Manchester City vs Everton

Under normal circumstances, I'd say I feel sorry for the lad but, given the skewed nature of the Premier League, I hope we can take advantage of the situation.

On a completely different tack, I wonder if Gerrard will now take Patterson to Villa.

The other boys need to get serious and step it up, no messing about. Fringe players used recently – Holgate, Iwobi, Rondon, Gbamin – should be doing a lot better, those players must know it themselves. If they've got the balls or the talent to do it, now is the time.

Grealish is out too. Maybe we can give them a damn good thrashing?

He is out too with no update from Rafa.

City are very good but shut down the space and they loose their rag, and can be picked off, as has been proven this season at the Etihad.

Let's see how Rafa sets up, but it's a very tough run of fixtures into the New Year, but hopefully Everton, can return from international duty in good shape and upset the odds.

I've not checked Bet365 but it may be worth a go on Sunday.

Let's hope for a good performance from Everton.

Can even get 5/4 with a 2 goal start, or for the more ambitious 50/1 giving City a goal start.

Have to say without Foden and De Bruyne, that 16/1 looks tempting, along with 7/2 Richarlison to score anytime during the 90 mins.

For those with hope, Rondon 12/1 to score first goal.

You guys are jokers!!! Well done!

Truth is that as have we don't have any mental strength, bottle or belief. No chance this set of players will win at the Etihad.

They're too weak-willed. There may be some opposition for 25 mins and then we'll collapse cos we're crap.

We won't get anything on Sunday, even with a full squad, it would be a big ask. It will be damage limitation.

We will accept scraps like the point at Old Trafford and the one against Spurs although the mixed bag we had out on the field showed a little more spirit.

The early bubble of form – especially Townsend and Gray – seems to gave waned... especially as the injuries to key players drags on.

Normally I would feel good about De Bruyne not playing for Man City but they still can blow us away if we can't get the defensive side of things shipshape. However, trying to park the bus against City is tough even for better sides than Everton.

Miracles sometimes happen but probably Palace already have that in the bag as far as City are concerned so the likelihood of Everton getting one so soon after is extremely remote.

If I was a betting man, I still would not gamble on this Everton side. Rafa is now learning why Carlo jumped ship.

Expect a spanking and move on... good luck to anyone who goes to the game. My advice is do what the City supporters used to do and turn your back on the pitch!

KITAP1, they are very open to breakaways. It is just a question if we can keep them out.

Head says 3-1, Heart says 0-1. Get those prayer mats out.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will miss the Merseyside Derby on December 1 after the injured Everton star suffers training setback in huge blow to Rafa Benitez

That's true. Moyes also had their number but I think Moyes had ingrained ideas of who was good and shit.

Since Man City were initially the latter, he never developed an inferiority complex around them and didn't seem to notice when they became good. If only some shrink had convinced him Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool were historically shit, then maybe we'd have smashed that glass ceiling instead of showing up with a butter knife and a face like he swallowed a wasp.

In the same vein, despite overall mediocrity, old Walter Smith always had Liverpool's number. Maybe we need two coaches, one for the average Joes and another for the “big games”.

The major problem with us vs them, is that the players on their bench are better than our starters. They lose three superstar starters; they bring in subs nearly as good. We lose three starters and we bring on Rondon, Holgate and Davies.

I'm not expecting much from this one. Just try and keep it respectable.

And some TWers sing his praises as though he is indispensable to the team. He is not. I would rather have a Keane type of defender who gives a consistent 6 or 7 out of 10 performance rather than someone who gives an 8 once in 10 games and is unavailable most of the time.

I would get rid of him at the end of the season and rebuild the defence around the likes of Keane, Godfrey, Holgate (yes, I am convinced that he will get better) and Branthwaite and some solid purchase from the Championship, like Moyes did with Distin all those years ago.

Pickford
Coleman Keane Godfrey Digne
Townsend Allan Delph
Gordon Richarlison Gray

The subs do not fill you with a great deal of confidence with Rondon, Iwobi, Gbamin, Branthwaite, Kenny, Simms, Dobbin, Onyango among the options.

I go with 1 - 2 Everton surprise win on this one, perhaps with at least one City player sent off in the first 10 minutes!!!

"...never seems available for more than 50% of the Premier League fixtures in any given season."

"...unavailable most of the time."

Mina has played 83 games for us. He has missed 32 games through injury -- and that number includes the 8 he missed when he arrived at Everton because we signed him with a fractured foot.

Last season, he didn't miss a single game to injury between September and late February.

Sure, it's frustrating when he's out -- we'd all rather see him play more games, especially since our record is significantly better with him than without him -- but to say he's out half the time is just ridiculous.

