Michael Ball left stunned with Everton squad after 1-1 v Leicester
Michael Ball has been left stunned by the lack of “football intelligence” shown by Everton players during the game against Leicester City.
The Toffees, despite getting a long rest, managed a 1-1 draw against the Foxes, where Richarlison scored deep in injury time.
The overall quality was below par while some of the chances missed by the players have been shocking.
The former Everton player wrote on Twitter: “The football intelligence in this Everton squad is totally non-existent!”
Fragile
It was a poor performance, to be honest. Everton got more than ten days of rest. In that period, Leicester had played three games.
Yet, it was the Foxes who showed no signs of tiredness. Brendan Rodgers fielded a strong side and they dominated the opening thirty minutes.
James Maddison and Harvey Barnes danced through Everton’s defence and the Toffees struggled to find control of the game.
This isn’t about fitness. It’s about the tactical setup. The Toffees did improve in the second half and it took 65 minutes to register their first shot on target.
The gap between the back four and the forward line was too big and Richarlison was left to chase shadows and hoof balls most of the time.
There was hardly any pressing. The energy in the middle was lacking completely. Apart from Richarlison, no one was willing to take a chance, and at times they couldn’t even string six to seven passes together.
The result was massive for the club, as another defeat would have been a disaster. They are now four clear off Burnley having played the same number of games.
In other Everton news, this “outstanding” striker has admitted he’s open to a loan exit as he looks for crunch talks with his agent.
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