I think we should be perfect for breaking at speed away from home and against teams chasing the game generally. It's tougher at home against teams who sit back and don't give us the space, particularly when we gift them the lead and then allow them to break at speed against our back 4....
I think virtually every side we play this season will fancy beating us. I can't see too many sitting back even at VR, so we should be able to break at pace against most sides we play, just like Leicester did in THAT season. Everyone knew what they would do, but no one could stop it. We have players of the same pace as Vardy, and the composure shown by King and Dennis means that our pace should have a bit of bite too.
I have absolutely no problem in Cathcart being a back up player, but he is a liability. Even Masina (who is also toilet) had a pretty good game on Saturday. Nkoulou looked sharp, hungry and did a great job despite not being on the field long. Trouble is, as @Hogg-DEENEY!!! said, he's not 'quite' match ready. So Crapcart will start against Southampton. Who, btw, tore us to bits in our relegation season at the Vic. We better play better than that day! I'm sure we will. I think we really do need a replacement for Cathcart, even as Nkoulou's backup, not good enough. Will Gino actually act in the next Window through.
I have a big problem with Cathcart being backup. Hasn’t been a regular in the last 2 seasons (1 of which was at a lower level) and was genuinely overlooked for Mariappa the previous year. He has proved this season that he is not anywhere near being a PL defender anymore. And this club has shown that we rely on our backup players far too often. Cathcart’s best performances in the last season or so have come as a RB. The fact that Ranieri brought Nkoulou on when we were 2-1 down on Saturday tells me he wants him in the team quickly. I fully expect him to take Cathcart’s spot at the weekend.
ToffeeBlue, a good bloke. Love to hear his reaction to our transformation from Scouser match 1 to Scouser match 2
"...against a watford team who couldn't buy a point if they went into a shop with a load of money...." Hilarious.
Really enjoyed that. Thanks for posting. Best bits: Pre-match predictions of a routine 2-0 win. Stunned silence at our 1st equaliser, then elation and jubilation as it gets disallowed, then finally cut to glum acceptance. Ha ha ha etc. Refusal to accept that they have been unjustly denied a 1st half pen, despite the ref saying it wasn't and despite VAR saying it wasn't. It's just SO unfair. As indeed was every single decision that went against them. Everton players should "fall over more" counsels a wise Oirish voice from the back of the stand. Ha ha ha etc. And best of all, the quickfire fabulous foursome from us right at the end. The yaaaa jubilation so quickly turning to anger and despair. The sudden little interruption to his bewailing whinging commentary to do the most effeminate little "boo!" at the Everton players as they came off. Just a shame there's no post match post-mortem from this tithead. I loves a bit of schadenfreude....
To those Evertonians saying their result against us was the darkest day in their history - surely losing 3-1 at home to a Howe-managed Bournemouth who'd lost nine away games in a row and had been atrocious for much of 2020 is worse, for one thing?
Yes but I can see teams, like Soton, realising the best way to beat us at VR will be to sit back, deny space, and catch us on the break as we over-commit as the home side, running at Masina, Cathcart, Ngakia/Fem, T-E. Theroretically we should be better away from home, as we were early season under Silva in that false dawn....
I think Everton (recently) are suffering from huge FFP problems. Rather than naturally drip Moshiri's millions into the club and build a stable, progressive club - they went the other way and threw money at managers and overpriced players and then found the managers to be unable to deliver instant success and the players to be flops by-and-large. This summer they bought Townsend, Gray and Rondon for a total of £1.5m when in previous years they have been spending well over £100m. They have also ignored the fans over hiring Rafa and it will almost certainly end in acrimony before the season is over. They should have gone for someone like Howe and given him time to build something. But they have massive ideas of grandeur for some reason. Their CB's on Saturday cost them nearly £60m!
Richarlison's goal on Saturday was 100% on Cathcart, Foster had to come out and try and put Richarlison off.
If he had just stood in the middle of the goal and on his line, it would still have left Richarlison a lot to do to score. Cathcart created the chance for Richarlison - but Foster was the one who turned it from just a chance into a goal.
Difficult to know exactly what he means - he is so inscrutable. Reading between the lines I get the sense he thinks it as an absolutely disgraceful performance which was a disgrace to the football club and he thought that the whole team was disgraceful, but that the defence in particular were disgraceful. Thoughts ?
You still don't get it yet...as those Evertonians keep telling you, Rafa just won't trust this new Gerrrrrrrrm-an signing and just plays that f***ing disgrace Rondon. I think that probably sums it up.
