Goodison Tactics: How can Everton beat Norwich City

Fri 24 September 2021 21:30, UK

This week has been the first wobble of the Rafael Benitez era at Everton as his side lost 3-0 to Aston Villa and then crashed out of the Carabao Cup.

The Toffees had made a very strong start to the season, but after injuries to Jordan Pickford, Richarlison, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton have struggled in their last two games.

However, Saturday is the perfect chance to get back on track, and if results go their way, they could be in the top four by the close of play on Saturday.

The Canaries have had an awful start in which they have lost every single game and conceded 14 goals, the most in the league.

It is early days, but they look like the Premier League whipping boys, and it is up to the Toffees to impose themselves on the match and impress the Goodison faithful.

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WhoScored seem to suggest that Daniel Farke’s side are woeful at defending down the wings and stopping through balls, and that can be clearly seen in some of the goals they have conceded this season.

In just the second game of the season, Norwich travelled to the Etihad and were thrashed 5-0, and Jack Grealish’s goal was a perfect example of the Canaries failing to deal with a through ball and protect their flanks.

Kyle Walker finds a pocket of space and threads the ball through a massive gap between Ben Gibson and Dimitris Giannoulis, who isn’t even on the screen. Gibson has to be further across to help his left-back.

The through ball finds Gabriel Jesus, who is away from the left-back and is in a perfect position to cross. The gap between Gibson and Giannoulis is still huge.

Giannoulis then fails to stop the cross. Gibson and Grant Hanley also fail to stop the cross, and at the back post Max Aarons misses his kick. The ball then hits Grealish and ends up in the net.

This was great play by Manchester City, but Giannoulis and Gibson left a huge gap that Walker exploited before all of the back four missed one cross.

So, it is very clear that the Canaries can be hurt down the wings, and Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend should be licking their lips.

The fourth goal in the same game was almost a carbon copy of that Grealish one, but there was still some dreadful defending on display.

Walker again threads the ball through the gap between the left-back and the centre-back for Jesus. Hanley is totally unaware of where Sterling is, and Bali Mumba has been caught on his heels.

Sterling has drifted between Hanley and Aarons and is now just waiting to tap the ball in.

So, again this is another example of how easily Norwich can be breached by either through balls or down the wings.

Now, admittedly both of these goals were against a top side, but they even conceded a similar goal against Watford just last weekend.

The ball is once again played down the left of Norwich’s defence, and the two players at the top of the screen really need to do more. One has to close down the pass and the other has to follow Josh King’s run.

King is in acres of space, and is allowed all the time in the world to pick out Ismaila Sarr, who is behind Grant Hanley.

Sarr leaves Hanley and nips around him to tuck the ball home.

So, there you have it three goals, which in so many ways were avoidable, and the Toffees can really hurt Norwich down the flanks, particularly down the left.

We would be very surprised if Townsend and Gray don’t have an absolute field day against the worst defence in the league.

In other Everton news, the Toffees have two key players available for the Norwich match.

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