David Moyes’ Anfield hoodoo saw another frustrating chapter getting added with Everton suffering a 1-0 loss in a match that they could’ve just ended up winning. Beto struck the near post after spinning Virgil Van Dijk in the first half and on another night, the Toffees would’ve gotten something out of the breakaway counters that went to waste in the second 45.
Building up to the second Merseyside derby of the season, Moyes seemed apprehensive, suggesting “the gap between Everton and Liverpool had never been bigger” in his pre-match comments. He had never won at this ground in 21 attempts in his managerial career and on Wednesday night, he set his team up to contain Liverpool rather than take the game to them.
It was all Liverpool in the first 20 minutes as the Toffees absorbed wave after wave of pressure from the hosts and when the odd offensive opportunity did present itself, Everton lacked composure.
Beto: An enigma
On two occasions, Beto was through on goal in the first half and had it been for split-second better decision-making, the Blues could’ve gone into the break with a two-goal advantage. The first chance fell to the Guinea-Bissau striker at the 20th-minute mark as James Tarkowski found him with a long ball.
If only he had held back his curved run around Ibrahima Konate by an inch or two, he could’ve gotten Everton the liftoff in the derby after shielding the ball with his body and slotting it home through Caoimhin Kelleher’s legs instead of settling for the offside flag.
The second chance just after the half-hour mark, however, probably sums up Beto as a footballer. Konate’s wayward header fell to Abdoulaye Doucoure who, instead of playing the striker through on goal, sold him short. With his first touch, Beto trapped the ball loosely and with his second, he spun Van Dijk on his tippy-tappy heels, hung him out to dry, and carved a 1v1 with the opposition keeper. 10/10, no notes.
It was at this point that the second part of him took over. After getting to the edge of the box and with Kelleher rushing out from his goal, Beto aimed for the near post and hit the woodwork. He has been in this situation several times this situation and let’s just say, it’s been more misses than hits, often in the same game. Cough, cough, Brentford.
Jack Harrison and the Doucoure/Alcaraz conundrum
However, to put the blame for last night’s results solely on Beto couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, he is probably the only player in the frontline who can create meaningful chances for himself. Jack Harrison, in that atrocious man-bun he sported last night, was a non-entity on the right flank. Industry and tenacity can only get you so far at the upper echelons of football if you don’t have the technique.
There was a brief moment in the second half when Everton had a 4v2 situation with Harrison leading the counter but his awful pass reached no one in the box. Perhaps the fact that nobody was surprised that the counter-attack amounted to nothing is the biggest indictment of him as a wasteful winger.
Then there’s Moyes’ continued persistence with Doucoure in the number 10 role that continues to hurt the side. Another one of the ‘industry’ footballers who couldn’t take a proper first touch to save their lives, it’s nearly impossible to string any kind of offensive move with quick touches and passes with Doucoure easily succumbing to the opposition press.
It also hurts Charly Alcaraz who was once again forced to the left flank in a role that doesn’t maximise his abilities. Alcaraz is one of the few players in the team who can fashion out chances with nifty footwork, solid passes, and vision and should be played in the zones where he can deal the greatest damage. With Doucoure’s contract running out and Alcaraz close to getting permanently signed on loan, it is a no-brainer for the management to give the Argentine the reins.
Yes, Liverpool rode their luck on a refereeing loophole to score their goal but Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz showed that split-second composure that our attackers lacked. A derby loss hurts, especially after a nine-game unbeaten run, but Liverpool were made to fight and scratch their way for the three points.
Everton’s over-reliance on Beto, route 1 football, and the non-existence of wingers is getting predictable and easy to read, and come the transfer window this summer, bringing in strong offensive talents should be high on the priority list of The Friedkin Group.
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()
There are no responses so far to this article. Be the first to offer a comment using the form below.
How to get rid of these ads and support TW
© ToffeeWeb