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6 Things We Learnt From Manchester City v Everton
Despite Everton parking the bus for ninety minutes in this grudge match the right team won and the hex is finally broken for Manchester City. No amount of post-match trouble-making from Moyes can change that.
Down the years Manchester City and Everton supporters have shared a fairly cordial – if uneasy – alliance, a symbiotic relationship based on common interests, namely hating their bigger, better, redder neighbours.
Granted there have been a few nasty scenes down alleyways during the dark era of hooliganism and the obligatory insults hurled from the terraces, but that’s only to be expected between the blue half of cities so close in proximity yet so different in culture and identity. Beneath all that however was always a grudging empathy of each other’s plight dwelling in the shadow of two football behemoths.
All of that changed when City struck oil and became a behemoth themselves. No more common ground. Only gloating on one side and bitter resentment on the other.
Then came the Lescott transfer saga and it all kicked off royally. Since then it’s all been rather poisonous and personal. Last season, like the season before, Bluenoses celebrated both victories over City as if they’d won the lottery. As if they’d won the cup.
Whereas we had won the lottery. And we did win the cup. Sometimes it can be a grand old life.
Those defeats still f*cking hurt though.
The hoodoo is finally lifted
As each August rolls around, before a ball is even kicked, City fans know we’ve already got a six point deficit to make up on our rivals. Because Everton – don’t ask me how because sometimes it defies all stats and logic – always succeed in doing us over. The cast may alter slightly but the script is forever the same; City enjoy most of the possession, Everton remain resolute throughout, then up pops Tim Cahill seemingly from nowhere with a headed winner before running over to our corner flag to punch the crap out of it. Classy. If the thoroughly decent and likable Aussie views these contests as pugilistic then the barnburner flurry of combinations that he exhibits certainly doesn’t do it justice. It’s good old-fashioned rope-a-dope. And City fall for it time after time.
Well no more. The hex has finally been broken. It helped that our bogeyman wasn’t lurking in the cupboard waiting for us to switch off. He was on the bench nursing an ice-pack to his shin after Kompany was unable to defy the laws of gravity after jumping out of the way of a two-footed lunge.
Space was at an absolute premium for the likes of Silva and Nasri who both buzzed throughout like wasps in a small jar.
Distin is immense
I hate to say it but he just is. You can’t go past him; his reading and positioning is never less than spot-on. So the only option is to go around him and if that route is chosen you better take a packed lunch for the journey. Aguero and Dzeko won’t get many tougher tests this season.
Rodwell too impressed. For the most part he shackled and frustrated Silva and though he occasionally had to resort to foul means it would be unfair to knock him for that when his fellow young English prospect Wilshere is lauded for having such a bite to his game.
Having attacking full-backs pays off
With the game condensed through the middle space was at an absolute premium for the likes of Silva and Nasri who both buzzed throughout like wasps in a small jar. It was always Mancini’s intention to provide width and penetration down the flanks this season by encouraging his full-backs to bomb forward at every opportunity. This was the first occasion when such ambition didn’t just provide an extra dimension to City’s attack; it was a necessity. Clichy and Richards have probably never before had such license to get forward – what was behind them? Cahill against Kompany, Lescott and Barry – and the latter in particular was once again sensational. England would hugely benefit from having this marauding beast hurtling down the right and I can only assume, if Capello overlooks him once again this term, it’s down to a conflict of personalities rather than an assessment of ability.
Mancini plays his cards right
My only criticism of Bobby Manc is that he usually leaves it too long before making key switches and his substitutions are often reactive instead of pro-active. Not yesterday. Both subs scored – which always reflects well on the manager – but more significantly the timing of Balotelli’s introduction was astute, coming at a time when the game was getting a little ragged and Dzeko’s race was run.
A 4-6-0 formation and time-wasting from the 40th minute onwards was nothing short of a disgrace.
Everton played anti-football
City have form for this themselves. Last year at the Emirates they began with no strikers on the pitch and built a road-block from the first kick to the last. They duly got widely panned for it so it’s only fair that Everton receive flak here for doing likewise.
A 4-6-0 formation and time-wasting from the 40th minute onwards was nothing short of a disgrace. There is nothing wrong with setting your stall out or parking the bus or whatever euphemism you wish to use, especially against a side who’s scored for fun of late, but when taken to such an extreme yesterday equated to football v anti-football. It was two ends of the sport’s evolutionary scale doing battle and any moral high ground Evertonians seek in their virtuous non-mercenary ways crumbled beneath their feet. The school of science? If you know your history it’s enough to make your heart sink.
Yet if Moyes has pulled off a stalemate the press would have been declaring it a tactical master class. When Mancini successfully does so however to gain an invaluable point away to a side in bitter contention for a Champions League spot he and his club are smited with a false reputation for negativity that persists even to this day. Hey-ho.
