 Welcome to Toffy TV, it is the match preview Everton vs Leicester City on Wednesday, Goodersham Park, 8.15 kick-off. Big game, big game, big week, Leicester at home and then followed by Newcastle but this is a really important game isn't it? We've just come up to the halfway point in the league season, obviously that'll be the Newcastle game on Saturday but you know playing a team that are above us, six points above us, we've got two games around of course but this is one of them where you just think if we could get this win not only would we get closer to them but just in terms of what it would mean in how people look at us, maybe how we look at ourselves, I just think it's a really pivotal game in the season. Yeah it's a massive game, they're obviously very good side playing really well as well and this is a game that it's that thing of if you can't win don't lose because you know like you've just said we've got two games on hand on them if you take us level points with them if we won them I know that's two very difficult games but the games on hand on the less you know and having just beat them a bit over a month ago, you know great opportunity to do double over them and but they are a good side and it's going to be a tough game, they're a very good away from home but a huge factor with that is Jamie Vardy and he's not playing so that's a big boost for everyone because normally against us he's been involved in something like eight of their last eleven goals against us scoring six and having seven or six so he's a thorn in our side on many occasions Jamie Vardy. Yeah I think they've got the third best away record in the Premier League, doesn't surprise me, might be second actually. I think we're third yeah so they've got a fantastic away record as you mentioned there Jamie Vardy's a huge part of that playing on the counter attack that's been taken away from them but you know that I expect they'll play a little bit like what we played at their place for the King power you know they'll play a little bit more still play on the counter attack and I think that midfield area is going to be such a big importance area we've seen James Madison last month or so really step up had goals to his game and I think that's going to be a real key part of that to the game and obviously without with those being without the court without Alan there's a real onus on the players coming in to fill those roles to have good games because this is now when you look at it you're looking at those players you know Tom Davis under the Gomez Guilfee Sigarton this is a game where you look at those three if those three are involved they've all got to step up and do what's required yeah that's it of course that's if the manager goes for those three positions got other options either Mason Hallgate or Ben Godfrey could could go into that if the manager decides he needs that a bit more energy because they you know they are a good side they've got a good midfield so someone who can get round the pitch maybe just to take Decorey's position which we don't really have in the first team squad apart from Decorey's a really important player so players have got to step up and start showing that you know it's great you can come in and do the little cameo roles or come in for the FA Cup or whatever but when you're playing a top side who are really really good run can you do it can you step up and and do that important job that the team requires yeah it's it's a key area obviously like you just said you know two of our best players aren't playing um two new shining's in the summer that we needed to transform them in field both out which is a huge blow for us you know as big a blow as Vardy is for losing them fit you know for them losing these two for this one for us is huge there was a hope that Alan would be back for this one and negate the Decorey absence but that's not the case it doesn't seem so it's up to it's going to be up to Trom Davies who I'm sure will come into that midfield it's going to be up to I'm sure Sigurd and I'll probably be in there it'll be up to him and and then I'm sure and it'll be Andre Gomes I mean the manager I expect Luca Dino go back in the left back so it might free up whole gate or gov free and maybe just there's a one-off he'll try them in midfield with the other two and you know try to just get stuck into Leicester and try to give us a solid base but if not if it you know when we beat Leicester back in lockdown we beat them a good reason when they were in the top three and they were on a great run and we went we had a midfield of Sigurd in the Davies and Gomes that day and we won the game you know and all be here we were hanging on a little bit but we still won the match so and they had they had a good midfield playing but they are strong in that midfield you know they've got plays here they've got in like in Diddy's brilliance in there they've Madison who's on fire like you just said Harvey Barnes is always a threat Tealamons is a lovely footballer you know they've also got Mendy isn't it as well he's another one who can he's a little bit of a you know hold them afield or something they're strong through the middle there's no question about it just depends how I haven't approached you they've ever been cheap it you saying you were matching they'll play like we did at the king power I'm not sure they will because Brendan Rodgers team generally like to dominate the ball you know that's what he did at Swansea it's what he did at Liverpool you know he did at Celtic whether you look at that they obviously dominated but he's done it at Leicester and I know they do play counter attacking football away I just wonder if Everton will try to approach it the way we did against Arsenal and go well we're you have the ball and we'll ship off see but that's why I think they might do the opposite of us though I think that's why they might go like that because it's almost going to be like well you have the ball because I don't know it's not great and it's not great because teams have come and sat in you know Westam and Leeds especially sat in and said we'll break us down then and then and then we'll get we'll make opportunities and I wonder whether Leicester will be a little bit the same like I don't know I don't know whether they'll feel like they have to play like that they might think if we dominate but but if they have a lot of the ball that that's again might help us and haven't lost to us you know just over a month ago Brendan Rodgers might be thinking these are really good when they sit in we don't want them to sit in we want them to come out a little bit and then it could go in ways it could go a little bit I just it's put it this way I can't see it being like you have it we have it you have it we have a kind of game I think it it might go in ways where both teams have periods of possession because as I say that you look up the way we play it nothing