I was surprised at LD's defensive play. He did very well. He played better defensively than he did with the ball at his feet. He broke up several plays and tackled well. LD's speed is unmatched out there. He can run anyone down. Everton needs to find ways to spring him loose with through balls.
I think it was another solid match for him. Not earth-shattering but when they went up a goal in the first half, the tactics changed. He wasn't called upon to move forward as much because Citeh's priority then was to push forward and equalize, so Everton needed as much help as they could get to counter that. Then IMO being somewhat gifted the second goal, all the more reason for Donovan to focus more on picking his chances to push forward and helping to preserve the 2 goal lead against a side with one of the most potent pools of attacking talent in the Premiership. All that said, it means he played smartly and Moyes did a good job of tactically managing the match. Fellaini and Pienaar were terrific too. But I wouldn't read too much into Donovan not making the scorer/stats sheets. His crossing/set pieces were there and it still looks like he needs another week or two before his legs are under him to use a quick burst to get around some defenders like he has in the past.
Fellaini impressed the heck out of me. Looks ungainly, but smooth as heck, very fast to the ball, and with subtle control...plus a hairdo that shames Beckerman. So.....too damn bad he isn't a Yank
If I was David Moyes, I wouldn't sell him for anything less than 40, maybe 50 million the way he's playing.
LD plays 155 minutes against Arse and Citeh and Everton gets 4 pts. I would say Moyes and his loan looks pretty worthwhile.
I wouldn't give a single Everton player below a 7. They way they worked today made City look like a relegation candidate.
OK game from LD. Looked fine, if a bit rusty. Everton dominated, of course. That said, any comments about his play today being worth such and such transfer value is pure idiocy. I can't think of many things dumber. I guess that means I can pick up Tevez for 1-2 million and Robinho for a bag of quarters? Also, no way Bilyaletdinov looked better than Donavon. Guy looks like a left back trying to play wing. Fro and braids, on the other hand, had great games. Everton definitely played away from Donavon throughout. Hopefully that changes a bit...
I think he was very solid. Some above average plays (dummy, one or two good passes that were in very tight spaces or unexpected e.g.), only a couple of poor turnovers (one stemming from a miscommunication that will be cured the longer he plays with his teammates). Could have scored the first goal with the chip, but it wasn't a great effort from a poor angle. The difference for me is the number of corners he had and the percentage in which he put it on Fellani's head. Could have had an assist there, but also found Fellani three or four other times. Don't know who was serving Everton's corners before, but I do think Donovan was contributing there. Other than that, workmanlike defensive performance and part of overall very good team defensive effort pressuring the ball and causing turnovers. Granted Fellani and Piennar were both fantastic. But Donovan, IMHO was a solid contributor to the team today.
The cool thing is that he still learning the game over there as well as gelling with the squad. That is going to take a little time. There are moments when he seems lost or out of position, but he is still starting and on the pitch for 90 minutes and contributing. Once he gains more confidence and familiarity with the speed and his mates, he's going to do just fine. cracking match today!
I thought he was ok. A lot of bad touches and passes but he did some good things too. I wish we had Fellaini and Pienaar in the center of our midfield.
As Dempsey has shown us, playing in the EPL is all about putting out consistently good performances, not about dominating individual matches. So far Landon's 2/2, so that's a positive. I thought he did get tired in the 2nd half and started conserving his energy for defense. He was excellent defensively, I thought--Bellamy wanted no part of taking him 1v1. The goals will come if he keeps playing like this. The important part is fitting in with the team, making positive contributions, and playing both sides of the ball. So good on LD. Also, I knew Fellaini was good, but had no idea he was that good. Holy cow. He was phenomenal.
I think people easily forget that Everton lost the lead last week precisely because they didnt have someone like Donovan tracking back and helping to keep composure. Smart play by him today. Not trying to do too much. His moment will come. I just hope he closes it out when it does.
It will be interesting to see what happens with him. Rare to see a 22 yr old physically boss the middle of the pitch the way he does. Strong, big, skilled, excellent stamina and competitive attitude; what's not to like?
As a complete neutral watching the match, I'd give Donovan a solid 6/10 today. In comparison to his midfield team-mates, I'd put him on a par with Cahill but way behind Bilyatedinov, Pienaar and especially Fellaini who were all 8's or 9's today. Donovan looks to me like a very hard worker (which all British fans appreciate a lot) and although he clearly tired in the second half, he tracked back and did his defensive duties well. However when he got the ball at his feet in the second half you could tell his legs had gone by the way he gave it away a few times. I would say his corners were good about 75% of the time, which is a good average in any league. However his decision making, link up play and creativity in open play wasn't so good - I can only remember one time when he got clear of his marker following a neat one two but he then made a mess of the shot/cross. Compare that to Bilyatedinov on the opposite flank who had a couple of shots that went very close and created a few chances too. You can't be too harsh on Donovan though considering it's only his second game for the club and taking into the account the fact he hadn't played for a while after the MLS season ended. On the other hand, I don't think you can really go overboard with his performances yet, as many on this messageboard seem to do with American players. He looked solid but nothing special IMO today but he didn't look out of place at all and hopefully will improve in the next few weeks.
Remember what Clint did to the other captain america? Poor Conrad was eating with a straw for two months. I wouldnt risk Donovan on Dempsey's tough play just yet. Not meant to be macho, I could just see him fly in with an elbow and crack.
Fellani was awesome today. He was MOTM by far. He strikes me as the type of guy who is simply enjoying his team and who enjoys being something of a cult figure. I'd be very surprised if he leaves in January. If he continues his form into the summer...he could make some new team very happy.
that means that the pk was not only an acceptable call, but also that awarding a free kick outside of the box would have been against the rules
Seems like alot of people around here are waiting for validation from the announcers in order to form an opinion of Donovan's performances. Donovan was good today but the other midfielders were better. Good corner kicks though.
What are you talking about? Nobody is going overboard with praise. Or was that a preemptive strike? Also, the Bilyaletdinov comparison is kind of a joke and shows a lack of understanding IMO. Everton was attcking up the left 90%+ of the time. Bily had more chances but not many of his own doing. Didn't do very well with any of them, either. He had way more touches, but way more poor touches as well.
Not to side track things, but there was talk of him being a bust after he arrived. They tried him at second striker, then put him up as ACM. He was benched as well for a while. In two years though, he seems to have hit his stride. He reminds me an awful lot of Ballack, but with tremendous skill and of course, more flhair.