Blues run out at Wigan ends goalless

Good side.

Come on the Toffees.

I think DCL will score tonight.

Swap Theo with Richarlison and that’s his first choice starting XI. As it stands

Tommy @3 Delph is more attacking, and is no replacement for Gueye.

Good stream here.

Link

The new second strip looks good!

Was about to say the same thing, Tommy.

Worryingly familiar faces

@6 Bill

Christy disagrees. For some reason. Delph is ‘more attacking’ apparently.

His many games at left back for Man City and 13 career league goals speak to this

Tommy@6, his many games at left back speak this!!?Is that compared to his games in midfield for both City and Villa?
I too disagree, he is no replacement for Gueye. If he is, we are in serious trouble

Decent enough half. Ref missing too much of the physical stuff from Wigan.

Anathema to Annika possibly ;-), but Delph was excellent. Arguably our best player in that opening 45. Neat, tidy, always available, good range of passing and positioning.

Bernard again not clicking. Theo Walcott the better of the two wide men tonight. Seamus looks good. Mina decent. Old boy Robinson possibly their best player. Eat yer heart out, Mike Gaynes!

But still lacking that penetration beyond the 18 yard line into their penalty area. Amazing support for a friendly away to Wigan on a Wednesday night.

Very poor first half, Wigan cut through us so easily. There is very little evidence of any quality play from us. Delph fitting in well. Hoping for a better second half but can I just say, where's the centre forward Marcel?!

Pretty uninspiring stuff. Mina looks shaky. Delph probably the best player so far.

As good as Gueye is at what he does he doesn’t offer much offensively and it does look like Delph is his replacement to get the ball forward a lot more quickly.

I just don't see how Delph fits into our first team, certainly not improving it! No replacement for Gueye, although I could understand more if we did not extend Bainesy and the left-back coverage argument. It's a bit worrying we have not really made a signing that has improved the team yet as opposed to the squad, a big squad as we all know is a problem.

Doesn't discount Gomes as a good signing but here last year – still a way to go yet so hopefully Brands can do some more magic!

60 minutes gone and plenty are heading for the exits.

Drab

Are we ever going to sign a top centre forward?!!! Farcical

That was a hard watch. Still early days and at least the defence looks solid.

Everton really do make football look difficult. 2nd best in an awful game. I feel sorry for the fans who spent good money to go and watch that shameful performance.

It's pre season. Get a grip

Only watched the last twenty minutes, I know the result is not important and it is about getting fit, can’t they get fit by playing the ball forward instead of backwards and side wards.

I wish I could have taped the full game to watch it later, I suffer from chronic insomnia, I think that game would have me to bo bo’s well before it finished.

What?

We were punchless up front?

Now there’s a real shock to my system...NOT lol

Can't wait for the new season.

Exciting start to the 2nd half with the young 'uns showing up well, but it petered out mid-way through. The commentary said a few played just last night, so understandable. Anthony Gordon, not for the first time, showing up well.

Mirallas played well at right back (!!!), although mostly in a forward position. Davies the pick of the 2nd half midfield. Schneiderlin and McCarthy too plodding for me.

Another clean sheet, but also no goals again. Very little actually getting into the opposition penalty area to even offer us a sniff of a chance.

My criticism of Silva is this: we don't do the simple stuff. I realize we are hamstrung with a wage bill and a bunch of highly paid deadbeats. I realize it is not so easy to go out and buy a top goal scorer. I realize Silva has his principals and way of playing. That's all well and goo, no argument with any of that. But, if you know you lack cutting edge with what you have, then adopt a degree of pragmatism. England did that at the world cup. We have two big center halves who can and have historically scored plenty of headers from corners. We also have various dead ball specialists. Until such a time as we replace our attackers, why don't we do some work on corners and set pieces? We don't have to score 4 or 5 to win games. The defense is pretty solid so one nicely taken header from a corner would do the trick. That is my only ask.

No goals from a forward yet. Perhaps we can draw every game 0-0 this season and avoid relegation with 38 points.