would nothing would suit us more than them trying to come on to us and then us trying to hit them especially now we've got Donbach the Charleston you know go hammers in there a wall we might be back the might be back and that's where the interest that that's where like the interesting thing is comes again that's where the coaches then become so key can you change the strategy during games well we've seen our managers capable of doing that and our team capable not saying less that haven't or can't because they've got a good good coach about the technical um coach as well so it's it's going to be very very interesting but as you said before it is that mindset though of like don't if you can't win it don't lose it and I wonder whether Lester will have the same mindset because coming to that coming to a period of the season where this is it's only halfway I know it's coming to the end of January but it is only halfway in the season still a lot of football to go you just wonder what how much respect they'll pay us in terms of do we go out there and it's either win or lose or do we go well you know what not losing because the best managers I think and I think you know we've seen it Marino do it a lot of times he's only got a sales guy do it last week at that old at Anfield is don't lose to someone around you they don't get any any make up any ground on you and we fight it we live to fight another day so it's it's going to be really interesting it's just but then sometimes the quality takes over and that's where you've got you know they have got that that quality in someone like James Madison who I know you are a big fan of oh yeah huge fan of someone with madness written on the boots but he is a he's a good player and Tealum is like you said a lovely footballer so they do have those and Harvey Barnes are really like yeah their players you can can ping one in certainly Madison and Tealum and we don't have that we don't carry that same threat what we do have is Richard Allison who was excellent you know on his day if he's as he proved at the the king power you know the game is finally poised and he cuts in and it's one and it's won it up from nowhere and then we have the strength to sit in and we've got Dominic Calderlun who's a threat no question about it they'll be worried about him he's a you know back with a goal against Sheffield Wednesday back off the mark and we've got in Hermes Rodriguez who didn't play against Leicester away we've got a player who's top draw you can ping one in maybe or or he can certainly carve open the best defenders so we've got the threat Luca Dean as well who didn't play at the king power will be available as well who's huge for us um so we've got players you can hear them there's no question about that they're not great off set pieces defensively and we scored a goal we have to score from a set piece of their place and we are excellent off set pieces so that's another key area but it is going to be interesting because I think if we try to out football them with our midfield they will win they certainly they'll win that battle whether they win the game there's another one but they'll win that battle because it Damien Fielders will be better than ours because they've just got we haven't got our full I think they're a bit more mobile and they think Damien Fielders is definitely more mobile um indeed I think it's fantastic I think he could play ah um you know I'm sure you can play the high regular Champions League but Leicester are the team pushing for that so maybe I'm being a little bit disrespectful to them but I think if someone like United were to buy him for like 60 70 million it wouldn't surprise me that's the compliment I'll pay him um maybe even Manchester City and don't know whether he's technically good enough for Pep because you know what he's like but he's certainly a player who you could see in a team that will win the league I mean the likes of um James Justin and now the Leicester player Leicester fans really you know think he's topped off he's come from Luton he's been a really good vibe Parerabach as well he's a fantastic forward so Hardie Barnes very very quick good finisher sent you know sent to the French Johnny Evans and full fan who's come in and done well for fan that has done well you know he's done well so they've got they've got and what they do really well as well I think is players come in and do a job for them they'll you know when they haven't got and it'll be interesting to see this in this game pub I imagine in the in the actual start and he's he's got a decent record against this he's one of those players but last year it hit him in the face in the game he won and went in we got the winner of the king power didn't even injure the time and large and put his flag up on the air but it's a good market isn't it's a good market coming in the stage of the season we you know we do in terms you know one defeat um in the league you know for for six seven weeks isn't it two in 12 haven't we something like that so so in that so we're coming in in good form last time we lost was yeah we lost once and we've lost once since november haven't we in the league so yeah we've got good form ourselves but like I said before and you just reiterated it if we can't win it don't lose it a point isn't it isn't a terrible result for either team you know it keeps them keep them you know when arms length from and it means that we don't lose any more grand and we still got the two games you know and but it's a home game and I think with it being a home game you've just rightly said our home form it's not it's not terrible but it's not what evidence normally we're we're normally very strong with gooders and then again we've got a great way to go which you don't normally have so it's it's you know swings and roundabouts but just hopefully you know it's a big week if everything could take six points from these two home games be incredible you'd say and then we would really be halfway stage we'd have 38 points we'd be pushing you know for the second half but four points out of these two home games isn't a terrible return either so it's a game I think we can win I'm not sitting here going on we haven't got a chance because of course I think we can beat anyone a good listen but these are very dangerous but I've got to be honest I am delighted that he's not there yeah because he is and you know even even silver's last gig well it's one of silver's last two games last whenever that was things off four years ago now everything went there lest there was second and absolutely brilliant and we were terrible and we went there and for 65 minutes we were winning 1-0 it was comfortable and Fadi just comes up with something from nowhere and they be ended up losing the game and that's the the nuisance the threat that he's been to us that he's over you can't rest for a second and while in the atio does have a good goalscoring