Time to work harder than ever
We have a week now to work with the players, the defence, Bobby, Mo, Mane and Thiago in particular to cut out the stupid mistakes and to better manipulate the space and create space and gaps for for Thiago to find Mo and Mane
Thiago
Needs to be told to use his passing and be more direct, we bought him to create, not play sideways passes and fail to get the ball forward quickly, play switches or attempt to pick out Mo and Mane's runs in behind, or either making outside in runs simultaneously, if we can use Bobby to make runs to move 2 or 3 midfielders who surround him every time we try and find him, to create gaps for Thiago's passing.
He is more accustomed to playing the pass before the assist in different kind of games, he needs to be told/instructed in no uncertain terms to get the ball forward quicker and use his undoubted skill and range of passing to find the runs of Mo and Mane.
There needs to be serious work with all 3 forwards and Thiago on how to create gaps for him to find the 2 most advanced, and quickly and directly
Defence
Play Kabak and Phillips until Fab is back, tell them to get rid in all situations when there isn't a clear and easy ball on, and try to hit long diagonals when doing so and work on their ability to play those balls too and Thiago when tracking back especially, not to try and be cute and try training ground rhonda stuff 10 yards outside our box as Thiago did yesterday to disastrous effect. And instruct all players they are no circumstances whatsoever to put a leg out or rather deliberately leave a leg out to try and 'leave one on a player' it's not like officials need any excuse to give something against anyway, so giving them an excuse is just absolutely fucking stupid given how this season has gone in that respect
Mentality
Short of players and huge injuries or not, we are still in the Champions League and only 5 games from another final and apart from that away game in Denmark, we generally get a professional unbiased performance from officials in that competition.
The officiating and VAR has very obviously badly affected our players form and confidence, we simply have to get past that, do everything we can to cut out the mistakes and not offer officials any excuse whatsoever to give a wrong un against us and work harder than ever in training and in games to play to our best possible levels
If they do get an opportunity or don't but still give a plain wrong un against us, our reaction has to be a lot fucking better, we can suddenly disintegrate and capitulate in 7 minutes like we did v Leicester when we were on the receiving end of yet another wrong un. We HAVE to keep our heads, get back to playing our game and stick with the game plan, try and keep it for a few minutes and settle again, time and scoreline permitting obviously.
We have to simply work harder than ever on all those things to play the best and most positive football we possibly can, if we are robbed again, we have to look at the positives of how we played and build on that, officiating and injuries may have made our Premier League season a write off, but if we continue to let that affect our mentality and our form as it very obviously has, it could wreck our Champions League mentality and form also and we CAN NOT allow that to happen.
Mentality monsters
My personal belief is that the officiating corruption has been continued to try and knock that out of our lads and to a huge extent has very clearly worked, this situation right now and what is going on with officials is THE biggest test of their mentality any of our players has or will ever face. They have to find a way to channel all of their emotions and pent up anger and frustration at everything that has and will no doubt continue to happen, to be something to galvanise them and give them greater conviction and desire and a white hot burning sense of injustice that can push them and drive them to even higher levels. There's no other way, no other way to overcome this
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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