But they do it so well
There are two ways to beat Everton. One is to go toe-to-toe and match their physical style of play. The other is to zip and scheme and pass your way through. For the first hour City did neither. They moved the huge swathe of dark blue shirts across from side to side well but with such a languid pace it was all too easy to counteract and anticipate. The tempo was all wrong. Yet, that being said, Everton’s containment was astonishingly well executed. Drilled to within an inch of their lives and never once losing their shape. It took a deflection from Super Mario to finally get the breakthrough and ultimately class told. I like to think that Moyes walked dejectedly into the changing room post-match and paraphrased Brody in Jaws – ‘We’re gonna need a bigger bus’.
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COMMENTS
You don't really know much about football do you. Everton have played like that in every game this season and did not single out Man City for special attention. Sadly Everton don't have the cash to do anything better at the moment.
Pierre, that's a pretty poor post. Try harder. Enjoyable read (unlike the torment of having to watch the scouse second XI try to kick anyone who could play football out of the game, school of science my arse). Only point I'd disagree with is a timing issue, sitting in the family stand we had to watch sweary Tim waste time from the 10th minute not the 40th. Everton got what they deserved. hopefully same will be true in May when there won't be Wimbledon and a carrier bag of fivers to bail them out of the cr4p.
tublu I agree. Everton got what they deserved - nothing.
This match had nothing to do with football. Yes, its played on the pitch by a bunch of over-paid talented footballers, but do me a favour, it makes zero (sorry, less than zero) economical sense. Man City might have money, but they have no class. There is only one reason you managed to get the likes of Augero, Dezeko, Tevez, Silva, Nasri, etc etc to come play for your club - Money! Absolutely no glory in that, and whilst it gives you a feeling of being 'better' - don't fool yourselves, these guys have as much loyalty to Man City as they do to their 17th cousin they have never heard of. It may sound bitter, and you will probably call it that, but at the end of the day, without the cash, you aint got doddly squit! Everton have heart, the fact that they have consistently punched way beyond their financial means in a world of uneven playing fields is a testament to the underlying character of the team, its players, and classy manager. Don't knock it, hope that Man City can emulate it. Good luck Man City.
Everton never played anyone up front because they haven't got any strikers.
Tublu have your moment.....Everton will finish around 6th this season...Utd will win the league again....you will finish in the top 4 but thats about it......oh and by the way how many bags of fivers did you give Howard Webb yesterday ?
They had two on the bench Tom. Pierre, I rarely reply in the comments these days because it can often dissolve into a slanging match. But to blame Moyes' negative tactics on the club's financial problems is nonsensical. And yes they have employed Cahill up front this season, and for parts of last too, but if yesterday wasnt a new low in unambition then why was the Evertonian I watched the game with so incensed? Why did I recieve a text from a Bluenose mate saying he was 'embarrassed'? Why was the two Bluenoses I spoke to last night so angry at the ten-men-behind-the-ball anti-football on view? Everton usually play 4-5-1. Yesterday was 4-6-0. They didn't single City out for special attention? You really dont know much about football do you.
Tim, were you trying to beat the world record in spouting substance-free cliches? Everton have 'heart' hey? Well so do most teams. What Everton also have are fantastic players - a strong centre-back pairing, and the likes of Coleman, Cahill, Fellaini and Rodwell. Unfortunately you have an extremely negative manager who doesn't believe in the notion of strikers.
Kompany stuck his studs right into Cahills shin.....it was him who should have been booked...watch it again.......Osman got booked for a shoulder charge ??? I would rather have played 4-4-2 but be serious.....how can we compete with City and the mega-bucks midfield you've got.....i mean Seamus Coleman cost us £60,000 Jack Rodwell(academy)Leon Osman(academy)Cahill £1.5m Phil Neville £3.5m and Fellaini who cost us £15m.......how you can have the brass neck to slag us off ???........the truth is if you had to exist on the meagre resources we have....you would have been relegated last season or the season before.....just remember where you where 11 years ago
I don't wana argue with anyone everyone has their own opinion but has it really been that long since the smellys took over at city that they don't remember what it's like to
Mick yet again its the Everton side bringing money into this arguement. What does it matter how much Coleman, Cahill, Rodwell and Fellaini cost (aside from giving Moyes due props for unearthing such gems). The fact is that they're bloody good players. There are several teams in the four divisions who dont have a pot to piss in. Yet Everton are the only one amongst them who doesnt employ a striker in their opening line-up. I'm not being a City gloater here - have a look at the paragraph again that opens the 'Anti-football' section of the piece. I point out that City played exactly the same way against Arsenal last season and got panned for it. And we werent exactly short of a bob or two that day. If you set your team up so incredibly negatively you deserve criticism and for yesterday's tactics Everton deserve criticism. Money has got fuck all to do with it mate. You have the resources at your disposal (the players and the quality of them) to not play that way. Drenthe has got off to a cracking start for you boys yet Phil Neville was played instead. Your attack-minded midfielders were told repeatedly to keep back by Moyes in their 4-6 grouping. You time-wasted in the first half. It was shocking.
