 Hello, welcome to Toffy TV. It is the match preview Manchester City versus Evan at the Etihad. Joined by Evan's echo correspondent, Joe Thomas. Nice one, Joe. Good to see you. Yeah, good to be here again. It's good for you to come in for one of the easiest away games that Evan are likely to face ever. Now listen, Manchester City away, it's always a very difficult game. It's mad to think that coming up to about, well, like 13 and a half months ago since Everton last played at the Etihad, Frank Lampard was the manager, a lot happened since then. And Everton got a draw, an unexpected draw that afternoon with a wily from Damari Gray in it. You can't help feeling, and that was against all odds that day as well, you can't help feeling it's a similar situation this time where the odds are stacked against Everton. But tell you what, I wouldn't mind taking the exact same results in it and moving up. Yeah, absolutely, it's weird because, yeah, you're right, obviously, Everton are heavy underdogs in this. But I would give Sean Deitch's, this Sean Deitch-Everton side more of a chance of getting something that I would necessarily, Frank Lampard, at that time, especially when you bear in mind where they were, obviously, come back off the World Cup break and had that disappointment against Walls and then, yeah, we know what happened after a bright and United FA Cup Southampton. I just don't want to live that again. But I don't mind reliving that trip to the Etihad when they're expecting the worst and actually, Lampard side put up a good fight, obviously, Ben Godfrey, he would probably be involved at the weekend, was central to that, wasn't he, that Harlan still scored, but they definitely got under his skin. I mean, my kind of lasting memory from that is I still can't really believe that Harlan stayed on the pitch, I thought it was awful what he did on Micolenko. It's being it right in front of you, where it's like you had Micolenko, obviously quite slight in comparison to Harlan, then he goes back to, didn't know what was coming, it was a long run up in Harlan, he should have gone for that, that was horrible. He was out of control, wasn't he? Absolutely. You know, I had conacodians, you know, recently he was talking about that, they decided to give him a whack and see, and it was Ben Godfrey, he was going to do it, and as Harlan got up and said, but he said, you either. Very quickly, when you see a six or five fella coming towards you, but he obviously ever, in that day, rode the look a little bit and it struck a whirl, didn't he? With all the best evertonian glasses on and hat and scarf and biasness, it still feels like it may well take a lot of good fortune and a wily to get us something, just because, man, ti has the city, the switch seems to have flicked like it does in the new year with them, they tend to just start chain and wins out, and we saw them go to Brentford the other night in Neil Mawpai. Score again, and they went behind and then filth oed and just went right, enough's enough now, and they end up winning the game, and they're in that, it feels like they're in that groove again at the moment. It feels like they're just starting to kind of were up the gears and we got that sense a little bit over Christmas when they came to Goodison and we, because again, there are reasons, I say this kind of tentatively, there are reasons for some, like obviously that game ever were brilliant, I thought first half they were really, really good, second half they were just beaten by a better side and you could just see the quality there, I thought that was one of the best performances I've seen at Goodison from an away side and collectively, we've seen some very good individual performances, but collectively I thought that was the second half for Man City, they were just unstoppable and they had a bit of luck with the penalty near the Inanna handball, but I think the second goal would have come anyway and gone from there, but the fragile at the back, they conceded most games, and this is never the side that creates chances against most teams, whether or not it takes them, that's probably more the issue at the moment, but yeah, there's no doubt that it's going to be a very, very difficult game and I think that it's an interesting time to have this kind of game because trying to assess where ever and I are at the minute feels just so difficult for so many different reasons, you know, on the one hand, like they're getting on for, I think it's what, one win in ten, on the other hand, I was supposed to dice about this last week, he goes, if you start to run four games early, you're in the agor for 14, you go, what's five wins in 14 and then eight clean sheets on the other hand, they've already lost to Luton this year, so it's kind of, there are so many different ways in which you can interpret wherever and are right now, but I think obviously, and the points of that, there's a massive impact on this and the injury situation does as well, it does feel a little bit, it probably feels a little bit worse