particular the two Belgians.

I watched the Madrid derby last night and Mandzukic is very similar to Costa, just without the pace. Lukaku would never have fit into their team with the level of work rate they put in.

Not if that message is "You need to put in a 90 minute shift to earn a regular starting spot in this team... Aiden. One nice strike doesn't excuse you huffing and puffing like a Homebase shelf-stacker throughout the entire second half."

Mirallas on an off day will still pose more of a threat to Arsenal than McGeady.

Anyway, my major concern today is whether the mouthy, eyeball bulging, phlegm projecting prick who looks like Biffa Bacon's mutha and sits 2 seats along from us has renewed his season ticket for another year.

Team today should be Howard, Coleman, Stones, Distin, Baines, Besic, McCarthy, Mirallas, Naismith, Astu, Lukaku. Lots of mobility and running is required today so Barry can have a rest. COYB.

I'll be very surprised if Martinez doesn't stick with experience at the back. I fancy the team will be as Sam has it down, apart from Distin instead of Stones.

I've not a clue how the game will go, we'll probably know after the first 20 mins, I think though if we really get behind the team we could scare the living daylights out of this lot, they're not the greatest of travellers!

Howard
Coleman Stones Distin Baines
McCarthy Barry Besic
Mirallas Naismith
Lukaku