Our Everton jury have their say on the big talking points from Goodison Park after the draw with Chelsea
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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04: Sean Dyche, Manager of Everton, reacts as Gary O'Neil, Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, looks on during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Goodison Park on December 04, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Everton boss Sean Dyche(Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Everton’s impressive Premier League form continued on Sunday as they played out a goalless draw against Chelsea. The Blues arguably had the better of the chances, with both Jack Harrison and Iliman Ndiaye going close in the second-half.
Although Sean Dyche’s side have lost only two of the last 12, they only have three Premier League victories to their name, and, as a result, they remain just four points above the drop zone. However, it is worth noting that Everton have a game in hand on their rivals.
The Blues return to action against Manchester City on Boxing Day, and with that game in mind, as well as the draw against Chelsea, our Everton jury has returned to have their say.
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Alex McMonnies - Could a Christmas miracle be on the cards?
A daunting December has turned out to be anything but daunting as Everton made it three matches unbeaten with a well-earned 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Sean Dyche's side probably felt unlucky not to have taken all three points from a match played in extremely windy conditions at Goodison Park. Both Jack Harrison and Iliman Ndiaye had good opportunities to score in the second half. The spoils were shared in the end, and Everton earned themselves another valuable point for their survival bid.
Worries will inevitably still persist over the lack of potency up top, but the Toffees' defensive record over the last couple of months has been nothing short of outstanding. The Blues now look a lot more like the team of last season, which were able to navigate choppy waters with relative ease and acquire enough points to finish in 12th place in the Premier League table, thanks in no small part to their strong defensive record.
The restoration of Abdoulaye Doucoure to the centre of midfield, alongside Orel Mangala and Idrissa Gueye, as well as Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski reigniting their formidable partnership, has prevented two title challengers in Arsenal and Chelsea from finding the net against Everton in the past 10 days. This would have been difficult to imagine at the start of the season when the Toffees were consistently leaking sloppy goals, and Dyche deserves a lot of credit for making the necessary tactical tweaks to his side, which has seen them become tougher to beat than ever in recent weeks.
The same cannot be said for Everton's next opponents. The habitually unstoppable Manchester City are currently on a barely believable downward spiral and will head into their upcoming clash with the Blues having lost nine of their last 12 matches in all competitions. Getting any sort of result from the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day is still going to be an incredibly difficult task for the Toffees, but they will undoubtedly be the more confident group of players heading into the match, which is something that has not been true for a very long time. Could a Christmas miracle be on the cards?
Paul McParlan - A case for the defence
Everton's new owners, The Friedkin Group, understand Italian football in Serie A through their ownership of AS Roma. In a country where the legendary catenaccio defensive system is still widely admired and some still view the perfect game as a 0-0 draw, they understand the value Roma supporters place on keeping a clean sheet.
New club chairman, Marc Watts, must have been impressed by another Sean Dyche defensive masterclass on Sunday. The cheers on the final whistle also showed how much the fans appreciated the hard work, organisation and determination that went into that performance against high-flying Chelsea on Sunday.
Some draws are valued more highly than others by supporters, even though the outcome is the same points wise. The stalemate against Brentford was greeted with a chorus of boos, whereas taking a point off Chelsea was loudly applauded by those Evertonians who had braved the Arctic conditions to be in the stadium.
Sean Dyche’s tactics are often damned with faint praise by opposition managers and the media alike. But as Crystal Palace’s defeat against Arsenal showed this weekend, if you can’t defend properly against the best sides in the country, you will concede a bagful of goals. Chelsea arrived at Goodison as the Premier League’s top scorers.
They had scored nine goals in their last two away games, and in Cole Palmer, they have one of England’s top forwards. Everton worked hard to stifle their opponents and limit their opportunities to score. Although the visitors edged the first half, Everton were unlucky not to take all three points in the second. If only Jack Harrison had taken the golden opportunity presented to him by Iliman Ndiaye!
Orel Mangala had another excellent game in midfield, and his powerful long-range shooting is another addition to Everton’s attacking options. His partnership with Idrissa Gana Gueye is proving to be highly effective. James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite were outstanding again in defence, and Jordan Pickford showed why he is the first choice for England. Nevertheless, on Match of the Day 2, Shay Given, the ex-Newcastle keeper, criticised Jordan, even though he had kept yet another clean sheet! Amazing what a pundit will do to get some likes on his social media feed from Geordieland. Just remind me, Shay, how many European Championship finals and World Cup semi-finals have you played in? I don’t think our number one needs any advice from you.
The Boxing Day game at Manchester City will be another challenging one, but after our last two draws against Arsenal and Chelsea, Everton have shown that they can get results against the top sides. Another display of defensive solidity will be essential here if we are to take anything from this game.
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Sean Dyche has surely impressed his new paymasters with his ability to organise a defence. And who knows, if a new contract offer from Everton does not materialise this season, The Friedkin Group may have other plans for him elsewhere in their footballing portfolio. Don’t be surprised to see him at AS Roma next season!