And to suggest that we dump a passionate, capable aerial dominator and build a defense around a wandering clown because you're "convinced that he will get better" is, in my opinion, so far beyond ridiculous that you'd need a telescope to see it. Watch Raul's goal again, and the red card against Spurs, and the brain fart against Villa last spring, and the gift to Kane in April... and you want to build around THAT idiot? Not me... if he hasn't improved in 100+ games over 5 years, he never will. Ever.

You do know that last paragraph is bound to get a reaction??!!

But Everton often seem to do their best without expectations so perhaps they'll manage something. Delph the hero?

No sitting back and watching them play get into them!

Dogs of war mentality!

It's one game of football; technically, anything is possible and, as David Currie @15 says, “Palace beat them, why can't we?"
COYB!!!

Such a shame Mina is a fragile unit because, if that fella stays fit, he's hands down our best defender.

Andre Gomes, another one who's so fragile now and the physicality of the game here is going to leave him for dead.

Who do you propose to take Rafa's place? How ridiculous!!

Let's give the guy a chance. He has hardly been dealt with any aces in his hand and will need time to bring in his own players and to get rid of the dead wood of which we have plenty.

Regarding Mina, I believe he brings something additional to just defending. Mina is able to wind up the best of the attackers, thereby putting them off their game. I am not sure what he does to get under a lot of players' skin but it obviously works.

I agree, he is not the most talented with the ball at his feet but, for us, it is all about stopping the opposition scoring and I think him and Godfrey are the best we have at the moment. As Branthwaite is a lefty, I hope he comes good in the future as he will add balance to the back four.

Tomorrow, I am afraid to say, with the spine of the team missing, we will struggle.

I suppose you will be pushing for Fat Sam to be back.

I am beginning to wonder with the time it takes to get injured players back if Benitez has a higher standard of fitness before he plays them. No more giving them a pain-free injection and sending them out.

In case you haven't noticed, the spine of our team have being missing for weeks, with Mina, Doucouré and Calvert-Lewin long-term injuries and Richarlison isn't long back.

Maybe you didn't notice that Rafa's hands were tied in the transfer window when he became manager, because of our previous ridiculous signings, he spent £1.7M?

A ridiculous comment.

You could put Pep in charge of Everton and he wouldn't do any better. Due to the circumstances that former managers have put us in at this moment in time.

1. Ole has a wealth of endless talent in the Man Utd squad to pick from.

2. The woeful state of Everton's thin and pitiful squad Rafa has to work with is a different world to not only Manchester United's, but many of the teams above us (if not all).

The blue failure machine has been around for many decades. Klopp, Pep and Tuchel would struggle at this club. Nil Satis...

Haven't got any real confidence, but hopefully it won't be anywhere near as bad as the last time we played at this ground, and I hope Everton might even surprise me.

During that slide, Norwich have now won 2 games out of the last 2, and are only 6 points away from Everton. To be honest, until Everton get their better players back, Everton will be in the bottom 3 by New Year.

"It's going to take a hugely disciplined display, one long on concentration, defensive cohesion and a compact posture, with a particular emphasis on making the most of whatever chances fall their way in attack."

Lyndon, you forgot to mention luck?

Rondon will need to to be standing a yard out with an open goal to find the net, that needs luck. The way results went today, Citeh's "B team" will be chomping at the bit to close that points gap, no motivational speeches needed by Pep.

I can't see Keane and Godfrey holding it together for 90 mins this game, Seamus or Digne don't inspire much confidence either. We're going to need Lady Luck this time.

We might pull off a shock result but every one of our starting eleven and subs will need to be at their very best, whereas they can be slightly below par and still secure a comfortable win. We will need to put away all of our chances and they only need to score with 10% of theirs.

The appearance if either Iwobi or Rondon at any point in the proceedings will virtually guarantee them a win. I just want to see one or two of the youngsters given a chance to prove themselves in the second half as this fixture is effectively a free hit. But we are well overdue a pleasant shock aren't we? COYB.

I think we should have a go at them – better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

Pickford
Coleman, Keane, Godfrey, Digne
Townsend, Allan, Delph
Gordon*, Richarlison*, Gray*.

Up the Blues!!!

I'm not normally one for being wasteful and going forward for the sake of it. Retaining possession is important. Yes, we should always be looking to play forward but, if it's not on, sometimes you have to be patient. Even the best teams play sideways and backwards. It's just that when they do go, it's with intent.

We don't have the luxury, go early and try to catch them.

Eternal optimist here is hopeful.

We need big games tomorrow from everyone who starts to have any hope of reward but it's not looking as if that will happen.