than momentum does that it actually is in reality. Yeah, I mean, Premier League games, it's the last ten, four wins for the feet of two draws, so if you looked at it that way, 14 out of, what have we, on 14 out of 30, almost half points, you go, that's okay, we would be on 29 points, we'd be having a different conversation because everything would be whatever it is, five or six points outside the European spot, but this conversation about the game itself, would probably still be very similar because Manchester City, they're the best team in the world, factually, and they are, like we've just said, they have clicked into game, they really write the first half of gooders in December of 28, wasn't it, Everton winning 1-0 and well in the game, had limited city a little bit, but whatever Pep said that I have time to them, they came out second half, and we just got beat by a better side, I mean, we were, the penalty for me wasn't a penalty. Dominic Adderloom misses a great opportunity, a true one, we then go and throw, Everton basically threw two goals in the net, and there was a penalty, so we have to make sure that that isn't the case tomorrow, sorry, on Saturday at the end of the year, but we are going to have to overperform and we're going to have to hope that they underperform if we're to get anything, that's how it feels anyway. Even more so with the injury situation. And injuries as well, of course. You know, Deitch is operating with one hand tied behind his back, isn't he? Like it's a Fred Best squad at the best of times and you look at not just the amount of injuries that they've got, just now that are injured, you know what I mean? Adderloom is so central to Dominic Adderloom, or better, not getting isolated. We've seen the issues of causes when Adderloom is not there over recent weeks, it feels like that's getting up the pitch to support Adderloom, it's going to be very difficult to deal against Manchester Cityside at home. And obviously, they've got the centre of blood, haven't they now as well? I think if they win their game and hand, they're in the top by rights, aren't they? And you just, with Liverpool having lost at the weekend, they're probably going to be on. And they haven't quite got that competing interest of European football either at the moment, which they would do in a couple of weeks time when the Champions League comes back round. So, you know, there's a lot of reasons to kind of go into this game and think, but, you know, you never know. Like I say, one thing that Deitch does seem to have been still in this side is that resilience, that mentality can get anything from anywhere. And as I say, we saw a far less resilient side, with far less belief, get a point there last season. So, I think that's cross. Well, Shreya, I mean, one thing Sean Deitch has done, well, since he came in, is change evidence a waveform. You know, the point more durable on the road now, I think. He hasn't been able to correct our home formats. I think that's his biggest conundrum, really, how to get us playing fluently at home and getting these results, because three home wins in February is shocking, in my opinion. But away from home, we have been five away wins this season. We have been much better, but this is obviously a really tough place to go. If we have a look at the last time Everton played, the team from last Saturday against Spears, obviously, you've been at the press conference today, talked about Amadou O'n Arnaud, and they'll have a late check on him. But looking at that side, Ben Goffrey, he said cramp last week, was he any indication of the Ben Goffrey's going to be fit? Yeah, it was cramp last week, so I don't feel any... Do you think there will be a change at right back? Do you think Goffrey will stay there for his pace? I think it will probably still be Goffrey. Obviously, Ashley Young has come back to fitness, he played last week, and also, Shane was calm, he finished that game, so he knows he's getting there. But I think Goffrey offers you a lot. I mean, when we went to Fulham and saw the teams at Goffrey at right back, I must admit I was having palpitations a little bit, especially against Fulham, because I remember his performance at right back against Fulham in the home game last season. It was difficult, but he's proved me wrong. I got to put my hands up and say, fair play to me, he did all right against Spurs the other day. I like him in certain positions, and right back isn't one of them. But he's doing a decent job at his pace and his strength. They're crucial for recovery. And just having someone in the box as well, defensively. We had a good game against Harlan last season. I know obviously that was in the middle, but I reckon that you'd probably stick with God for the time being. So what would you do mid-feel-wise then? Because if O'n Arna is fit, because Adrissa Garnagay was fabulous last Saturday, best player on the pitch for me, I'm in James Garnag, a good game. Jack Harrison in a little bit in and out, but he's probably the best shooter to the D'Corey