Do people really believe that should we buy a new striker, the goals will suddenly flow?First of all someone has to create those chances and, right now, we don, t seem to have anyone capable of doing that.
It is still the pre-season though and you would hope the team looks better with each performance. But I still think we seem to lack a really creative talent, someone to produce that killer through ball or open up the defence with a piece of sublime skill.
Time is getting short to fill in the missing pieces though

Annika - I do.

Totally toothless.

Schneiderlin and McCarthy make Gueye look like a thoroughbred racehorse.

DCL and Walcott totally anaemic with only Coleman and Delph doing themselves any justice first half.

Second half the kids totally overshadowed the seniors with energy and application and if I hear one more "Well its only preseason" I will explode.

If we think this squad minus Zouma and Gueye will get anywhere near the top 6 we are seriously deluding ourselves.

The more I watch them the more my optimism fades.

The impotent strike force is a real problem and this coming season already looks like a deja vu event.
Unless the Zaha rumour becomes a reality or some other class act then the new season will just become a yawn.

A centre forward does more than just score goals, he holds the ball up, plays in his team mates, pulls the defence apart to make space for others and most importantly scares the living daylights out of the opposition and puts the ball in the back of the net as well. We need a centre forward.

Jay

Minus Zouma and Gana we will struggle to maintain 8th in my opinion.

I still can’t forget how many abject attacking displays I witnessed in the middle stage of last season, whilst we got some good wins late on, many performances were just like tonight’s toothless display.

I know it was a pre-season game, and nothing should allegedly be written into it, but come'on that was equally awful both halves, there again we were playing a top side in Wigan!

As mentioned there were only a handful of players deserve any credit at all, and I'm being generous at that. 0-0 is bad enough, but there was virtually nothing created from all departments.

There's talk of we are short of a couple of players up front, agreed, but had they been playing tonight (hypothetically) where was the service to anybody?

If Silva was happy with that I despair!

Those of us surprised at the sale of Robinson to Wigan can feel justified tonight. He is lightening quick and looked great including an excellent cross into our box. It's only 1 match so time will tell. Don't mind hard tackles or physical play but the elbow to Keane and the foot up leg breaker on foulds at the end of the game were out of order. Tom Davies looked very sharp and full of invention well played Tom.

Jay, explode away. It's only bloody pre-season!
It's about getting fit whilst avoiding injury. Of course the kids are going to put more effort in. They're trying to impress. The senior players are just feeling their way back into it, ensuring they don't tweak a hamstring or roll an ankle. There's already been 2 or 3 players injured in friendlies this pre-season. Nathaniel Clyne being the most serious.
We will bring in players that will stregthen us, and we will manage without Gueye.

I enjoyed the second half more than the first half. Some of the youngsters like Anthony Gordon and Lewis Gibson look like really good players. McCarthy was solid in midfield though Sneiderlinn as usual offers nothing. Even Mirallas granted against not the best opposition played decent. The new keeper might offer some proper competition to Pickford...he can come out and catch crosses! From the first half our attacking play was dreadful. Walcott was clueless and siggy is too slow. He just doesn’t create enough chances in open play. Still early days but I think a strong pacy player up top like Zaha would definitely help!

We should not at all rule out Richarlison as a centre forward. He played well when moved into that position before fading last season.

It would not be my preference for him but he's much better than anything else we have in that position now.

I hope we don’t sign Zaha, the guy has no final product.

Siggy and Charlie are fine, we need two top class forwards that can score and have a presence. If not then we are going to be 8th again.

Are these now the designated squad numbers for the 2019/20 season?

If that is the case and Calvert-Lewin is our number 9 then I despair I really do!

Our previous number 9?

Sandro!!

What was a once legendary number at this club has now become a farce.

More suggestions that we are properly engaged in efforts to get Kean.

Jim - don't forget who Sandro inherited it from... Kone! LOL.

Dross, the difference between us and decent teams is they and their fans want to win every game, they play big game friendlies and act like big clubs. We play dross teams, we have a small mentality from top to bottom, including fans. When we don’t beat crap like Wigan we gloss over it saying “it’s about getting fit” and rubbish like that. It’s about winning every game, you can get fit in training and as for the people that think we wouldn’t be better off if we signed Zaha yet race over rubbish like Bernard and Walcott, wow, just wow, check out their goals and assists last season to Zaha, I’d be amazed if they got more combined !!

