Goodison Tactics: How can Everton hurt Manchester City?

Sat 20 November 2021 7:30, UK

Everton haven’t won in five Premier League games, and they have to travel to the Etihad on Sunday to face Manchester City.

You would have to say that games don’t get much tougher on paper, with City sitting in second place three points behind Chelsea after a strong start to the season.

Pep Guardiola’s side apparently have one major weakness, according to WhoScored, and that is winning aerial duels.

However, that is not where the Toffees can hurt City.

Instead, Rafael Benitez’s side are going to have to be deadly on the counter-attack as Guardiola’s team have conceded a fair few from such situations this season.

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Here we will look at three goals that City have conceded this season and analyse how the Toffees can take advantage.

The first goal we will look at will be Conor Gallagher’s from Crystal Palace’s 2-0 win.

City lose the ball high up the field. Michael Olise picks out Wilfried Zaha. Kyle Walker should be closer to Zaha.

Zaha toys with the ball in the box. Olise is unmarked and the goalscorer Gallagher is making a late surge unmarked as well.

Zaha plays the ball to Olise and he finds Gallagher who smashes his shot in off the post.

This was a fine counter-attack from Palace, and you would think that if the Toffees can pinch the ball high up the pitch, they could cause some damage.

Now, they won’t have Abdoulaye Doucoure to make a late charge, but perhaps someone like Andros Townsend or Demarai Gray could fill the Gallagher role.

The next goal we are going to look at is from Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with City earlier in the season.

As you can see Mohamed Salah appears to be in no position of danger. City have a lot of men forward.

Salah bursts past his man and City only have three defenders back. Sadio Mane isn’t really in a dangerous position.

Salah moves inside and slips a ball through for Mane. Neither the defender close to Salah or the one tracking Mane do enough to stop the goal.

This was a superb move by the Reds, and though the Toffees don’t have the same quality as their Merseyside neighbours, they have players with pace who can expose City’s high defensive line.

If they can find a way to pinch the ball high up the field, they should be able to get at City’s defence very easily.

The final goal is from Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 win over City at the start of the season.

City have eight outfield players pushed high up the pitch. One flick from Lucas Moura sets Steven Bergwjin away.

Bergwjin only has Heung-min Son for company and he finds him. Nathan Ake is caught in two minds.

Son is allowed to get all the way to the edge of City’s penalty area and chops inside and scores. At no point does Ake engage, while Fernandinho doesn’t do enough either.

This goal involved two passes, and Spurs went from their box to the other end in a matter of moments.

The problem for City here was the number of players they had pushed forward.

They couldn’t get back in time, and the ones at the back failed to slow the attack down.

So, it is going to be a very hard match for the Toffees, but they do have a chance and Benitez’s side can beat Guardiola’s if they can emulate what some of their Premier League rivals have managed this season.

In other Everton news, Benitez has had his say on the club’s January transfer plans.

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