Wolves come unstuck against Toffees
Dejection
By Tom Bason
April 9 2011
Today, Everton ran out comfortable winners at Molineux, thanks to goals from Jermaine Beckford, Phil Neville and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
- First of all, let's say it. Everton are a very good team who has underperformed this season. While they are stricken with injuries, David Moyes has somehow managed to claw his way up the league, and the form table gives a terrific indication of the way they're playing at the moment. This was always one of the tougher games of the run in, and should we go down, it certainly won't be down to this loss.
- The lineup surprised me, who'd have thought Guedioura was going to start? I assumed he'd play to try and shut Leighton Baines down, easily Everton's best attacking player and arguably the best left back in the Premier League this season. Guedioura did a reasonable job as Baines wasn't as involved as he has been in recent weeks. The problem here is that Everton's strength going forward on the left is also a massive weakness, conceding a disproportionate number of goals down this flank and we had no-one to turn Baines and really look to attack him.
- Saying that, it's dangerous to focus on just one opposing player, and I tweeted before the match that Leon Osman had been looking good in recent weeks (@toomb86 seeing as you asked. Thanks) and he played well, setting up the first goal and generally looking to link their attack and midfield.
- Talking of the first goal, it was very poorly defended. Firstly George Elokobi let Osman run past him, and then neither Richard Stearman nor Christophe Berra successfully picked up Jermaine Beckford who gave them the lead. Generally, Berra and Stearman have played well together, but maybe it's time to bring Jody Craddock back into the team. Our back-5 has relatively little Premier League experience, and Craddock's nous will only improve the defence.
- Saying that, I couldn't really decide what the problem was defensively. Initially, I thought we were defending too deep. There was a massive gap between the midfield and defence that was most noticeable when Osman and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov drifted into it to good effect. On the other hand, given the ease at which Magaye Gueye and Beckford were able to beat the offside trap, maybe we were defending with too high a line.
- Halftime saw a change; Michael Kightly on for his first Molineux appearance in 16 months was replaced by Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Interestingly, Kightly initially played in behind Fletcher with Guedioura keeping his position wide right before they switched. Does this mean that the return of Kightly has pushed Adam Hammill down the pecking order? Hammill has shone in flashes, but for me drifts in and out of matches too much. Given the role Kightly played when he came on, could we see a genuine 4-2-3-1 formation in two weeks, with Hammill, Kightly and Matt Jarvis all playing in behind Steven Fletcher?
- Or, could we go for something completely different? We finished the game without a recognised striker on the pitch. I've long wanted to see a team try this, former Brazil manager Carlos Alberto Parreira has claimed that this is the future, while AS Roma played a version of it with Francesco Totti as the focal point.
- Whatever we do upfront, it’s clear how much we are missing Kevin Doyle. When news came through of the returns of Kightly, Michael Mancienne and Guedioura, my instant reaction was that I’d swap all of them for a fit Doyle. While Ebanks-Blake and Fletcher have their own strengths, even when played together they don’t offer the same things that Doyle does. Those of you who read these regularly know how deep my love for ‘Doyler’ goes, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s far and away our most important player.
- How many people would have been happy with three draws from the matches at Aston Villa, Newcastle United and today? We've taken three points from those games, but have finished with a goal difference of -5. Given how close it is at the bottom of the league, how important could that be?
- Yes, today was a poor performance, but I'm not sure it warranted the booing at either halftime or the final whistle. The players didn't play well, but I don't think there was a particular lack of effort. They want to be playing Premier League football next season just as much as we want to be watching it. Now is not the time to be getting on the players' backs, now is the time to support them and provide a united front in the game against Fulham in two weeks.
- Did today's game remind you of any other match? 12:45 kick off; live on Sky, at home to a team from Liverpool? It was always going to finish 3-0, with Bilyaletdinov's goal a worthy contender to the wonder strike from Raul Meireles.
- Talking of which, how many times are we going to see Wolves conceding goal of the month contenders? Bilyaletdinov's today will surely be included, following goals from Meireles, David Varney and Jermain Defoe's double for Tottenham earlier in the season.
- I wasn't sat in my normal South Bank seat today as my Everton supporting parents came along to see the match, so I was forced to sit down. Was today's result a cunning plan by Jez Moxey? I don't think there was anyone standing in the Jack Harris in the last half hour.
- If there was a positive today, it was the play of Guedioura and Kightly. Both are returning from lengthy injury layoffs, and it was brilliant to see them both wearing the Old Gold shirts again. Both will surely be a boost to our relegation fight, and it certainly gives Mick McCarthy options.
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Your point on not employing a purpose built stiker - when we are so desparatly trying to win the middle ground (the most important area for either defending well or attacking successfully) the need to shorn the team of so many 'parttime' specialists to boost the chances in the middle is well made. It's the same argument for why we need to divest one of our defensive shields.
The stats ought to say how involved a player is. This should be the element for analysis of how to organise a system that raises players involvement in the area of greatest importance.
Mind you, the need for greater stamina needs to addressed when recruiting players. No place for the 20 fags, 5 pints a day boys.
Sure they played us off the park first half at Goodison in August but that was more to do with a complete non-performance by Wolves than Everton being anything special. The top 5 are not that much cop this season either and this must be the most compact premiership ever.
As regards the performance yesterday, it was the performance of a team with brittle confidence and threatened by relegation who needed to win. The first goal knocked the stuffing out of us. I would lay most of the blame with Elokobi for that one. On the second goal we were incredibly slow to charge the ball down after Henneseys save. The shot should have been blocked but there was to much hesitation.
I have to say that although O'Hara has got plenty of quality it is starting to look like his personal agenda to get on the scoresheet with numerous wild shots from distance did not do us much good either. In a recent game he went for glory from a tight angle when there was a simple lay off to Jarvis. It looks to me like O'Hara is trying to boost his own profile at the expense of the team.
Guedioura did pretty well but was puffing a bit yesterday. I dont see why Hamill was dropped in favour of him or why Kights got on the pitch ahead of him.
toomb's twitter
As regards recent seasons, well they have overachieved under Moyes of that there is no doubt but they are a selling club these days. They have lost Pienaar and Lescott and the money has not been ploughed back in. Arteta has been critisised by Everton fans this season after a dip in form. Beckford may have got on the scoresheet against us but I dont think he is premiership class and I'd much rather have Sylvan. Bilywhatnot may have scored on Saturday but most of the time he flatters to deceive and Everton would surely snap the hands off any club that offered them even half of what they paid out for him.
Like all premiership clubs they have got some good players but overall there is no way they are going to threaten the top 5 in the near future. Similarly Liverpool in 6th are only a shadow of ther former self. I know you have family links to Everton but do Everton fans themself think they have got a particularly strong squad now? I doubt that somehow. As you say we will have to disagree about how good we think they are.
We certainly didn't have any idea how to get through their 5 man midfield, especially with the ball at our feet - even Jarvis struggled!!