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Player Focus: Does Baines Warrant Immediate Return to Everton Starting XI?

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Player Focus: Does Baines Warrant Immediate Return to Everton Starting XI? Given Everton’s relative dominance over the 90 minutes, the Toffees had every right to have been disappointed to only draw 1-1 with Crystal Palace on Monday night. Goalscorer Romelu Lukaku - whose equaliser was his 50th goal from 100 appearances for Everton - could easily have bagged a hat-tri...

Player Focus: Exploring England's Left-back Options

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Player Focus: Exploring England's Left-back Options The second international break of the season has finally drawn to a close and many fans are breathing a huge sigh of relief that domestic duties will resume this weekend. England, as one might expect, breezed through their final two qualification games, putting five past Estonia and Lithuania withou...

Player Focus: Which Left-Backs Deserve a Spot in Hodgson's Next England Squad?

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Player Focus: Which Left-Backs Deserve a Spot in Hodgson's Next England Squad? With the first set of international fixtures of the calendar year fast approaching, Roy Hodgson’s focus has largely been on the strikers at his disposal. Harry Kane, Charlie Austin, Saido Berahino and Danny Ings are all vying for a place in the England squad that will face Lithuania and Italy...

Player Focus: Does Baines Deserve to Start Upon His Return From Injury?

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Player Focus: Does Baines Deserve to Start Upon His Return From Injury? When Leighton Baines limped off in the 50th minute during Everton’s 3-3 draw with Liverpool last month, fans of the Toffees were justifiably gutted that the left-back had to leave the field of play injured. Many had expected youngster John Stones to come in as his stand in while Baines recover...

Player Focus: Cole & Baines' Contrasting Styles Causing Hodgson Headache

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Player Focus: Cole & Baines' Contrasting Styles Causing Hodgson Headache If England were a club team, it’s a safe bet that they wouldn’t have 
both Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines. Anybody with the capacity to 
transfer players looking at the England squad would sell one or the other,
 reasoning that Kieran Gibbs is more than adequate back-up, and look to
 us...

Player Focus: Why Coleman Can Take the Reins from Baines

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Player Focus: Why Coleman Can Take the Reins from Baines Much of the media attention around Everton regards star players potentially moving on between now and midnight on Monday, with Leighton Baines in the spotlight having reportedly made his desire to join United known. The fans can be pretty safe in the knowledge that a far less heralded first teamer s...

Player Focus: Is There Anyone Out There Quite Like Leighton Baines?

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Player Focus: Is There Anyone Out There Quite Like Leighton Baines? The role of the modern day full back has become increasingly important, with the ball often recycled out to the right and left sided defenders more often than any other position. Nowadays their capabilities in attack are often as important as their solidity at the back, and there are few that have s...

Team Focus: Are Everton Fans Right to Fear Martinez Appointment?

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Team Focus: Are Everton Fans Right to Fear Martinez Appointment? Roberto Martinez is lovely isn't he? Ask Dave Whelan and he'll tell you that he is one of the top managers in Europe. It's odd then that Everton fans don't seem entirely likely to welcome the Spaniard with open arms, and the likelihood of hiring a manager that has just seen his side relegated isn't ...

Player Focus: Same Old England - Who Has Hodgson Overlooked?

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Player Focus: Same Old England - Who Has Hodgson Overlooked? England go into a double-header of friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil with a threadbare squad to choose from and Roy Hodgson bemoaning a number of close season friendlies putting strain on some of his players. It was the manager's choice, however, not to use the opportunity to off...

Player Focus: Leighton Baines Is Europe's Most Creative Defender

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Player Focus: Leighton Baines Is Europe's Most Creative Defender When discussing the creative players in the world of football, it's a normality that the usual suspects will crop up in conversation. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi, amongst others, will be the first that any football connoisseur will look towards to provide that spark which will lead to a...