13 Feb 2019 22:10:26
I still don't see all this critisism of the team and players the way most do. At the start of the season we looked pretty good. Mid season we looked ok. Even in this terrible run, we have shown good stats of shots and goals and possession. Where we have failed is in defence. I said at the beginning of the season that we were leaking too many goals. Particularly at set pieces. My son showed me a frightening stat the other day. It was the set pieces that had led to goals against Silva's teams. His previous 2 teams actually conceded more goals from set pieces than we have! That was measured as goals per game. So no matter if we play well and score one or two goals. we are likely to draw or lose based on the goals against figure! Just like his previous teams did. It is no wonder that his teams become lacking in confidence and start off well but then start to fall apart. The defenders must be scared stiff every time they walk on the pitch now. We need a new defensive coach or someone to make Silva aware that he has to change something soon or we will continue as his last 2 teams did. When he gets things going, we play well. But every time we give a corner or free kick away, I have to get another roll of andrex out! If we had a few wins or a decent run, the confidence would come flooding back. We did great against Chelsea and played good against Burnley and the reds. But all these games were set pieces have cost us points have also cost us confidence! He needs to sort it asap!
14 Feb 2019 07:07:08
It will take time for zonal to stick in these players heads.
He wasn't at Watford and Hull long enough to get the message over.
Let's hope he gets it done here, and fast.
14 Feb 2019 10:17:41
How long for professional players at this level is long enough. They train every day. He had a pre-season. 7 months he has had. In my professions (ex) , same mistake over and over again would have cost a lot of money and my leaving. I assume for the majority of us, it would have been the same. If he has made the same mistakes at previous two Clubs with different players, then surely it has to be the methods.
14 Feb 2019 10:20:13
I cannot believe anyone still has any faith in Silva.
14 Feb 2019 10:37:55
The coaching team has the responsibility to coach the players in a way to improve their performance on the pitch. If they have not got the players to play how they want, they need to adapt the tactics around the players to get the best out of what they have available. So the question is are the coaching team fit for purpose?
14 Feb 2019 13:56:16
Most of them didn't have a pre season. Digne, Mina, Zouma, Bernard and Gomes came in late. Siggy and Gana were at the world cup.
Keane played man marking at Burnley and Coleman/ Kenny will not have played zonal at any point under our previous managers.
Our defensive errors are more down to individuals not being aggressive enough in the box, and not attacking the ball. Similar issues (players switching off) we saw with most of these players under previous managers.
14 Feb 2019 14:06:20
Sa90. I’ve not been able to watch MOTD for the last month because we’re so crap, so not even my telly is fit for purpose right now.
14 Feb 2019 14:58:11
That’s is our problem Smit, we are marking space instead of players and attacking the ball.
If you look at a lot of the goals we concede, the player taking the free kick, takes a step, stops waits a second or so then swings the ball in.
That is when our defenders move then stop, before the kick, allowing the opposing players to make the right move in the box, without being flat footed like our defenders.
14 Feb 2019 17:08:04
But the manager can't control that in a game can he Bignev.
How can any footballer know whether the ball is going to come into his zone if the ball hasn't been struck yet?
If that is the issue then it is the players that are at fault. Personally i think it is the players lack of understanding what to do if the player is moving into their zone from another zone.
time and time again we see the player who scores running in between 2 of our players/ zones and a lack of alertness/ communication from our player as to who has got the man.
If the ball looks to be going over the head of player A it is player B who needs to call the ball his and attack it.
This isn't happening, maybe it does in training but in the heat of battle i don't see it.
Zonal marking is about marking your zone but also to follow the flight of the ball and attack it.
The players aren't used to it but will have to learn it, or players need to be acquired who can play it.
I've heard people say the manager needs to adapt his style to the players, Why?
He has come in with a style of play and he is going to implement that.
Its like asking Pep to manage Burnley and play their way because of their players. He wouldn't do that. He would play his way and anyone who couldn't, would be shipped out. It is no different to Silva. Defending set pieces is about the whole team defending which is why we are pretty good at defending in open play.
We have to teach not only our first 11 but our whole sqaud this method and that is where the issue lies.
Siggy, Gomes, Richarlison have all been guilty of letting their man get away and score. Its not just the back 4, and that is the tricky part.
He can't just give up on it until he has the players otherwise he would be training all the players who can play that style incorrectly and we would never master it.
Unfortunately we have to suck it up and take the short term pain for a greater gain further down the line.
More and more teams all over europe are becoming successful with playing out from the back and zonal marking. Football is evolving due to not being able to tackle anymore. Everton need to be doing the same and not stuck in the good old days playing like a west brom or Burnley, because when the contact completely goes from the game which inevitably it will. The likes of Burnley and those kind of teams are going to find it even tougher than they do now.
14 Feb 2019 18:11:47
I am sure Marco Silva doesn't coach our defenders and midfielders to make individual mistakes that leads or could lead to us conceding a goal or coaching forwards to play the wrong pass or miss an easy chance, once they cross the white line it down to them, they are the professionals earning mega bucks.
I still believe Marco will be a good Manager for Everton, just need to give him time. He and his coaching staff knows what they have got, just like every armchair manager on this site. unfortunately he can't openly criticism or humiliate them, as they are so called valuable assets of the club, he has to keep their confidence as high as possible.
But at the end of the season he will know the players he will want to keep and the ones to let go and inform their agents to find them a new club, He and his coaching staff will be feeling it just like we do, only thing is that they can't visibly show it.
14 Feb 2019 20:35:24
Two great posts. Smit666 and Uran. Nice to see positive posts and looking at the bigger picture. I have been concerned recently and seeing other post does often make you lose patience. Marco hasn’t been scared to drop players like Coleman. We all have opinions of who should play and a lot agree Lookman should get the nod ahead of Walcott.
I think that not only do the players need to learn a new way of playing and defending zonally but supporters need to understand change too. I remember in the 90’s English football fans wanted to play direct football but have realised that possession is important as we have learnt internationally and when playing at club level in Europe.
Let’s get behind the team and manager and embrace the new Everton. Good things come to those who wait.
15 Feb 2019 10:36:50
we've looked ok? you been watching the wrong team in blue mate? sounds like you're talking about Chelsea not everton here?
15 Feb 2019 18:42:37
Certain players are making individual errors that are costly to us, that's got nothing to do with the Managers coaching, really top players make less or no mistakes, it's that simple, anyway our football under Marko is 100 x better than under Allardyce and Koeman.
15 Feb 2019 20:31:04
Do the bloody research. Identify the biggest threat and nominate your best to nullify it.
15 Feb 2019 23:07:55
What you going on about.