I'm thinking Toffee Blue 9 will probably sneak back onto this forum sometime soon and try and ingratiate himself as a pretend, reformed southern sophisticate under a new name. Welcome aboard Tofu Blue 9 we're looking forward to hearing your thoughts!!
So was Cathcart if thats the road you want to go down. See the point? Being in line with the ball is irrelevant if you have no chance of getting it where you're stood. Cathcart and Foster both had no chance of getting it where they were. So would have been better being in natural positions where they could get it. Not exactly rocket science but then you have shown on the Ben Foster thread that you don't understand this most basic of goalkeeping 101's - come off your line, you have to get the ball. Every GK under the sun will tell you that golden rule. I really don't understand where you are coming from on this debate at times - you complain that Bachmann is glued to his line. But then when Foster comes miles off his line wrongly, you defend him!
Yes, and completely lacking in any awareness about the situation and players in front of him. Come on, mate - this argument has been done to death over on the actual Foster thread, and no one is saying the goal is purely Foster's fault - everyone is aware Cathcart carries at least as much blame, and failed in his defensive duties in letting Richarlison entirely free (and has said as much). However, that doesn't change the fact that Foster failed in his duties through the action he took, also, and in doing so demonstrated again how far he has fallen as a keeper in recent years.
So do you want a goalkeeper to follow the flight of the ball, or stand where it could potentially go? Genuine question.
How do you like this kettle boiling up with steamy scouse rage? https://twitter.com/TheLiverpo6lWay/status/1451944485273968645?t=8e0wCTWIypYMd697-qyMsA&s=19
It’s not a binary question though, you aren’t grasping that. You’re making out it’s an ‘either or’ situation. If Foster was following the flight of the ball then he had to come all the way out to meet it (in front of Richarlison) - else he should have stayed on his line knowing he couldn’t get there in front of him. But instead he followed the flight and inexplicably stood behind the striker shaping for a simple catch. It’s just indisputable that in this instance he should have stayed on his line and not followed the ball.
Only come for the ball if you can get it, he had absolutely zero chance of getting it, so he should’ve stayed on his line. It was also much more of a straight ball, rather than a ball crossed in from the wing, making it doubly harder and doubly less likely he could possibly get there ahead of Richarlison. Richarlison was between him and the ball as it was played in, rather than it being crossed from the wing and the ball being between both of them.
Southampton have been a tough nut to crack during our Prem years under the Pozzos, whether they've stifled or outplayed us. Don't know why, they've finished below us twice and apart from the Mane-inspired rout where we were flattered by losing 2-0 (we probably would've still lost even if we'd played really well) they've been there for the taking every time, yet we just have that one win under Silva. They haven't been a good side since the season after we came up and we really ought to get that first home win of this era against them next Saturday.
Richarlison didn't hold back on the celebrations either, did he? Big nose bastad. I'm not asking for him to shake off his teammates and walk back solemnly with his head bowed or anything, but he might have reined it in a little bit out of respect for us what gave him his start over here in England.
This also happens when you stay on your line...bounces 3 yards out and goal. Better starting position...i.e. 3 yards out...he's line with the flight of the ball and an easy catch. Instead if you watch it, he's on his line, steps forward then steps back and it's over, the ball's gone in and no one touches it. I'm not going to criticise Foster for being a bit braver.
What are you on about?! It's two different types of ball into box and travelling through a larger patch of players for a start. And no one is saying Bachmann didn't make a mistake here. But again, and for the last time, it's not a binary thing. Bachmann was wrong not to come here - just as Foster was wrong to come out on Saturday. Simple as that. One does not excuse the other! There was nothing 'brave' about Foster's decision on Saturday. It was stupid and cost us a goal.
Yeah, he hasn't endeared himself to us Watford fans since losing form here - he was a cry-baby after his goals dried up, going to ground far too easily in the hope of winning a set-piece, and now he's just a petulant tosser. Shame because he was one of our best ever players (for a few months anyway) and a joy to watch at his best.
The point you're missing is Bachmann makes no decisions and takes no responsibility, which is a nightmare for defenders.
I'm afraid you two should agree to differ on this one. If you don't mind me taking a leaf out of the Everton book, I'll apply the 'Judgement of Rondon' to this debate which might help. They are both a pair of f***ing disgraces!
And again - we are debating the mistake that Foster made on Saturday. Saying 'well Bachmann has made mistakes in other games' isn't a defence for Foster's error. The wider debate of who should be our No.1 is being had elsewhere.
