Match Preview: Chelsea vs Everton

Control the game like we did against Forest and we can break that 30 year hoodoo.

Pickford
Patterson O’Brien Branthwaite Myko
Gueye Garner
Ndiaye Alcaraz McNeill
Broja.

I am guessing this will be the side picked:

Pickford
Young O’Brien Branthwaite Myko
Gueye Garner
Harrison Doucoure Ndiaye
Beto.

Everton are safe but will miss Tarkowski enormously in defence and can’t see anyone replacing him that will give me the confidence to believe Everton will get anything from this game except a draw.

How the defence lines up is anybodies guess but Moyes’s choice and hardly any fan agreed with the substitution he made last week—— O’Brien or “Oh fuckin’ no” at centre back with Patterson, Colman or Young all getting the thumbs down from different posters.

Good luck with that Moyes you’re on a loser whoever you choose!

Time for a win at the Bridge me thinks 🤞

Hope I'm wrong but without any leadership in the heart of defence, I think we will be very vulnerable. Maybe its time for Branthwaite to step up and take control. I think it is a little too early for O’Brien to take on that role. Commet the hour, commet the man.

Agree with Dave #3 that no matter what decision is made Moyes will have made the wrong one.

Steve #2, even if Broja was available, Beto in my opinion offers more of a threat, works harder and is faster even if if his first touch is suspect.

Finally, on the constant shouts for Alcaraz to be included from the start, his more recent decision making on the pitch has been found wanting where he had options in a breakaway against City at 0:0 and took the wrong one. If that was Doucs, there would have been the usual uproar.

We have nothing to lose but I would like to see the likes of Chemitri (if fit) and Tim to be given more game time to assess the squad against top 6 contenders for next season.

Granted he is ineligible for the Chelsea game - I forgot that.

I think Moyes has actually decided against signing Broja and Alcaraz on a permanent transfer already.

Agree also with the universal sentiment that O'Brien must start next to Branthwaite. I don't care who plays RB, just get Jake into the middle.

Steve #8, Boyland at the NY Times reports Moyes and Everton are "unconvinced" by Alcaraz, and predicts the final five games to be an audition. The issue is clearly that he's a #10 and ONLY a #10, not a wing, where he's been tried. Moyes is also not enthralled with his passing, specifically the moment against City that Neil cites (I think it was the right decision, just a poor pass.)

I'd like to see him start in his best position for a couple of games -- it would have to be all five to trigger his purchase obligation -- but Moyes clearly prefers Doucoure.

The odds compilers are not fancying us it seems, which with Chelsea needing a win badly and us not so much I can see where they are coming from.

Its a shot to nothing for us so why not play an attacking formation.
Having said that we are not exactly stacked with such players.

Seems like the club/Moyes are unwilling to automatically activate the transfer and that's driving his restricted minutes.

Alcaraz gets castigated for a stray pass against City, but I have rarely seen Doucoure and Harrison do anything but give the ball away.

Certain players have been given endless chances, simply because they press, track back and cover.

When a manager picks a player for his ability without the ball, then it says a lot about standards in the squad.

I so want to be wrong, but this has another Everton defeat written all over it. Just hope we do finish above Wolves & WHU to avoid 17th. Negative me I know.

We have not won in our last 29 league visits to Chelsea, so it is fair enough to be pessimistic.

No Tarky fucks the defence up straight away.

Then there's our record there which is beyond awful.

Doesn't bode well.

I don't expect Patterson to be at the club next season - but it would be good to see how that shape of defence looks - with more mobile CBs and a more adventurous RB.

Presumably it'll then be Garner, Gueye and Doucoure in central midfield - and then Ndiaye and McNeil in support of Beto.

Not exactly inspiring but not terrible.

Chelsea have very high quality players - but they remain a strange team. They should beat us but hard work, good attitude, good organisation etc and there's every chance we can come away with points.

We deserved something out the City game after all.

I hope they get this Transfer Committee in place sooner rather than later. Need to planning for next season now.

Lighten up, be like me, the original eternal optimist. 0-2 to the mighty Blues.😁

We succumbed to the threat of a marauding left back last week. We face the same sort of threat this week in the form of Curceralla. That is why Harrison should start on the right flank.

I doubt whether McNeil will start – I suspect he was feeling his injury during the City game.

My starting 11 would be:-

Pickford,
Patterson, O'Brien, Branthwaite, Mykolenko
Gueye, Garner
Harrison, Doucoure, Ndiaye
Beto.