Walcotts’ best season was as a CF, playing down the middle. I can’t understand why he’s not had a crack there for our team. Does anyone know the answer?

After reading this I’m glad I haven’t watched any pre season games. Pretty much every pre season when Moyes was at the helm consisted of the youth team and reserves huffing and puffing while producing very little against lower league teams. From what many of you have described, we haven’t moved on very far from those days!

It was only a practice match despite some Wigan players wanting a big fight. Some of our senior players were going through the motions - at least I hope they were.

@43 Dennis. I agree, Walcott should be given a chance up top. I think his finishing ability is generally very good. His all round game lacks any kind of creativity or skill. But he is direct, fast and can finish

Just back, from the match, and it was a fitness work out as much as anything.

I’ve seen far worse preseason friendliest, my take in the first half playing DCL as striker he had no service.

The second half the team had more endeavour, so based on what we have in place, for Palace, Id say we will be the same team that finished last season assuming Idrissa goes, and Delph, fills in.

Let’s see how the weekend in Germany goes and perhaps we may get a couple of players in soon.

Crazy how you can go from having so much optimism to thinking we’ve messed up again, all over a period of about 5 weeks.

No strikers yet, 2 centre backs down, no right back, losing the best holding midfielder in the league, crazy.

Do we sometimes read too much into pre-season games?
They are simply part of a process of conditioning to reach the real KO in decent shape. It's about building towards a target date.
Sure it's always nice to glimpse a new signing but playing at 80 per cent is not going to indicate how the team will perform on the opening day.
I think we simply have to relax and trust Silva and Brands. I believe they have a plan and that they are astute. There is a lot of complexity and brinkmanship surrounding team building but I have confidence that they will strengthen the squad and we will progress this season.

Not a bad workout but, once again, nothing in the final third. It's imperative we get someone in who knows where the goal is!

Gibson looks an outstanding prospect.

Still crying out for that striker aren't we?! The Toon have splashed £40m on a Brazilian striker. I've not heard of him but for that price and age he's probably pretty decent.

Gavin, Benitez went on record as saying that the money Newcastle paid for Joelinton was way too much. We'll see...

Dennis #42, that's not correct. During his most prolific season (2012/13) Walcott scored 14 League goals in 32 appearances. 27 apps RW and only 5 CF (reference - Transfermarkt website).
He isn't and never has been a striker. Arsenal experimented occasionally and he never convinced.

We better get something done quick, our opposition are beginning to realize that they don't have to defend, as the only way we are going to score will be an own goal Never mind saying we still have 3 weeks we have had 2yrs since Lukaku left and still need a striker.

Ray

I'd be happy to spend the biggest part of our kitty on Zaha. Palace want £80m but I'd offer em £55m plus Bolasie and McCarthy. They're continually linked with McCarthy and they could get a fan favourite Zaha replacement in Bolasie. Zaha's 26 so he's just about in Brands age group he's looking for. I'd also buy Skev Olsen who should be available for under £20m. He's a skilful winger but 6ft 1 and can play as a striker like Richarlison. We might even Henry Onyakuru this summer too. If we offload Tosun and Niasse. I think we'll have enough fire power using DCL, Richarlison, Henry or Olsen as a striker at any one time.

I was at the match. It’s hard to make constructive, critical comment upon it as it was so boring.

If were looking on buying a winger for £70m then wouldn't it be worth being bold and going after Leroy Sane !?!?

The kid is 20 and already head and shoulders above Zaha.

Oh and the game was shite.

Deleted

@si smith

I’m all for optimism but with a statement like that we might aswell say we need a forward, how about Ronaldo.

So errrrr Mr Walsh, what made you think that we should sign Bolasie instead of Zaha in the first place?

If we do sign Zaha, Walsh is the gift that keeps on giving.

On the plus side Delph looks a decent signing.

Hard to read the players names on the away top but sure number 5 was Gibson who came on at half time, he looks well composed at the back, like the look of him.

As for our forward line, need to get that elusive striker in and quick.

Thankfully only a few miles away from the Dw stadium so short drive there and back.