Are you seriously implying that Everton should be viewed as some kind of charity case, immune from criticism because your club is in the financial mire? Personally I think that would be incredibly patronising of me to do that. And I dont recall City having the players of your quality 11 years ago Mick. Nowhere close.
An absolutely atrocious article. One of the worst I've read, very articulate albeit but mostly hogwash. Man City won the match with a 2-0 scoreline that every pundit and commentator in the game recognizes as flattering. It is all well and good when you can spend 100's of millions of pounds on world class attacking talent. What Everton showcased on Saturday was grit, determination and fantastic defending. At the end of the day, City broke the deadlock with a deflected goal.
"You have the resources at your disposal (the players and the quality of them) to not play that way." We have an 18 man-squad "Drenthe has got off to a cracking start for you boys yet Phil Neville was played instead." Drenthe hadn't played football in around 8 months and played 120minutes during the week. You could see his lack of match fitness by the goal that he gifted. "Your attack-minded midfielders were told repeatedly to keep back by Moyes in their 4-6 grouping." It's called playing away from home against one of the most skillful teams in world football. Something that much higher rated teams do against the likes of Barcelona. "You time-wasted in the first half. It was shocking." And City time wasted in the second half once they took the lead. Of course it was going to be shocking for a city fan!! The game plan was to frustrate and if the ref had seen it that frustration would've caused your captain to be sent off before you ever had a deflected goal to celebrate.
If you are concerned about spirituality, brotherhood, love, heart, etc, I am sure you can feel a lot better if you go to your church or temple. Professional soccer is all about money, money and money. All big teams like Read Madrid, Barca, United, Chelsea, etc have been doing it for a long time and city have just joined them. City is not responsible for pathetic financial situation of Everton and neither do they give rats behind. You can moan and groan as much as you like about how rich City is. At the end of day, if you do not turn your attention to your own pathetic financial situation to do something about it, you will end up depleted and relegated with all your brotherhood and team spirit.
Aguero cost more than our entire team yesterday...and thats beside the rest of your mercenaries.......Moyes set his team up to frustrate City yesterday and hit them on the break.....the reason Everton dropped back was because your extra man on the pitch (Webb) yellow carded 3 of our midfield for innocuous challenges thus virtually nullifying their effectiveness on the pitch......seeing how our midfield has dominated your's over the past few seasons his decisions more or less gifted you the game......suddenly it was as if 3 of our midfielders were being told to fight with one arm behind their backs......and then you wonder why we started to drop back ???.......any team would be up against it at Eastlands but when you have the referee acting as a 12th man for City your fucked.......anyway lad you have to come to Goodison and maybe we'll have a ref who does his job properly (instead of a brown-nosing creep)
Webb gave us a lot yesterday (although proving how a ref can never win a fair few City lads think the opposite)but you have to admit there were some tasty challenges flying in. Overall though I'd say we certainly got the rub of the green with the decisions. No need for Moyes to spout his usual shit-stirring bile post-match however. He alone has caused so much tension between two sets of fans who once got on okay.
I didn't think it would take long for city fans to become the arrogant, mocking, superior beings, with a short memory, that they have always accused other fans of being - and judging by this article it has already happened. Just remember - none of this success is self generated by either the club or the fans, so to put down other teams like this, just because they havent had your good fortune, wont win you any friends. And city fans are shocked when the press and other fans now criticise them.
"Two sets of fans who once got on OK" - proof if any were needed that you haven't got a scooby about football or inter-club rivalry
Neville got booked and soon after stopped the ball with his hand while lying on the floor, Kompany is great, but cannot fly, when his legs are taken they must come down at some point and if Everton did not screw us over Lescott (over priced at 22M-24m) they would have gone into liquidation, got deducted points and possibly been relegated!
I was threatened with a knife at Goodison in the late-80s Cruyff. 'Two sets of fans who once got on OK' is hardly saying we all used to sing songs around the campfire.
Has nobody clocked on that we play Cahill as a striker much like he does in his international career. You know just saying since you all appear to be so knowledgeable... ahem
Hahahahahaha........just won a nice few quid on Bayern beating City.....outclassed
Dzeko arguing with Mancini.....Tevez refusing to play ? hahahahahaha fucking hilarious........the empire is cracking and falling apart and its barely got off the ground.....hahahahaha
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