Everton fell to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester United, and I was struck by the Toffees’ lack of ingenuity on corners.
David Moyes’ side stuttered yet again at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Benjamin Sesko’s goal the difference between the two teams.
What would your message to David Moyes be after the loss to United? 😡
He cannot find the answer at the Hill Dickinson…
David Moyes reacts during Burnley vs Everton at Turf Moor.
Credit: Getty Images/Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport
The striker finished off a devastating counter-attack by the Red Devils, and it’s a case of lost ground for Everton in their bid to get European football.
It was a big effort from the players last night, but ultimately there just wasn’t enough ruthlessness in the final third.
And Everton’s corner-taking took me by surprise.
Everton need more ingenuity from corners
Everyone knows that Everton are a big team.
There are some real aerial threats such as James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jake O’Brien, so it’s no surprise when we see balls being hoisted into the box.
Last night, particularly in the second-half, Everton spammed this tactic from corner kick situations.
Everton take a corner against Man United.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
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In total, Everton had 10 corners against United – but it was striking to me how little ingenuity there was.
The first few that went in were standard deliveries, with players occupying the spaces in and around the six-yard box. No chances came about.
Then, we saw Everton adopt a tactic of crowding goalkeeper Senne Lammens in a bid to try and force the ball in scrappily. Players in blue got much closer to him, with one usually right on his toes, with a couple more close by.
Lammens said after the game Everton went overboard with their corner tactics, but the United ‘keeper did very well in dealing with them.
It became clear after about the sixth or seventh take that the Belgian wasn’t being particularly troubled. And after the game, he even came in for praise from Moyes about how he dealt with them.
I just can’t really understand Everton’s lack of ingenuity and invention.
If the goalkeeper is doing well, surely you then have to try and mix it up a bit.
Not once, in 10 opportunities, did Everton play a short corner to try and change up the angle for a different kind of cross, or to play the ball to the edge of the box for a player to shoot.
The team seemed to have a one-track mind, feeling that putting the ball on top of the goalkeeper was eventually going to pay off. It might have done, but the pattern that was emerging suggested that was unlikely.
The deliveries were perhaps understandable given the aerial threats in the box. And Garner does put a good ball in. But for not even a single one to have gone short feels bizarre.
Kobbie Mainoo aims dig at Everton after corner crowding
After the game, Kobbie Mainoo aimed a dig at Everton for their crowding at corners tactic.
He took to social media to compare the scenes to the Royal Rumble in WWE, with the player clearly less than impressed.
Mainoo compares Everton’s set-piece tactics to WWE! 🤔
It’s a tactic that we are seeing more and more.
Arsenal do it quite a lot, and it can of course be quite effective.
However, going forward Everton need to try and have a plan B if they’re not having success, which they clearly weren’t having last night.
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