MARK LAWRENSON: Everton need to forget about playing good football
THERE'S already been plenty to forget for Everton this season - so here's a couple more things.
Forget about playing good football. Forget about entertainment. Forget about all the problems that have plagued this campaign so far.
Just concentrate on one thing - making yourselves difficult to beat.
That characteristic has always served Everton so well under David Moyes and has been the basis for much of their success during his reign.
Now it's time to go back to it. Cut out the mistakes and set the team up so that it's tough to break down because at the moment it's just far too easy.
It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Everton can sort things out. Even now, they still haven't lost back-to-back games in the Premier League for a year.
But what are the chances of that record being extended much further with Arsenal away then Manchester United at home after the international break? Defending the way they are, not great.
However, I do believe that those games will give Moyes the opportunity to discover the system that will work best with the squad of players he currently has.
And for me, that would involve having two midfielders protecting the back four instead of one.
Let's face it, Lee Carsley has never really been properly replaced and Everton have suffered badly for it.
When a team runs at them down the middle, they look like they're going to score every time and it makes you shudder to think what Arsenal and United will do if they are allowed to play through them.
So Moyes needs to nip that right in the bud. It will probably involve Phil Neville in a holding role with Marouane Fellaini staying deep to help make them a more solid unit in front of the back four.
Because anything that can make that shaky-looking defence feel a little bit more comfortable is essential.
Having to rely on a counter- attacking game without Tim Cahill will of course make goals difficult to come by but if any Evertonian was given the chance to come away from the Emirates with a point now, of course they'd take it. Ditto for Manchester United.
If they can eradicate the defensive frailties against top teams it would give them some confidence to build on and the season could then finally start.
So far there have been far too many issues preventing it getting off the ground.
Manager's contract; potential new buyers for the club; will the new ground happen or not?
It's all dragged on to the point where the air of instability has also been present on the field, so much so that this was always going to be a tough season.
It also shows - and you only have to look at Spurs for proof of this - that you have to get your squad of players in before the start of the season, otherwise you're just chasing all the time.
And if Everton are to ever catch up, they need to cut the bad bits out. Major surgery is inevitable.
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Rubbish Lawro!
Just like your mate Hansen's predictions of the past TWO seasons that SPURS would break into the SKY4 or be the most likely to do so! I think he forgot about his predictions when he was making jokes about them on MOTD last Saturday! Biggest load of hypocrisy I've ever witnessed, but then again he's a Kopite isn't he?
Everton against Newcastle played more POSSESSION FOOTBALL with Pienaar back in the side for the first 45 against Newcastle and we dominated until he/we tired, due to match fitness/return from injury.
Our play is improving. And the simple thing is: if you retain possesion the oppostion can't score.
We need to balance that with the odd long ball for the forwards, to get onto. But which our defenders (Neville acknowledged: we got into the habbit of doing too much).
Its all about balance in the side. Something which is coming now important players (Pienaar) are returning from injury. Since it takes pressure off the likes of Arteta and gives two options for creativity.
At the back, simple play will improve things, as Jagielka's perfomances are showing.
The results will come. And we have the players to play both entertaining football AND be difficult to beat.
We have the players to press the opposition and play our own game.
Its up to the lads now to believe in themselves, and really go for it for the full 90 minutes.
COYB