Loading ...Sep 02 2008
England: Portsmouth and Everton Show True Colors at Goodison
Perhaps no match I watched this weekend told me more about two teams than Portsmouth’s 3-0 victory at Goodison Park.
Coming into the match, Portsmouth’s difficulty in opening opponents kept us from knowing if this club was any good. They had to open at Chelsea and then host Manchester United. It’s a pair that even Real Madrid would be loathe to play to open a league season.
Everton, on the other hand, managed to give up three goals at home to Blackburn and then get a 2-1 result at West Brom. Was this club anywhere near the quality of the side that finished fifth last season?
Saturday’s match between two UEFA Cup aspirants gave us all the information we need to know. Here are the verdicts:
For Portsmouth, everything was positive. Their striking tandem got off the mark. Jermaine Defoe, especially, was effective. He scored one of the goals and set up the other two. He was the best player on the pitch and got named to my XI of the week over at American Soccer Reader. Everton’s normally solid backline could not control him, as the first goal - where Defoe was able to outmuscle the Toffee backs! - showed.
The biggest positive for Portsmouth, though wasn’t Defoe, who Pompey backers should not have lost faith in. The biggest positive was the presence fo an actual midfield. Against Chelsea and Manchester United, their midfield was non-existent. Against Everton, Lassana Diarra and Papa Bouba Diop helped show that the previous two matches may have been more able opponent skill than Pompey defects.
David James also had his best and steadist game of the season. He saved a Yakubu penalty and make solid decisions to control his area. It was the first time this season I watched Pompey and didn’t question whether James should start over Joe Hart for England’s national team.
For Everton, it was a wake-up call, to say the least. Blackburn’s win could have been a blimp, and the win at West Brom was a step forward. The message after losing so badly to Portsmouth was clear. Everton is not good enough. Yakubu looked slow and out of shape. Their midfiel looked thin and incapable of supporting Mikel Arteta. Their back line had multiple break downs. There was nothing that worked.
As every Toffee fan knows, Everton is short on players. They can not start 16 and 17-year-olds and expect to compete at this level. David Moyes brought in a few players, but they need Tim Cahill healthy. That will be the biggest edition. Once he’s healthy and we can see where Everton stands, we’ll know if this team will even sniff seventh place.
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