A trip to Goodison is usually a very tough game, they seem to raise their game when faced with opposition seen as their equal or better, and they seem to stumble against lesser sides. We have looked more solid this season, but very rarely have we maintained pressure on the opposition, all in all McLeish has done okay, I would like to believe that as the season progresses we too will progress and find a better balance between attack and defence, but at the moment McLeish is being cautious in the push for results.
Defence
The defence under McLeish has been much improved, this is not due to the personnel being reinvigorated or better organised, but the fact that our central midfield pairing tend to sit deeper, and our fullbacks rarely pushing forward and offering width. Collins and Dunne have been much improved with this added protection, and as such have been better with their distribution; they no longer boot the ball up the pitch in blind panic, although occasionally they still do. Collins against Wolves played 4 and completed 4 very strong cross field passes to Gabby who had isolated Stearman; this put us on the front foot, but it needed Warnock getting up in support and possibly beyond into the space to make the most of the situation. They sometimes still go awry, and watching Dunne for Ireland against Slovakia I grew so frustrated at the amount of times he tried long balls, not to anyone in particular, but just into an area only to find touch, I don’t want to see this at Villa. There are concerns over Given, who has been good so far, but has looked far from fit, he has to get Collins to take some goal kicks shows he isn’t comfortable kicking and extending his leg muscles, this is a concern as it means the defence aren’t going to be confident of passing it back to him when under pressure. I hope this knock is sorted sooner rather than later, as Givens distribution is usually top class. I’ve picked Herd because he was MotM against Wolves; he worked his socks off against Wolves’ main threat Matt Jarvis, he showed good aerial ability in both areas which is a must against Everton.
Midfield & Attack
We have seen Delph get 265minutes so far this season, and he has looked solid in the role he is being asked to play with Petrov, always fully committed, putting in some crunching tackles, his positional play is also improving. I am a little frustrated that he is not getting forward as he has plenty to offer in the attacking third, and at a young age should have enough energy to get up and down the pitch. Petrov is picked because he has shown more in the 3 Premiership games than he did pre-season, he helps organise Delph and they seem to have struck up an understanding, he isn’t a long term solution but he can help younger players on the pitch, and the fact I’ve picked Bannan instead of Heskey means Petrov’s experience will help defensively.
Bannan was one of the brightest players pre-season, showed control and maturity on the ball, he helped bring the Blackburn game back under our control when McLeish put him on. I have been very impressed with how often he looks for the ball, and against a big Everton midfield, his movement should mean he can pick up space and pull the strings, Delph and Bannan could have the skill to play their way around Rodwell and Fellaini, who aren’t the quickest and can sometimes be sluggish in reading the game. Heskey has worked hard, and will continue to do so, but I want more from our forwards, I want creativity, pace, vision, and with few players getting forward in support of attacks in our current system we need that vision more than ever.
N’Zogbia is on the left to drive at Neville, there is weakness there and N’Zogbia is a tricky customer to mark, Gabby is on the right in an attempt to try pin Baines back, or to exploit any space left should Baines get forward, they should be free roles though, and should look to roam and pick up space. Bent should also look for the gaps left by Baines, or for Neville being pulled out of position by N’Zogbia, Jagielka and Distin are a solid pairing but the gaps between CBs and fullbacks is where Bent may have most joy, try and divide the CBs and create a gap through the middle for others.
Everton’s Threat
They work hard, are committed, but they don’t have anything to be frightened of, and arguably there isn’t a better time to play them, having sold Arteta, released a couple of strikers (Beckford and the Yak), injuries to another striker (Anichebe), and new loan deals Stracqualursi and Drenthe only having a short time with the club. Arteta will be a big miss for them, but they have a confident 17year old who has made a bright start to this season, Ross Barkley, he has looked very good in patches, but as with any youngster, he drifts out of the game easily and can find the game passing him by, I’d like to see Delph rattle his cage early. Tim Cahill and Leon Osman are possibly the most dangerous players, attacking midfielders who like to make late runs into the box, the only goal we’ve conceded this season has come from a late run into the box by Pedersen, which caught Warnock on his heels, the defence, Petrov and Delph are going to have to be aware of any late runs and pick them up or make teammates aware. Baines on the left will provide plenty of width, and for a fullback has a terrific assist count, which stands at 22 for the last 2 seasons, a few of these possibly came from set pieces, but the majority are from open play and it shows he gets forward, Gabby has the stamina and work rate to track back and help shut Baines down, but Petrov as well should come across and support Herd.
Result
It will be a close game, if McLeish plays Heskey then we may be more solid, however I struggle to see us breaking down a resolute Everton defence, or gaining a significant foothold in the game, and the game will turn into a scrappy affair, with our danger men, Gabby, Bent and N’Zogbia on the periphery. I also have concerns over picking Heskey in place of others, Heskey is out of contract next summer and I’ll be very surprised if his contract is renewed, he still has a role to play this season, but others have more to offer, not only now but in the long term, Bannan, Ireland and The Fonz all spring to mind. We do have some fitness concerns, Dunne looked to suffer a head injury in the game against Russia, Bent withdrew from the England squad with a hamstring injury, and Petrov will have played two tough internationals and may need a rest. If Bent fails to make it, then i would like to see Delfouneso get an opportunity, move Gabby inside, and play Delfouneso on the right where Gabby would play if Bent were fit. I would be interested to see the two of them interchange and really stretch the Everton back four, i also think he would offer more threat than if we played Albrighton on the wing. So it’s difficult to see how either side will set up, it’s a game we can win, but a draw would be far from a bad result whilst McLeish is still trying to find the right balance. I was a touch disappointed by his substitutions against Wolves, but was impressed by his changes against Blackburn and Hereford, and think this game could be won by the changes he makes.
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