Tough game this one – we will have to be at it from the first whistle.

Up the Blues!!!

Tarkowski will be sorely missed but thankfully we're safe already. Branthwaite and O'Brien pairing a no-brainer, anything else is lunacy.

Keane is a nice fella but he's leaving on a free and a liability especially having not played Premier League football for a while. Patterson or Coleman would fit in nicely at right-back with Young on the bench to cover left-back or right-back injuries.

C'mon, Davey, use common sense.

But he's not a top international or Champions League style defender. He lacks the mobility, pace and technique for that.

O'Brien should be good to move across now – it's not like it's a baptism of fire or that he isn't match ready – it's his position to grab.

Patterson should be given these remaining games to show what he can do. Personally I think, given a good run at it, Patterson could save us money to spend on other areas.

Normally at this time of the year I would like the manager to prepare for the next campaign and use players who will be the future to aid next season but for this fixture I think it's important to try and break this winless cycle to get the monkey of our backs so we need to put out the best side we can.

Some of Moyes tactical and selection decisions have been baffling since his honeymoon period is well and truly over and have contributed to us only taking 8 points from our last 8 games. He has to play O'Brien centrally this match as his decision to use Keane was a major factor in succumbing to defeat last time out.

Moyes may need Doucoure for this game to try and use his athleticism on the counter but please stop wasting Charlie on the wing. If he comes on let it be in his proper position where he is a totally different animal as we saw brief glimpses when he first joined. I don't think this is a game for Patto and think Seamus is the best option.

I would love to beat these lot not just for the aforementioned reasons but would be happy to see their horrible support miss out on another Champions League campaign

COYB!!!!

Players to be the future? Sighs. Well, that's none then. Our squad is decimated and lousy outside of the known few.

It's a fact that we are cannon fodder for Chelsea. I can see many players hiding and us getting tanked.

You are right about Moyes and his baffling tactics and decisions. In many ways, no different to Dyche.

I'll be watching and, if we get a draw, for me, that will be a victory.

I don't expect Moyes to do anything different or what many posters want to see. He doesn't seem to do that. Result? I don't think that the bookies are far wrong but I'll watch it in hope.

Whoever plays today, just do it with freedom and belief Everton.

Just passing Crystals Palace - see you soon

UTFT

I hope he passes the test with O'Brien alongside him.

Okay, Tarkowski will be a massive miss but, if Moyes get the right combination, we can get something today!

Can Patterson be a reliable first or second choice right back, wing back or right midfielder. He needs a run of games to find out especially at right back. If Moyes has decided not already then I would like to see more of Roman Dixon at this level as I thought he acquitted himself well at Spurs.

Can Branthwaite and O'Brien be the bedrock of our defence next season or will we miss Tarkowski's leadership and experience?

How good is Chermiti? Can we see him given a run of games?

The same applies to Tim Ingrebonum. Give the magnificent Gana the last four games off and let's see how the combo of Tim and James works out.

I am desperate for us to sign Charly. Give him the four games in his best position to show off his talent.

Martin these are pretty obvious things we need to find out even before talking about the likes of Welsh or Sherif etc.

Everton Team v Ipswich could look like this:

Virginia
Dixon O'Brien Branthwaite Mykolenko
Patterson Garner Ingrebunam Ndiaye
Alcatraz
Chermiti

If he wants to go defensive then try Gana, Garner and Iroegbunam behind Ndiaye and Alcaraz which just leaves taking a chance on Chermiti or pick Beto for his work rate.

Somehow I can't see Moyes going with this and expect Doucoure and Harrison to start with Alcaraz and Iroegbunam on the bench with a wreath of garlic around the trainers' technical area.

The pre-match thread is now closed to comments???

Thinking positively, we are as good (or as bad) as Man Utd and Spurs, the beloved clubs of the Premier League hierarchy and referees. So being on equal par with two Top 6 clubs is a huge ego boost.

Moving to the new Everton Stadium can't come soon enough to rid ourselves of the spector of The Kenwright Voodoo Curse from the last 3 decades and the Russian Puppet (albeit his name may linger longer).

Hopefully with a better stadium and a new and exciting-looking regime in place, players of quality will want to be part of it.

Subs: Virgínia (GK), Begovic (GK), Keane, McNeil, Chermiti, Young, Coleman, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam

The pre-match thread (aka "Match Preview") always closes when the teams are announced and a new (albeit similar -looking) thread is posted (aka "Team News") with the opportunity to now debate who has actually been selected for the fray.

T'was ever thus!