People are going on about us signing a striker (and why not we love our No9's).
However - Liverpool don't play with one. They have Firmino, Salah & Mane. Three forwards who score goals without the standard target man. Maybe we're looking to do the same with Richarlison, Bernard (not convinced he'll ever score many personally) plus A.N.Other. But do you get my drift? Maybe Silva is looking for forwards rather than a main man striker in the Lukaku/Yak mould.

Well Neil, we have two players that score... we need 2 more. We don't have to play with an out and out striker, it depends on our manager and the system he plays. Bernard will never score more than 5 goals in a season (there I said it).

The OS are showing 'highlights' of the friendly between Wigan and Everton, I watched most of the match via Bein 11 HD, and wasn't aware there were any.

Again I feel for the loyal support who outnumbered Wigan by all accounts, and made the effort. While I appreciate it was a pre-season game and little significance in terms of a result, but I would have expected a better showing than that, like a few have said, it was that boring many were leaving around the 60 minute mark.

Charles@35, i fully agree and have been saying it for some time now. Siggi does, nt create enough chances from open play.
David@38, it does. nt matter how many strikers we sign, they won, t score until the chances are created for them.

I’ve seen more firepower in a water gun.

Whilst people say Sigurdsson doesn’t create enough, take his 13 goals away last season we’d probably have finished 10th.

We created enough chances in games away at Arsenal, Watford, Palace, Fulham if I remember right but we don’t have anything clinical in the final third, that will be the same this coming season.

As I say, I’ve seen more firepower in a water gun.

Yes, we need a center forward because no player up front is moving intelligently into dangerous positions and no player is aware when they do and is capable of providing them the pin point ball. We need to move the ball more quickly up the field and take more chances putting it in the mix behind the defensive line, expecting the forwards to be on it. Too many low balls that are easily cut out and not enough played over the back four. A bit more direct on occasion is what I'm after. Also a real striker doesn't just always shoot on sight, mostly into the defender, but pulls the ball back for a more clear opportunity. The confidence of a real striker is what we are missing up front.

Chris you beat me to it. Denis Walcott will never work out as CF unless we face a naive team who play a high line and he can get in behind. He would frustrate the life out of us there. Oh and Firminho is a target man and an unselfish one.

Another clean sheet is good! The best teams are built on a solid defense though obviously they’ve not been tested hugely yet.

Although we could use a more clinical striker I’m more worried by the lack of creativity. We are too dependent on our full backs for chance creation and the likes of Gomes and Siggy have got to create more from open play. Gomes especially does not pass through the lines enough and given his defensive frailties if he is not creating then I don’t know what he’s doing in this team. Of course better movement from front 3 would help to this end.

Jim@66 and I have seen more creativity in a Playschool than Siggi brings to the table. No argument he scores goals, but he is, nt exactly a Silva, Eriksson creator either, not by a long shot.
Not only would I like to see a top goalscorer brought in, i would also like to see a top creative midfielder come in

Bernard just doesn’t influence the score line in any way

How often have we seen this before?

World beaters in pre-season - disaster once the season starts, or, terrible pre -season, then top the table after five games.

The trouble has always been that usually, after scenario two and after five games, we fall away dramatically.

I am hoping for scenario two this season - but without the fall away.

Come the beginning of August, I hope it is all going to click - like it started to do at the tail end of last season.

Kase@71, yes it's an issue. For all his neat link up play and hard work Bernard has got to influence the game more directly if he's playing LW. I don't think he's ever going to get 10-15 goals and 10 assists a season but he should be aiming for at least 5 goals and 5 assists plus creating more chances.

I posted a couple of weeks ago that I think we made a mistake letting Dowell go out on loan again. Games like this would be ideal for a creative player sat deep, like he has been doing for England U21s. He might have only featured in 10-15 games, but when teams are sat in front of us we need ideas and we don't currently look like we have the players who have ideas.

Peter @56, that's why I never go to pre-season games mate!

I'm looking forward to seeing the stadium pictures later today Peter, and with you being one of the lucky ones who are going to the Titanic hotel, I'm also looking forward to hearing what you've got to tell us as well mate.

Brian #61 yes it was Gibson who came on. He forms a solid (I initially mis-typed that as "soiled"!) partnership with Feeney for U23s. Feeney in fact appears a better player to me and I can only assume he's injured at the moment as we haven't seen him pre-season (?).