The team picks itself because there are no realistic options. I'd like to see Onyango given some game time and we will need our subs as they will run us ragged. We need fight, determination and discipline with every player prepared to run himself into the ground.

No point trying to play pure football – hard graft and hit them on the break. I fear a relegation battle looming but maybe our players will turn up and surprise me??

Regardless of 2 or 3 City players missing, their squad is so strong. Fingers crossed for a draw.

Fear the worst but football is a funny game. They've dropped points to worse teams than us this season.

I didn't know you played golf, mate, try opening the face of the club, and hit the sand about an inch behind the ball... save being stuck in there till New Year. :-)

Again, it depends on which Everton turns up, but it will have to be a motivated Everton – not the Everton of the two games prior to the Spurs game – if they are to get a much-needed result.

See you in the morning. It should a chatty pregame.

We are not going to get much possession tomorrow so we need to fight for every ball, play as a unit and with discipline, and no silly free-kicks in vulnerable areas.

Top teams like Man City have an expectation that they are going to win; frustrate that and chances may come our way – chances we must take!

One thing the team must come away with tomorrow is self-respect – something we can take forward into the next game. It's no good moaning about Iwobi, Rondon, Tuson etc – this is the squad we have. What are we? A 4-man team?

Well said, and that's the bare basic minimum standard of play Everton should provide every game, rather the Tombolla type form of a decent performance every other 3 games.

Tomorrow and beating City can be done with the right pre-match dynamic and mindset of the squad being set.

Everton have done well here in the past consistently.

Get into them, and sustain the press and see Peps and players wilt.

That is the idea, it has been done this season.

Everton will have to keep the focus and work smart and hard, but be smart. City can be beaten.

I'm hoping tomorrow Everton will try some different approaches in set-pieces to maximise and win this game, along with showing purpose and drive.

Assuming the referee will be pre-enabled, pro-City, let's see Everton challenge every ball, and show them no special dues.

I'm not advocating that the axe should fall on the manager, or anything that dramatic, but I'm always wary of managers who promise to deliver at some future point in time, rather than cajole and motivate their teams into trying to deliver in the here and now.

Look at Ranieri at Watford, he doesn't look like a manager who says his team will be better in the second half of the season as his team has already swept Everton and Manchester United aside with a bucketful of goals and chances.

Admittedly they don't have the injury concerns to the same extent that Everton has suffered in the first part of this season, but those injuries cannot be used to excuse Everton for a free-fall into the lower reaches of the Premier League either.

Today's game is a difficult task at the best of times, and in our current state, possibly an impossible one. Somehow we need to keep the points ticking over, and if it means eleven behind the ball for most of the game and try to hit City on the break, and if it results in the team bringing something back from Manchester, all the better.

Our solid start to the season and cohesion in the squad had me believing that we were headed in the right direction at a quicker rate than expected. The manner of the losses has been especially hard to digest as we seem to lose shape and concentration.

I agree that the injuries are key part of our recent struggles but I also believe that the players on the pitch have not always been worthy of pulling on an Everton jersey.

1. Holgate is the top of my list in terms of wasted opportunities. After one good spell a few years ago, he has been an utter waste. Should never step back onto the pitch.

2. Iwobi has shown a faint glimmer of hope but then reverted back to his useless headless-chicken routine. He too, needs to stay off the pitch permanently.

3. Rondon has a good attitude, unlike the other two that I mentioned, but his final product is still woeful. He is disciplined and does work hard, to his credit. Unless he scores in many games from here on, I remain unconvinced about his ability to contribute significantly to our squad.

There is then the players who have flattered to deceive this season despite being wonderful in previous seasons:

1. Ben Godfrey – Covid-19 seems to have really affected poor Ben. He has lost his stamina and the swagger that made him my favourite player last season. Hoping that he gets back to his best ASAP.

2. Lucas Digne – Not sure whether this is injury or the new role he has been given under Benitez but he has looked pedestrian at times this season – both defensively and going forward. It has not helped that he has not had a consistent person ahead of him. He too can turn things around.

3. Michael Keane – Needs someone next to him to deal with his lack of speed. Has made some really poor decisions this season (and in earlier ones). I was impressed by him last season and somehow feel that he can get back to being better.

4. Richarlison – I agree that he had an astonishing amount of football over the last year and that can affect anyone. However, since returning from injury, especially with Calvert-Lewin missing, he should forget all the histrionics and get back to what he is capable of doing best – using his speed and skill to score a bucketload of goals.

I am very clear that we must not sack Benitez at this time or anytime this season. I still feel that he has been better for us than many of the other recent nutters. He needs to focus on a striker, winger, right-back and centre-back in that order in January.

