What: English Premier League
Who: Everton vs Bolton
When: Wednesday 4th January, 2012, at 20:00 UK Time
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England
Slow Starters Everton Look for New Year Boost
If there is one team in the Premier League who really do kick on after January, it is Everton. David Moyes’ men have made a habit of starting slowly and building momentum. In 2009/10 they picked up 39 points in the second half of the season, compared to 22 in the first half. And with Landon Donovan coming in on loan, the Toffees could push on once more, but goals are as ever the problem.
Everton are an assured team in possession and a combative one out of it, and despite having lost Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta in the last 12 months, still have the creative talents of Leon Osman and Royston Drenthe.
The issue for Everton has never been in the first two thirds of the pitch, instead it is in the final third – Moyes’ team are incredibly reliant on the injury prone Louis Saha for goals. How Everton wish they could have kept and got the most out of Yakubu, now scoring for fun at Blackburn Rovers.
Another thorn has been conceding the first goal. 15 times in 20 games in all competitions so far this season Moyes’ side have gone 1-0 down, and it is critical for Everton to concentrate from the start and get on the front foot more often. In the five games that the Toffees have scored the first goal, perhaps unsurprisingly, they are unbeaten.
The arrival of Landon Donovan and Victor Anichebe’s return should help. And if Everton, as expected, sell Diniyar Bilyaletdinov in the current transfer window, Moyes may be able to invest in another forward. But the team have to find some consistency, and fast.
Will the Real Bolton Please Stand Up?
Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle must be tearing his hair out as he struggles to turn around his team’s fortunes. The Reebok Stadium outfit have looked weak of late and gone to pieces at times – as they did earlier in the season against Manchester United and Chelsea when losing 5-0 and 5-1 respectively. Yet the Trotters have also shown glimpses of brilliance which are easily forgotten. Bolton won 4-0 at QPR, and thrashed Stoke City 5-0 at home – results which would not be possible from a team without ability.
One of Bolton’s worst performances was a limp defeat at Fulham last month, after which Coyle ripped into his team’s mental toughness. “Soft is an understatement,” he said, adding that:”at 1-0 you’re looking for a bit of character. We had that from a few but not enough.”
Against Newcastle, the visitors’ second goal was symptomatic of all that is wrong at the club. After giving the ball away at 1-0 down, Paul Robinson allowed Gabriel Obertan all the time in the world, backing away as the Frenchman closed on the penalty area and was is able to slide a ball across for Demba Ba to score the crucial second.
Often Bolton have given the appearance of a team only half-heartedly playing their way through games. When deprived of key men such as Stuart Holden and Chung Yong-Lee, the one thing that cannot be afforded letting heads drop. Bolton have done that too often already.
Recent form
Everton:
Everton 1-0 Swansea (21/12; Premier League)
Sunderland 1-1 Everton (26/12; Premier League)
West Brom 0-1 Everton (01/01; Premier League)
Bolton Wanderers:
Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Bolton Wanderers (20/12; Premier League)
Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Newcastle United (26/12; Premier League)
Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (31/12; Premier League)
Key absences
Everton: Marouane Fellaini; Seamus Coleman
Bolton Wanderers: Chung-Yong Lee; Stuart Holden; Marcos Alonso; Tyrone Mears; Darren Pratley (doubt); Ricardo Gardner (doubt)
Players to watch
Everton – Leon Osman: Goals have been at a premium for Everton but when they come they usually involve Osman, the team’s main creative talent after the early season departure of Mikel Arteta. One of the Premier League’s more underrated player, the midfielder has the guile and technical ability, as well as the intelligence, to cut open tight defences. He also has the knack of scoring crucial goals. Everton will look to him to break the deadlock in this one.
Bolton Wanderers – Zat Knight: It will be a big game for Knight with defensive colleague Gary Cahill seeming set to depart. Bolton could be defending for long periods and he will have to show that he can lead and marshal the league’s leakiest defence. For a team who have had such trouble when behind in matches, Knight’s job will be even more important as Bolton’s midfield is not the strongest and the Trotters will probably have to endure significant pressure. His role will be pivotal.
Match Prediction
Both teams need points on the board for very different reasons. The first goal in a game is always important, but it seems even more so here. Bolton have not won a game in the Premier League in which they have conceded first, whilst they have not lost a game in which they have scored the first goal. Everton too, have yet to lose a game in which they have scored the first goal. The home team should be backed to get it, too.
Everton will be able to control the middle of the pitch against Bolton’s Nigel Reo-Coker and Fabrice Muamba, who have been unconvincing all season long. The key for the home team will be whether Drenthe, Osman and Tim Cahill can create opportunities.
Bolton’s team have at times looked disinterested when things are going against them and seem to lack the mental fortitude needed to battle their way out of trouble. Facing wave after wave of Everton attacks could be exactly the kind of pressure Coyle’s men crumble under and if the Toffees dominate possession, Moyes’ side will be the more likely to score first and run out comfortable winners. Everton 2-0 Bolton.
Who will start the new year with a win in Everton v Bolton? Can Coyle’s men get the victory they need? Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
