Everton vs Leicester Post Match Analysis – Golden boot for Lukaku

I’ve always been a fan of Kevin Mirallas, in a David Moyes side without much flair it was enjoyable to see someone with his agility, I will never forget his full field sprint solo-goal for Everton against Stoke. It is rare for players so sharp and skillful to accompany their agility with grit, which is what created the distance for a ridiculously composed Tom Davies to slot in what would be the first of many.

That grit comes from the same place that saw Mirallas lose his temper with Huth which usually isn’t something you want to see from your players, but in a game so unpredictable with 3 goals in 9 minutes, it is precisely the kind of ferocity Everton needed. Though he played with passion and tenacity, made good decisions and pressed hard, I felt he didn’t wholly commit to Koeman’s tactics since there was little link up play with Baines, although the veteran left back didn’t seem to be on peak performance.

For the opening 15 minutes the ball bounced around non-stop until Everton put a foot on it and started to play our game. From there on out it became clear that their goals were simply a break consisting of 3 lightning quick players, and a miskick from a free kick, not tactical superiority on their part. The only other times Leicester came close to scoring was a deflection from a cross by Slimani hitting the side of the net, and a corner saved by Joel and mopped up by Jags.

From the start, Schneiderlin conducted the play from the deep centre which allowed Tom Davies to continue to make penetrating central runs which he kept up for a good 70 minutes, and is the reason he was positioned so perfectly to score the first. The security he and Gana give Everton also allowed for Barkley to get up and take risks dribbling forward into the solid shape of the Foxes.

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Barkley didn’t appear to be at peak fitness since at times he didn’t press when he clearly should have, but this didn’t prove to be much of a problem after the first 20 minutes since we ended up having so much possession. He eventually found his rhythm in the second half, demonstrated by good pressing, intelligent dribbling and most notably some sublime playmaking. He, Gana and Schneiderlin created a shifting triangle which moved across the park holding possession with ease. It was a brilliant save to stop him from getting on the score sheet, but he really needs to put them away.

We saw a stellar performance from the Everton back 4, for the first time I have been truly impressed by Pennington, he is basically a less developed version of Jagielka which is a compliment to say the least. Holgate was cool as a penguin as per, and though Baines made the occasional error he did show multiple demonstrations of his physical strength. Jagielka was the standout defender for getting another goal, and being the first to get to the free ball from the corner and clearing it up the pitch. Overall then, a strong performance from our defenders.

We can’t be too critical of the second goal against us, a miskick from a set piece just is what it is. But for the Slimani goal, Baines  was up field contributing to the offense which he does so well, so when Leicester break you’d typically expect Shneiderlin to cover. However he committed to a slide tackle which failed, although with his tackle-success rate he had every right to attempt it, meaning the burden to defend now falls to Davies or Mirallas who were located on the left; whichever is furthest back. This was Davies and he did chase back, but the blistering pace of the Leicester break was too quick, and Slimani puts it past Joel. 2-1.

Lukaku rises again, a powerful header shot past Schmeichel for his first. Before the corner, Romelu can be seen whispering to Gana, I assume letting him know he was heading far post. When the ball falls to him the box is crowded, the keeper faces him up, and with the ball moving he hits it with precision on the volley. Classic Rom. Throughout the match he played various deft touches, bringing down balls from Joel on his chest to set up the play, and linked up well with Barkley on numerous occasions. One thing I’ve been noticing recently is how he is now given defensive duties on set pieces, it is a rare thing to see a centre-forward defend so well. Looks like the golden boot is his!

With Schneiderlin off we were less likely to hold possession, and with Vardy off while Mahrez and Musa were introduced, we saw Leicester hold the ball more and switch plans from hitting us on the break to buildup play. Musa tried to penetrate, Mahrez tried to create, King tried to foul, but Gana made sure none of this succeeded. One thing we saw in this period is when Barkley is under pressure and isn’t given time to think, the sky is his ceiling. If only he would kick on the way he does when the opposition forces him to, instead of spending 30 seconds on the ball every time he receives it, we might get to see his talents more often.

Up the Ev.