Everton v Arsenal (friendly)

Watching the game, we've just gone 1-0 down. A Pickford rick led to a corner, which Pickford then flapped at and missed, allowing Jesus to score easily.

Bit of a shame but it's been an enjoyable watch so far, we've been competitive and it's been quite feisty actually.

2-0. They just walked through the heart of our defence and again scored easily.

I don't think Nkounkou can defend, lads.

We've become incredibly sloppy since we went behind. Competitive until we concede and then just fragile thereafter. Sound familiar?

It's only a friendly, but this is more annoying than it should be because this was a proper game for 30 minutes, not a walkabout friendly by any means, and we were well in the game. Also a reminder that when everyone's fit, we don't have a bad first XI.

Come on Rotts, perspective. It's the middle of fucking July.

So far Davies has been our tidiest player, Duke has been busy, DCL has looked sharp, Godfrey's having a mare and Nkounkou is doing a Poundshop Cafu impression.

Finished 2-0.

The second half did feel like a pre-season friendly. We made 11 subs at half time (including introducing a goalie I've never heard of.) Arsenal didn't do the same, the bastards, but they played the second half with fags on the go. It was pretty hot over there by all accounts.

Good fun though, because I got a look at Tarko and some youngsters. Reece Welch, who looks like a unit, Lewis Warrington, who didn't really get a chance to do much, and a lad called Stanley Mills. I never knew we had Danny Mills's son on our books! And he did pretty well at right wing back (we played 3 CBs in both halves.) I can't remember the young keeper's name even now, but he did alright, didn't have that much to do. Iwobi was our best player second half, he looked keen.

A funny moment right at the end - Pepe squared up to this Mills lad. And Mills didn't back down, but then Tarko emerged to basically tell Pepe to pick on him, rather than a kid. Pepe didn't fancy squaring up to Tarko.

It's a strange feeling to have just watched a game featuring both Mina and Gbamin, especially as they were both able to walk off the field unaided. Mina must have been wondering where his physio mate was, the fella who usually walks off with him.

You obviously can't read too much into our first pre-season game but two things struck me - on the negative side, we kept shooting ourselves in the foot in the first half with too much sloppiness and Pickford's flap. It wouldn't matter so much except we did that to ourselves a lot last season. On the positive side the entire squad looked fit enough, even though they all only played 45 minutes. And DCL, who I don't think ever got himself back 100% match fit after his injury last season, was moving really well.

I only managed the first 20 minutes and I must admit I found it deeply depressing. Obviously, pre-season and all that, and Lampard has said that we’ve just been doing fitness work so far, but we looked like a championship outfit at best. Awful midfield, two wing backs who are nowhere near the level required to keep us on the PL, and the usual mediocrity from holgate and Davies.

Ugh. Early days I suppose but worrying nontheless

hairy cataract wrote:I only managed the first 20 minutes and I must admit I found it deeply depressing. Obviously, pre-season and all that, and Lampard has said that we’ve just been doing fitness work so far, but we looked like a championship outfit at best.  Awful midfield, two wing backs who are nowhere near the level required to keep us on the PL, and the usual mediocrity from holgate and Davies.

Ugh. Early days I suppose but worrying nontheless

Maybe not being humiliated is my new yardstick for acceptability. But I thought we were competitive, without being great, until they scored.

Also in fairness I had the Athletics on at the same time. Women's 100m heats, and some of them were quite fit. So I might have been a bit distracted.

But yeah, we do need some extra quality pretty desperately. And I don't think three at the back works for us, not only because of the wing-backs themselves but more because the three CBs just don't know what their individual jobs are. The second goal was evidence of that.

Made 4 Gwladys wrote:

See what I mean for the second goal? A five-man back line and none of them seemed to know what to do, who was going to commit, who was going to pick the runners up etc. And Nkounkou simply didn't have any clue whatsoever that Saka was behind him.

I know we played 3 CBs in the run-in last season but it's a formation of necessity/security, to cover for the fact that we're shit elsewhere. Frank basically said that in the interview after the game. Central midfield, and in particular a good defensive midfielder, is our number 1 transfer priority, we have to make something happen there.

Rotterdam 1985 wrote:

Made 4 Gwladys wrote:

See what I mean for the second goal? A five-man back line and none of them seemed to know what to do, who was going to commit, who was going to pick the runners up etc. And Nkounkou simply didn't have any clue whatsoever that Saka was behind him.

I know we played 3 CBs in the run-in last season but it's a formation of necessity/security, to cover for the fact that we're shit elsewhere. Frank basically said that in the interview after the game. Central midfield, and in particular a good defensive midfielder, is our number 1 transfer priority, we have to make something happen there.

My biggest worry is that we'll end up bringing in one or two players, like a decent DM, and they'll get injured, leaving us with what we saw last season minus Richarlison. Obviously, there's no solution to this - except buying five or six new players - but I just don't see how the odd addition to this squad will make any difference, and we're in for another relegation battle.

It sounds like a couple of the kids looked good - particularly Stanley Mills - but I wonder if Frank has the balls to actually play them? He didn't last season, relying on the "senior" players to somehow drag us out of the mire.

Is there any way I could be transferred to a better club please?