Massive step for Everton but Jesper Lindstrom does something supporters just won't tolerate

Jesper Lindstrom during the match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on September 28, 2024
-Credit: (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)


Everton had to stop the rot and that had to be done through winning football games. The biggest bonus was how we won against Crystal Palace as we didn’t play well and we went a goal behind but we found a way to win and that’s a massive step for our players.

That’s a huge step mentally for the belief of the players and a lesson not to give up when things go wrong. In the past, we’ve crumbled and put our heads down, allowing the game to go by because we can’t see a way out.

There have been times where we’ve had numerous opportunities to punish opponents but haven’t done, whereas on this occasion, we’ve got things taken care of in a spell that lasted less than 10 minutes.

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There was a sense of optimism having seen the team sheet as it looked to be about as strong as Everton can go right now and as attacking as you’re going to get under Sean Dyche. It was a very disappointing first half though, which was extremely concerning.

I was speaking to a lot of fans. Many of them were shocked and it was like ‘oh dear.’

My thoughts were that this was our strongest side. We’ve had excuses before with illnesses and injuries to key players but to me it confirmed that the system is wrong.

It doesn’t work. We just have one out ball, which is our right-back putting it down the line in the hope that Dominic Calvert-Lewin wins a free kick, and we try and score off a set-piece.

It’s one of my pet hates that we allow opponents to come to Goodison Park, have lots of possession, and dictate the game. I’m thinking, why are we standing and watching this? Rather than mixing things up, we just sit there, hoping and praying that they don’t get a second goal.

Unlike last season, we look vulnerable at set-pieces. We’re conceding the type of goals that we normally score from – that’s two games on the bounce now.

Opponents are looking at our matches and using that play to try and hurt us. We’re not being strong enough or determined enough to win the headers.

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That must be particularly disappointing for Dyche, as you’d be expecting his teams to be solid in these areas. The players haven’t looked switched on enough for me.

Thankfully, we responded after the break. No matter how poorly we play, we often seem to have a five or 10-minute spell, but we don’t always take advantage of that.

Last week I mentioned how if you’re a substitute, you’ve got to react and show your quality when you get your chance and Jack Harrison answered all my concerns when he came on. He showed enthusiasm but more importantly he didn’t complicate matters, putting a wonderful ball in for Dwight McNeil, and caused Crystal Palace problems by nice and fast, decisive, play.

We know what McNeil is going to do, I think everyone said ‘shoot’ before he got it because we know he’s got the quality to find that corner but when Iliman Ndiaye gets the ball, you don’t have a clue what he’s going to do with it. He can go left, right or through the middle and it’s exciting, as fans it gets us on our feet.

We need to finish teams off though and help Ndiaye to be the shining light. He’s had a fantastic start and it’s great to see him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes because the last thing that tired defenders want to face is a tricky winger.

In that situation though, the most important thing was getting the win. If we play like that against better opposition though, I fear we won’t get much out of the game.

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Dyche needs to find a way to get the best out of Goodison Park and sitting in, allowing visitors to dictate, is not helping matters. Our pressing is just not good enough, we wait to the opposition get to a certain area and it’s too late.

Eberechi Eze found so much space and time while Adam Wharton was asking for the ball with three players around him, dictating play. He had the run of Goodison Park in that first half and could have done whatever he wanted to do.

It feels like we’re not all singing from the same hymn sheet. We saw the disappointment from Jesper Lindstrom not having the best of games but while I get that and it happens, he needs help.

He was getting frustrated because he was isolated. When he received the ball, he had no midfielder asking for it, no striker round the corner to pass to while Ashley Young was 20-30 yards too deep to support.

Yes he reacted when he lost the ball, waving his arms up, but that’s a message to his team-mates to go and help him. It’s a learning curve for him though that the Everton fans won’t forgive you if you act like that.

We can all have poor games when things don’t go for you, but show a reaction. Wave your hands, scream and shout, AFTER you’ve won the ball back.

To have a comfortable season, we need to lift our performances and have a better set-up.

Branthaite carries on where he left off but Pickford needs to know his own mind

It was brilliant to see Jarrad Branthwaite back. There was probably a lot of pressure on his shoulders given that he’d been out of the team for such a long time.

As talented as he is, he was still part of the team that didn’t win a Premier League game for almost four months last season, so I didn’t expect his return to change things overnight. He grew into the game and his second-half performance showed his quality as he carried on from where he left off last season.

Jarrad was up against a big, physical striker and he had to use his brain when it came to the timing of putting the centre-forward off. There was a roar he gave towards the Park End having stopped the opposition, which showed how he’s happy to be back and determined to get over the line and get us three points.

He and Vitalii Mykolenko probably started off a bit slow but playing together on that side of the pitch, they’ve got an understanding. Palace were probing and trying to put a ball in between the pair of them but they were both reading it.

It’s a bit of a strange one with Jordan Pickford, I don’t know if he’s been told to stay on his line. We’ve conceded so many goals from crosses, especially this season, where you’d expect Jordan to come and get it, but you’ve got to pick your moments.

The goals we’ve conceded where I’ve questioned Jordan’s decision making, have been from slow crosses. You’ve got time to come, shout and demand to get out of your six-yard box but the some of the ones he has tried to come for are the ones you think he shouldn’t.

I think to avoid the confusion, he’s probably been told to stay on his line and let the defenders defend it, because they don’t know if he’s coming or going. We’ve seen in our games where we’ve put slow, whipped balls in and opposition goalkeepers have taken the pressure off to give the players at the back a bit of a break.

No matter where you are on a football pitch, it’s decision making that enables you to become a good player. There are going to be moments where he has to come and get it, no matter what he’s been told.

Even if you’re a full-back and you’ve been told not to do an overlap and it’s on, if you’re going to hurt the opposition, you’ve got to do it. If you’re a midfielder and have been told to sit but the whole pitch is wide open and you can burst into the box and have a shot on target, you do it.

There are situations within games where – regardless of managerial instructions – you have to use your own head. Surely, you’d expect the England number one to make the right decision of when to come and when not to.