The Italian Job

While being pragmatic (like Allardyce was when he did well to snatch a point) is certainly a possibility, I believe this is the best time for Carlo to have a go and get the result that Evertonians are desperate for, and set us up for staring them in the eyes when next season's derby comes around.

Surely, we HAVE to, SOMEDAY, turn around the awful record we have had for the past decade. We may all just be pleasantly surprised tomorrow. My prediction: 3-1.

My thought process (painful as it is) for this match is let's not get turned over as we did at Chelsea, take a point and let Carlo rebuild in the summer, mould a team with his philosophy and pray for better days (and performances) next season.

My pragmatism is based on this season's woeful performances (Duncan's teams excused) and our clear lack of quality and character.

I hope your prediction comes true but I fear “having a go at them” with this set of players is asking for (another) serious hiding.

Pickford
Coleman, Branthwaite, Holgate, Digne
Adeniran, Baningime, Davies, Gordon
Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.

Ultimate no-pressure team and put the onus firmly on Liverpool.

Lose – and we were expected to – they've not won the title anyway.
Get a result – brag that anything they can do, we can do.

I agree with you regards trying to find a way to get a result, but I think here there is no easy answer. The 4-1-4-1 may just invite more pressure and have us permanently on the back foot.

The familiarity of the 4-4-2 will be used, I think, with Richarlison dropping a little bit deeper, feeding off Calvert-Lewin and being fed through the channels from midfield.

The two of them up front have to retain a bit of possession in the Liverpool half so we can keep some composure. It's a tough ask, but they have to do this job for the team.

Probably the best chance of us scoring the one or two goals we will need for a result, because I can't see us shutting Liverpool out entirely.

Of course, the appalling performance against our rivals' reserves at Anfield was embarrassing beyond words but Klopp won't pull that one again as he needs to get mileage into his stars for the run-in.

Having said that, 4-0 to them seems just about the likely outcome – whatever team he fields!

a) We didn't get the thumping one or two of us feared;

b) Ancelotti showed clearly that he is a pragmatist who can organise this under-performing squad. Coleman was defensively at his best, Holgate and Keane strong and the mis-firing Digne had a decent game. The midfield is our weak point but, collectively, they did well. All had been asked to do a "team job" and this meant that none of them stood out. The two up top were excellent in difficult circumstances.

c) Hope for the future. This final point is the most positive; there is the makings of a strong spine to the team and every winning team has it.

Pickford: maturing and still learning the game.

Holgate: excellent.

Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison: promising a lot as young players.

Throw into the mix Gomes and Digne as potentially excellent Premier League players plus Keane and Davies as excellent squad players.

That leaves Iwobi: yet to truly convince. Gordon: bags of potential. And the dependable but ageing Coleman: rarely lets anyone down.

Of the others not involved, Kean, Mina and maybe Delph can be excellent squad players or better?
This leaves Sigurdsson, Walcott, Sidibé and maybe Bernard as well as, of course, Bolasie, Besic, Niasse, Martina and probably Tosun as wage-earners to be sacrificed to refresh the squad.

In my view, Ancelotti will go 4-3-3 as a preferred option next season and the absolute key signing is that solid, mobile centre-midfielder (think Kante, Fabinho, Fernandinho, Ndidi and Gueye) around whom two more creative box-to-box midfielders (Gomes plus one) can operate. Clearly we have Gbamin but his injuries mean we need somebody else for that role and then hope he gets back to really compete.

The next signing is a central defender to play alongside Holgate with Mina and Keane backing up and supporting. These two signings will really strengthen the spine and, with Calvert-Lewin spearheading a front line supported by the hard-working Richarlison, Kean and Gordon...??

The right-back issue is the final piece in the medium-term jigsaw. Let Sidibé go and, if Kenny is not yet ready, give him another year to develop in Germany and bring in someone short-term to keep Coleman on his toes.

With Gibson, Branthwaite and maybe one or two other youngsters a year or two away, these improvements could be enough to really trouble the 4-7th type positions next season.

Just my optimistic thoughts after the most boring derby in years!

What I mean is that they basically set out in a defensive mode to preserve a point and hope for the one opportunity that they can benefit from. When they concede first, they do not have the Plan B to strike back (usually because they do not have the personnel).

It all comes down to the size and quality of your squad, which is governed by the big money that can tempt the better players.

RS usually always get a goal in the end to win games and the aforementioned reasons tell you why. Everton played well defensively against a lack-lustre RS and that afforded them the opportunity to win the game at the end but very little else and Plan B wasn't an option needed (if they ever had one).

I thought our back four were excellent with Seamus the pick as he was up against probably the stand out player of the Premier League this season in Mane.

I actually hope Carlo sticks with this system and we win all our final 8 games 1-0 and “get the hell out of Dodge.”

Look at Mark's summary of our current squad – we just don't have the personnel to outplay teams; our midfield is just not at the quality required to dominate Premier League opposition.

However, we do have players like Richarlison & Dom (Kean, jury still out) who can capitalise on the break.

Play to our strengths, let's not kid ourselves we are something we are not.

We are 12th for a reason.

TGT upset an awful lot of people by setting up two banks and knocking lot percentage balls ten years ago.

KITAP1 Does not look any prettier in Italian.

The problem he has on Wednesday is he will be expected to play a more offensive game and with Keane at the back his lack of pace must be a major worry, but Norwich don't carry the same pacy threat as Furlough FC did.

Seeing all the names of centre-backs being linked with us, and seeing Zouma looks like he will leave Chelsea this summer, surely he would be an upgrade on both Mina and Keane.

The issue of course is Carlo is on the shitty end of four years of crap recruitment so if he gets us competitive playing any sort of attractive style next season then I think he will have worked a miracle.

Too be fair the only two managers in recent years who had any philosophy that manifested itself on the pitch were Martinez and Allardyce (two extremes).

Carlo knows what style he wants to play, you’ve heard him talk of his “brave & vertical football”.

The wily old fox knows what’s needed so I for one will put my trust in him to eventually get the job done without reliance on KITAP1.

But for now I’ll take.

The first out the door is Schneiderlin, a man who you never felt had any semblance of a sense of belonging, but looking round the pitch on Sunday, we have quite a few players who do, and that’s why the next window is vital, because we all know a few better players could improve us immensely, especially if we sign a couple with leadership qualities, to really help bring this squad on.