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Everton defending troubling again in Leeds loss

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 28: Allan of Everton shoots during the Premier League match between Everton and Leeds United at Goodison Park on November 28, 2020 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Jon Super - Pool/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 28: Allan of Everton shoots during the Premier League match between Everton and Leeds United at Goodison Park on November 28, 2020 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Jon Super - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Everton fell to a 0-1 home defeat to Leeds United yesterday in a game that underlined yet again the erratic defending this season.

Well I said this match couldn’t end 0-0 given how many goals both teams score and concede, but it nearly did. Just when it seemed it might finish goalless, Everton conceded with ten minutes remaining to lose their second consecutive home game.

This match though could have ended four all or five nil to one team or the other. It was a crazy kamikaze sort of game with both teams creating a bundle of chances but also looking very open at the back.

The Toffees in particular were very vulnerable and once again have been unable to keep a clean-sheet in the Premier League. These defensive problems simply do not go away whatever manager Carlo Ancelotti tries.

The Blues boss stuck with the 3-4-3 formation he used at Fulham, this time picking Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate either side  of Micheal Keane. This was the three-man line-up I thought he should try in order to shore up his defence.

This combination might have given a better natural balance to the defence. But it didn’t work and Holgate in particular had a poor game often losing possession and looking out of sorts. Since he’s returned from injury, he’s not found the form he showed at times last season, while Godfrey also seemed uncomfortable again in this formation.

Of course the fact that Everton didn’t have either of their first-choice full-backs on the flanks didn’t help. It’s so frustrating the way injuries keep on sabotaging this team.

Without Seamus Coleman or Lucas Digne, the Toffees lacked the experience and defensive nous that would have been helpful to another new-look central defence.

To cope with these injuries, Ancelotti decided to shift Alex Iwobi from the right to the left wing-back position and oddly he brought Tom Davies into the side to replace Iwobi.

This change didn’t work and it seems like a strange choice. I would have expected Niels Nkounkou to come in on the left and leave Iwobi to continue in the position where he had done so well in the win at Fulham.

Iwobi moving to the left also meant that there was no defensive support behind James Rodriguez and the Nigerian was unable to get forward and offer the width outside of Richarlison. At the same time Davies hasn’t got the pace or creativity to do what Iwobi did last weekend.

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Why didn’t Nkounkou play or even perhaps Anthony Gordon? Both are young, hungry, naturally left-sided attacking players who can offer that width.  Injuries always happen and are immensely frustrating but I have to admit that more and more, Ancelotti’s player selections do baffle me.

As it happened Davies almost provided the opening goal with a good ball in that wasn’t converted, something that would become a theme in this game.

After that quick start though it was Leeds who dominated the opening half hour or so. They played some excellent attacking football and carved Everton’s defence open almost at will.

Indeed if it hadn’t been for Jordan Pickford pulling off some outstanding stops and some very wasteful finishing, the Blues would surely have been two or three goals down at half-time. Kalvin Philips was outstanding orchestrating the visitor’s attacking play superbly.

Everton too had their chances, especially in the second half as the became more and more open and end-to-end. The Toffees also had the ball in the net twice in the game but the goal was ruled out both times. Although VAR also came to the home team’s rescue on a Leeds penalty shout.

The match continued in that same open and end-to-end pattern with more chances and further poor finishes from both teams.

It looked as though the game would end 0-0 before with ten minutes to go, Leeds scored. Their Brazilian attacker Raphina found the bottom corner with a fine shot.

Everton never really looked like they would find an equaliser despite pressing hard and creating chances and the Leeds keeper made some fine saves too. So it finished 1-0 and the Blues have lost their fourth game of the season.

This defeat is an irritating one as the Toffees could have finally managed a moral-boosting if lucky clean sheet. But again they failed to do so and are now on a run of just one win in their last six matches.