Michael Ball tackles the big issues at Hill Dickinson Stadium following Everton's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
Walking away from Hill Dickinson Stadium, I felt that Everton hadn’t played that badly and while we didn’t deserve to lose 3-0, that’s the truth of the Premier League. Speaking to Evertonians on the way home there was a lot of chat about how we’re having a good season, are playing well and you’ve got to remember where we’ve come from, but I don’t like that talk. I understand that you’ve got to be realistic, but you’ve got to remember who we are. We’re Everton Football Club, we’re expecting to win games at home and it’s disappointing that we’ve suffered a first loss at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Look at teams like Bournemouth, look at Sunderland – who we’re playing next – where were they last year? We don’t want to be sucked into a cesspit and I don’t think we will because the way we’re playing football is a breath of fresh air, but it’s now up to David Moyes to try and find an answer, you need to find another way to try and win games. We’re level with Leeds and they’re probably thinking they’re having a poor season. Look at the teams who are now above us, Aston Villa had a slow start, but they’ve picked up a lot of points in the last few games and so have Manchester United. I don’t think we’re in trouble but as the last game of the weekend you think ‘we need a win here’ just to keep the momentum going up. To be fair to the players, I thought we came out really strong.
We started well and were putting them under a lot of pressure, but we didn’t have the answers. Beto had an opportunity to throw his body in while Jack Grealish had a shot blocked. I thought we were looking the better team with our all-round game and were playing really well. Then, at a crucial moment, we just switched off. I think Jordan Pickford really struggles in those situations, as, while he’s a shot stopper, he hasn’t got the biggest presence. Yes, everyone needs to do their job but as we’ve seen this season, a lot has been highlighted on set-pieces and throw-ins. Teams are realising that if you get it in the box, you cause problems. We’ve been great at defending set pieces all season, but Spurs had done their homework and knew that Jordan wouldn’t command his box. It looked like we’d equalise and from that point we might have gone on and won the game but unfortunately, we’d impeded the goalkeeper. Like Liverpool do and like Arsenal do, when the corner comes in, they all get out rather than leaving players on the front and back post so Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye were caught in offside positions. There’s a question over whether the keeper would have saved it anyway – I don’t think he would have – but that also went against us. We were then naive because we got caught again and once more it was up to Jordan to come out and command it as he can use his arms. This ensured that Spurs had something to hold on to in the second half as while we had the play, tried to get back into it and huffed and puffed, we didn’t really find the answers. I’ve got to credit the players and the fans because until around the 87th minute, the ground remained full. There was a feeling that if we scored, we could still get something out of the game. At the end though as we were chasing it, Spurs broke and Richarlison got a fantastic assist.
Playing to your strengths doesn't mean we're predictable
There’s been talk that our attacking play has become predictable because the ball is going out wide to Ndiaye and Grealish, but that’s what I want. I don’t want hit and hope towards Beto, I don’t want it back with Michael Keane or James Tarkowski for too long, or Pickford. Some people might be crying out for changes and if the starters aren’t creating then they need to come off, no matter who they are, whether it’s Grealish or Ndiaye but I remember that Sven-Goran Eriksson was a master of that as often someone like Martin Petrov on the wing might be very poor all game and wouldn’t be involved but the manager trusted him to find that half a yard when the opposition tired, to create an opportunity. We’ve spent a lot of money on Tyler Dibling but he probably needs to be doing more in training to get in the manager’s eye. It’s sink or swim in the Premier League and when you get your opportunity you’ve got to take it.
Sunderland loving life but Blues must show their quality
It’s not often that you see a newly promoted team start as well as Sunderland have done. I remember Blackpool coming up and starting really brightly. You’re thinking, how have they gone from the Championship to fourth in the Premier League? They’re loving life right now and they’re all about strength, speed and mentality, having earned those stripes in the second tier which is a very difficult division to get yourself out of. They’ve come up to the Premier League and they’re just having a go. They might not have the most ability, but they’ve got plenty of spirit and are getting the rewards of playing to their strengths. It’s going to be a big moment for Pickford going back to Sunderland, but he needs to stand up and be counted. It’s time for us to show them our quality and why we haven’t been relegated for so many years, we need to be fast and sharp. They got a fantastic win against a quality Chelsea side and will be full of confidence, but we’ve got to go there and try and cause them problems.