I am hoping and praying that we can use the lack of belief from the media and others about our run of fixtures over the next month and actually claw our way back up the table. I hate the international break but I hope that this one will be what we look back to and identify as the beginning of a mini-revival.

[Think I might just have lost touch with reality...] COYB

Have you not read on these very pages that at the heart of their defence is the multi-medal winning John Stones?

Expect that to tumble soon.

Hard to see three teams worse than us.

300 Spartans v the mighty army of Persia. We have to go there with an attitude of bravery, commitment and unity as a team.

Benitez and the coaches have injected some bullfighter's blood into our players over the international break. They are going to resume a different proposition. They are going to stand up to Man City and fight them toe to toe and will not yield.

Prediction: Hard-fought and fully deserved Everton win.

By Christmas, we will really be in trouble.

The bench will be interesting today….Will Rafa again favour the aged journeymen of Rondon and Tosun, or the youthful promise of Dobbin and Simms? I suspect I know, but where would we be without hope?

I have zero hope for anything from this fixture. I just hope we avoid a morale-clobbering clobbering.

I am sick and tired of all the excuses from the tossers, very disolussioned with it all.

40 points look a long way at the minute.

I said at The Bramley Moore ToffeeWeb get together, that our fans are mostly passive compared to them other shower who demanded the removal of them two loveable yanks (big shame!). I speak the truth from the heart and it didn't go down too well with some.

Any suggestions to remove you know who and his inept crew? It would really be a big stepping stone and the making of us a club and make Benitez's job a lot easier.

Proper protests and not just the odd voice in the dark (kopite style if you want) – without the bricking of coaches, obviously,

Yes, they have a better squad with some great players but they can be beat. The key to winning against teams of class is tactics and hard graft, in their faces, and high full-on pressure.

So, if we have the right attitude and are up for a fight, then we can be assured we will get something out of this one.

I also think Everton will get better, the longer this season goes on, Barry H. But the most worrying thing is, if our better players don't recover from their injuries, we will continue to really struggle. That's why every single game is important, whoever the opponents are right now.

Alright, Tony. If he even thinks about playing his three-time signing, then he deserves all the vitriol that will come his way, ending in the sack by Xmas. It's either stubbornness or saving face. Whatever it is, he's putting Everton second and we are a 10-man team with him in the side. He offers nothing.

None of this "his hands are tied" bullshit. Start trusting at least two of the younger ones. The usual suspects just cack themselves first sign of trouble. Starting with Branthwaite installed now instead of Keane (if he's fit).

Depends how Benitez sets us up; I just hope it's not 10 men behind the ball and hoping we can hit them on the break as they are used to playing against this system and defeating it. What they are not used to is teams willing to commit players forward and to ask questions of them defensively.

It's a pity Iwobi is so blah. If he plays, our manager will have him on a wing instead of through the middle. Once again, the guy in charge needs to get the shape of the team right, not leave open spaces, move as a team and don't be scared.

As per usual, l expect us to sit back and our possession will be around the 28% mark. I got 100/1 on Digne 1st scorer... surely he is due a free-kick?

I also would not be surprised to see Rondon. Not that he can hold the ball up, which would be the sole point in playing him.

Coyb

I'd rather go the match with you, girl, than some on here. City have a few missing and, although they have a stronger subs bench than Everton, they will still miss the influence of those unfit to play.

I hope Benitez picks Rondon to start and tells him to have a good go before he comes off sometime after the hour mark, experience before the untried to start the game, then use Dobbin's pace later but not upfront on his own.

Richarlison can play a big part in the game hustling and upsetting City like he did versus Burnley at Goodison; he didn't score but had a very good game before he was subbed after running his heart out for the team.

We need a few more players like Richarlison; team before self every time. It can be done, Christine, as you say. I hope you enjoy a nice glass of Jack Daniels after the game, make that two large glasses and sing yourself to sleep.

What an Evertonian, a real genuine one!!

Totally rubbish football and no squad.

Awful. 😣

Rondon might start. But he might not. Forums will light up if he does.

Tomorrows matchday thread will probably reach 300.

Rafa's not going anyhere unless the board royally piss him off.

Might as well speculate about other talking points for now. But never forgetting Everton.

1-1 today with my heart ruling my head. Got to hope for the best, eh?

Mina injured again but ALWAYS plays his for his country?... fucking fraud, I'm done with him!.

Maybe we should just stick to talking about EitC. At least that is not a lost cause, unlike the football...

Doesn't sound like a side ready to snap into the tackle and leave everything on the pitch at full-time.

You didn't say in which division we would be competing for 4th-6th in a few years time.