Looking forward to the new stadium presentation tonight.

Year after year the same boring overeactions to pre-season friendly results like it has any bearing at all on how we'll perform or finish in the league.

Personally I enjoyed last night, pre season games against robust motivated opposition will build fitness, stamina, awareness & speed. Flag waving sponsor fulfilling showcases are all well and good but it's all about lubricating the machine and integrating those youngsters on the brink of moving up a level.

It's about being ready for Palace, nothing more.

Brent @ 76, glad you clarified the typo 'soiled' – I was almost envisaging and under-garment sharing scheme there, Oops! :-)

Same old embarrassing garbage, the money spent on being this bad is a scandal. We can barely create a chance and squander the odd one we make.

Let's not sugar coat it with excuses about pre-season, we all know this will continue into another wasted year of treading water if we're lucky. Let's get nasty and drive out the parasites leaching off the club. They're getting far too easy a time living a life of luxury while disrespecting the club and ultimately us.

The whole coaching staff, including Silva, is obviously not up to the job, the evidence is in front of our eyes. Never mind whinging about changing things too often, the alternative of sticking with sub-standard coaching for the sake of expediency is frightening.

Derek #79 - I'm trying to persuade my wife to agree to such a scheme!

Paul#80, I watch as many games as I can every pre-season, and they rarely seem a pointer to the season ahead. I treat them as just a way of getting fit. And trying to guess which players really are possible contenders for some starts this season - Mirallas at right back maybe?!

I went last night. Based on it, I think theres a chance we may start the season leaking goals.

There definitely seems to be a trend in our pre season games, that without Richarlison we are struggling to score. This was very much the case last season as we were reliant on Richarlison and Sigurdsson to score the goals.

Silva and Brands said at the end of the season that they had identified there targets in the transfer window and wouldnt be leaving it late to sign the players as they did last season. Well they got Gomes and added Delph, but I think a blind man could see we need a couple of strikers. Last season we had Bernard and Walcott and Richarlison and DCL playing in a front 3, and as I said earlier of those forwards only Richarlison got into double figures.

Surely if we hope to break into the top 6 then additions to the front 3 should be our main priority. I believe unless we do sign a couple of goalscoring forwards we will struggle to better our position last season.

Tony#75, I enjoyed the evening, apart from the game! I met up with a few lads, had a couple of pints before and after. I just felt sorry for the people who took their little kids, some probably for their first match - a sliver of entertainment for them would have been nice.

I’m looking forward to the presentation this evening, I’ll be going with an open mind.

Brent, Feeney is not injured, he’s been turning out for U23s. Gibson has jumped ahead of him and rightly so I think, he has greater potential to be a modern CB.

Thanks, Sam.

What are we playing at allowing McCarthy into the pitch? I'd have him on gardening leave - actually, bed rest - until the move to Palace is confirmed. Speaking of which, why oh why we haven't just accepted their bid is a mystery. Surely not holding out for more?

So far in pre-season, they are not leaking goals however the opposition has not been much. However there are tougher games to come and if the team cannot show more upfront then we are in for yet another bleak season as an also-ran.

There has been a lot of chopping and changing as most clubs are doing in pre-season giving youngbloods and new signings opportunities besides building up match fitness so I suppose we shouldn't be too critical until after the first few Premier League games but it is hard to see the same guys up front doing anything different.

Kevin #87, maybe there hasn't been a bid or maybe with Gana likely to go Silva wants McCarthy fit to play in a fortnight.

If the transfer window closes and DCL is our only striker for the reason. I will literally cry. I am welling up now. By Premier league standards, he is woeful.

I fully understand your confidence in Calvert-Lewin, Eugene #2. That is why it's so hard to believe he didn't score at least one!!! I cannot understand the clamour for a new goalscorer.

Simon
Did you not see the chances he made for others and the space he created for others to exploit, well neither did they but chances and space he did make. So maybe your sarcasm should be directed elsewhere

Simon,

Did you not see the chances he made for others and the space he created for others to exploit? Well, neither did they... but chances and space he did make. So maybe your sarcasm should be directed elsewhere.

0:0 against Wigan? Everton don't need to spend big on Zaha but on a goal scorer.