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Player Focus: Lacklustre Lukaku in Need of a Rest

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Player Focus: Lacklustre Lukaku in Need of a Rest The shocking news that footballers are prone to tiredness was leaked this week as Raheem Sterling was criticised by some for admitting fatigue to national team boss Roy Hodgson.The issue of players burning out, particularly at such a young age, is a serious one. How often does 'the next big thing' a...

Team Focus: Toffees Coming Unstuck Due to Age & Depth of Defence

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Team Focus: Toffees Coming Unstuck Due to Age & Depth of Defence After another disappointing showing in cup defeat to Swansea on Tuesday night Roberto Martinez claimed that his defence was something we (Everton) need to address. It's been a tough start to the season for a side that were previously built upon a solid backbone that were extremely hard to break down...

Match Report: 'Injured' Costa Fires Chelsea to High-Scoring Win at Everton

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Match Report: 'Injured' Costa Fires Chelsea to High-Scoring Win at Everton After facing two promoted sides in their opening 2 games, Chelsea were up against their first real test of the season as they headed to Goodison Park for Saturday's late kick off. Having netted just twice in their last 3 games there and amidst claims that their first choice striker was facing a batt...

Player Focus: Hardworking Naismith is Everton's Unsung Hero

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Player Focus: Hardworking Naismith is Everton's Unsung Hero As was the case at Goodison Park last season, Everton exploited Arsenal’s left side in Saturday’s meeting between the two teams. Nacho Monreal came in at left-back for the injured Kieran Gibbs, while Mesut Özil was drafted in on the left of the four-man midfield to support Alexis S&...

Team Focus: Lack of Summer Investment may Hinder Everton's European Hopes

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Team Focus: Lack of Summer Investment may Hinder Everton's European Hopes Second season syndrome relates to teams that, the previous year, were promoted to the next tier of football and performed above expectations in their debut in - or return to - said division. In their second term, however, the team in question struggles to match the exploits of the previous season an...

League Focus: 2014/15 Premier League Opening Fixtures Analysed

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 League Focus: 2014/15 Premier League Opening Fixtures Analysed The World Cup has drawn to a close and the pre-season programme is now in full swing. It’s purgatory for English football fans though, who have only the fitness attaining fixtures and the transfer window to keep them occupied until the Premier League campaign returns in 26 days.To whet their a...

Player Focus: Everton Should Sign Gareth Barry Permanently

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Player Focus: Everton Should Sign Gareth Barry Permanently The signing of Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk all but signaled the end of Gareth Barry’s time at Manchester City. The midfielder may have made 31 Premier League appearances for the club last season, 27 of which were starts, but the Brazilian leapfrogged his new teammate upon his arrival and...

Player Focus: Irreplaceable Lukaku Key to Everton's Success

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Player Focus: Irreplaceable Lukaku Key to Everton's Success Roberto Martínez put it rather bluntly, especially for a manager who has become renowned for always unwaveringly pointing to the positives for his team. Instead, here he was, emphasising the importance of a single individual. “[Romelu] Lukaku is an irreplaceable footballer, and that is ...

Team Focus: Everton's Necessary New Identity Under Martínez

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Team Focus: Everton's Necessary New Identity Under Martínez On the face of it, it seems an absurd question. Have Everton improved this season? As David Moyes has toiled at Manchester United, struggling under the scrutiny of the global media as results have gone horribly against him, it has only seemed to emphasise his difficulties that Roberto Martíne...

Player Focus: Mustafi No Longer Germany's Mr Unknown

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Player Focus: Mustafi No Longer Germany's Mr Unknown When Joachim Löw announced his Germany squad to play Chile in Stuttgart on Wednesday, many of the journalists ran their fingers down the list, got to the name of Sampdoria’s Shkodran Mustafi and asked: “Who?” Theirs was a common reaction across Germany. When Kicker ran a piece...