role. But do you think that he'd go with that and O'n Arna'd be on the bench, or do you think this... I'd keep it the same, I would. The reason being, I wouldn't play Amadou O'n Arna. I'd rest him. There's obviously still an element of doubt about him now. Would you have him on the bench just in case? Maybe have him on the bench so he's in and around it. But I wouldn't be seriously thinking about giving him a big role in this game because I think he's too important to play for the rest of the season. We've got a couple of players all of a sudden that have just had one or two injuries over the course season. What we don't want is a scenario, say with D'Corey. I know he had different hamstrings, but he went out the team, missed him, brought him back as soon as possible. And not that he was rushed or anything like that. So he'd come back and then he's out again. And I think that the way in which the season is going to work and the way in which wherever it is right now, city isn't a free hit. You've got to take it seriously. You've got to do the best to get something out of that game. You never know. Evan haven't had much lot this season. Could be the one it turns, could be the time that one finally goes it off. Caldwell is backside or they get a dodgy penalty or something. You never know. I think we do know about the penalties. I think we do know about the penalties. You never know. But for those reasons, like I would just protect Amadou and Arnau because I'd be looking at it. There's eight days until they play Palace at home. Palace games are massive, massive games in the context of everything. And we've got to work on the basis that this is an evidence side on minus 10 and potentially could face more. Obviously we don't know what's going to happen there. But you've got to work on the worst case scenario and what Evan could do best to protect themselves at the minute is put themselves in the best possible position to take maximum points off Crystal Palace. And for me, if you had the opportunity, if Amadou and Arnau is 80% going into a game which you know what's on, you're going to struggle with just taking out the five and like give another eight days and make sure that he's 100% for Palace because especially a Palace side that won't have but it looks for it as a in and or at least say as well, you take advantage of that and you target that game and you go all of a sudden if and win that match, you know, around then we might have the points verdict, the appeal verdict back might get a few more points back, you never know, all of a sudden the momentum might shift the other way. So I protect Arnau and I probably carry on with where it was at the weekend with younger on the right Amadou field just because of defensively, you'll just offer a little bit of protection there to Godfrey and there's a bit of maturity there and experience, you know, that all helps if you haven't got Coleman on the pitch. So that's probably what I'd do when Harrison in the kind of the tender Cory role, I think I think that's the best alternative solution that we've seen during the periods that the Cory has missed. It's not a perfect solution but there have been a few times when it hasn't been bad, did alright against Newcastle, did alright against Spurs, you know, the other day, you know, he's probably the one play that they haven't got with that little bit of Guile that can do that job better than anybody else there. He's not fit and he'll be more attacking and this wouldn't be the type of game to test that out I think in that. Obviously Gomes had a goal and he was alright there as well. He don't know. I tend to be great. Obviously he got the goal in his palace I do think Harrison is probably the best suited in that role. Let's have a look at Manchester City last time out for them, they're lining up there we go Carl Walker at right back Dias Nathan Achi, Cardiol Rodri, who is fantastic then Silver de Bruin, Alvarez Foden in Harlem. Yeah, it's quite it's quite a phenomenal line-up in this place they're like Jack Reel, there's Bernardo Silver those kind of players who they can call on as well and Oscar Bob, who's a young lad who's coming through. There's so many brilliant players for City that you do after just go okay, let's just take it in sections, keep the structure right the fellow we've identified as the danger man you know it's no surprise to anyone is Eilan Harland we put them up, now the stats are provided by Silver score as well if you want to download the app the link is in the description but 17 games for Harland 14 goals for them in next year, 15.67 so just underperforming, 5 assists as well and he's expected assists, 1.27 per game in his heatmap he's quite active, he's not a bad striker to call upon, he's back in the mix now and he'll be looking to get back in amongst the goals Yeah, he will be I think probably the bigger threat for ever, just look at those four in midfield, they're just going to be camped around the edge of the box aren't they, because I mean the one from the Dice Dice's ever intend to be pretty good at it's forcing teams out wide, so they've got a crossable and they can defend the box pretty well you know, obviously Brown's weight in Tarkovsky we still have a very difficult job against Harland but that's at least playing to their strengths as well isn't it, it's those players they've got that could unlock things around the edge of the box isn't it, like obviously we saw phones Kevin De Bruyne isn't it there that's it, like you know there's no doubt this is going to be an uphill task and Godry obviously you know, his second half performance at Goodison for not, I thought that was up there you know, like probably one of the best individual performances for my way player I've seen at Goodison in the last few years totally okay when I think of that, I think Christian Erikson from Brentford, back in the the Lampard season when he came I thought that he really perded and Caecido played very well in the Brighton 4-1 a year ago but Rodry's just different gear isn't he it's how fluid it is and how easy it looks to just unbelievable we've done, Ned's done us a stats pack for the game so let's have a look at that this Saturday at 12.30pm kick off Etihad Stadium in Manchester Man City take on Everton in the Premier League Man City have played Everton a total of 53 times in the Premier League Man City have won 25 Everton have won 18 and there has been 10 draws in fact Everton haven't beat Manchester City in the Premier League since the 15th January 2017 a 4-0 victory Everton have only won 2 points in the Premier League against Man City since that game the 2-1-1 draws one back in 2017 August and the last one being New Year's Eve 2022 the Damari Grey strike at the Etihad this season Man City are sitting second in the league they've won 15 games drawn 4 and lost 3 Everton sit 18th they've won 8 games drawn 5 and lost 10 although Everton do top the clean cheat charts this season with 8 clean sheets Man City have 5 Man City top goalscorer this season is Erling Harlan with 14 goals Everton just add the light at the Coray with 6 and Phil Forden is Man City's most creative player this season with 7 assists to his name. If you look at the tackles table between the two teams James Garner is on top with a total of 60 tackles this season Thank you Ned I mean I was reading some of them and it doesn't feel me with massive confidence Joe but listen we have got to go there and just keep our shape it's just some of that your own diet has got the structure of the side of going away from home I ate the free hit thing I ate it because it's a game of football and anything can happen on a diet so we have to accept the challenge that is in front of us and then like you said almost what will be will be and then all eyes will go on to Crystal Palace won't it because the Everton season won't be defined by Manchester City away the weekend No I don't think so but it's still got to go there a little bit of belief they can't take it as a necessary free hit I think this Everton side the Shaun diet side is most effective against teams that underestimate it and I think every now and then we have seen it come up against sides in the first 15 minutes they have just been up against Brentford away this season Brighton away last season and Brighton home this season they can be so physical and aggressive that sometimes I think sides come out the traps and they're just not ready for it you can almost stun them a little bit early doors and probably got to go hope that this is the game that Man City turn up for expecting to win and get a little bit of surprise because what we have seen is most teams are scoring against Man City this season I mean Brentford took the lead against Mum Monday I mean Neil Mopay got the goal so I mean if anything could kind of fill you of a little bit of hope that maybe something could happen and I can say that's got to be the target if everyone could get an early goal obviously it's a big if but if they can start positively try and get something out of it we know how good they are from set pieces then after that we'll see how it goes really that's got to be the best way because they are due luck they are due like I mean this could be that that's why I'm clinging on and that's good because you're coming out of it free harlan goals this loud for VAR two LLTs for Everton one of which is outside the box but VAR doesn't I said we'd go up to you you're talking pure fantasy stuff these have scored 57 consecutive home games but Everton have a set piece might be 50% of Everton's goals have come from set plays this season so who knows we could put them under pressure there it's a huge task for the blues or the salmon pink so it'll probably be the weekend going to the Etihad Joe will be there covering it for the echo let's hope Everton can surprise everybody and get a positive result let us know what you think in the comments section below make sure you check out Joe all his echo pieces Everton correspondence excellent always well balanced always good so check that out as well we'll see you later