against us it's not the same kind of threat so the midfield is the key battle and maybe it'll be that I don't like to say but maybe it'll be that we try to miss it out a little bit and be a little bit more direct and force them back into areas they don't want to be and get them facing their own goal a little bit so it's going to be a key battle no it'll be interesting as well the width will be really important for us as well that's where it'll be interesting with uh uh wobe and Dean you know if they're available if they are available manage you know could you it's the case for playing a wobe it's one of the three midfield players because he runs with the ball yeah but I think that the thing about it is it doesn't anywhere you slice it really that midfield is going to be they're not they're not the most agile no they're nothing you know tom I imagine tom will sit and sit in front of the back four like he has to and then there's a Gomez and if it's Gomez and Guilfeasig it's and they've got to do a lot between them so so there's no reason why you wouldn't say well Guilfea might start and a wobe might start because you know Gomez I think is a bit more. And then what much hammers in the 10? No I'd still keep up hammers on the right and maybe have a wobe senty because I still think that the difference between Gomez and Sigurdtson is purely size no if you've got hammers of the rigas in the side then he's going to look up after all the set pieces Gomez is a big fella you know so that that that helps us to go to take him a ball as well as me and try to areas but then you might you might say well if we bring it bring um Dean Bach no we never bring a Delft back no I thought you meant Delft. If we bring Dean Bach then you've got Ben Godfrey and Mason Hawgid then one of them could go midfield as well. I would you see I would literally just for this game yeah try to try to manage that area a little bit by sticking one of those in and just going yes with size but also with a little bit of mobility because I think they are both very mobile and we might want well we might want the pace in at the back with Godfrey because he is quicker than not that Mason's slow but he is quicker and therefore then throw one of those to him in the field to make it up because I remember in the cup game that they beat us on penalties and don't confess and put wholegating to midfield we were 2-0 down and he put them in midfield and we got back in the game you know when ended it ended two turns obviously they won on pens against us last season but he just because he was able to start because they bosted in the first half of Godfrey's in that cup game they were too good for us yeah they're very comfortable and then in the second half when we disrupted it and we had wholegating there winning tackles we and I remember from Davis getting a goal in that before being said because that's the that's the worry they are very comfortable the that they're a better pass inside than we are usually there are a lot more comfortable on the on the ball lot more comfortable on the eye but you also have good runners as well and you the worry is is that those three you know go back to last season when the biggest criticism of them of all three of them was when they got tamed they were always behind the other system and I remember when we played knowledge and your divisions of knowledge play running pass on midfield was the worst self-hams in the room and be on gond but they just run beyond us yeah we're all six of them every time and we were like so that I mean that's one of the big reasons he went and got the cori and that one but so that might be a reason why you might look you might look at this one and go I can cope when the cori's in there but I can't cope today and maybe he'll make that change I hope so because I think that'll be again and be another and what I do as well is that it gives us an opportunity to have a little look there and see whether one of those two lads could do it and now it's only one game but if say it was Mason Hogg ae going in there or whatever goffry and they go in and have a really good performance then it just means there's another box sick doesn't it I can need if we need to do this one of them can go and do it and don't forget the boat over six foot yeah so the boat you know good size lads as well so it's something that I think he could consider because these are like you said technically very good this out speaking to the middle of the pitch very good speaking to Phil from Leicesterfan TV the video will be out soon about the side and I asked him if it was better if this Leicester side was better than the one on the league and he said he said it could well be he said it just in terms of technical ability he said it definitely definitely is I think he said but he said you know this team has got better players and so it is a good side we shouldn't like them off you know one of the stats he said to me was Leicester have only been out of the top four once in that since august 2019 and that was the last day of last season he said that shows you how consistent they've been and the afternoon Brennan Rogers has done a brilliant job brilliant brilliant job and and you know I think there's times when we don't like to admit it don't like to admit that it's that that a club like Leicester is doing as well because you start asking how how have they done it but they're a very modern Premier League team the frustrating thing with them is that they come up and have stayed up by the skin of the teeth and being able to kick on and that that is the frustration because we got our money around that time that they've won the league and they've they've left us it's about making good decisions consistently consistently and having a plan and sticking to it and not not going away from that and saying we will sell this player at this time because his value is this much and then we will go and they've sold since winning the league and go low cante, Danny Drinkwater, Reab Marr, Harry McGuire, Ben Chilwell, they've sold them every season and good player every season and they've still been able to get better they've reinvested the money really well change the Londoner, I love Scott, there's a first goal for them at the weekend in the Cup of Brentford as well, nice left foot, good young player, they've got good players they've consistently bought great age players who some will be hit and some may be misses but they take chances on players and they take chances but again they won't see this chance, the pressure is a little bit different for them but that's not being disrespectful because what I mean by that is they've got a manager who likes that like to develop young players he yeah we're always on every you know we want everything now because we've been starved so much of it spotlight almost from our own fans more than anyone else we're a bit more unforgiven aren't we but that's why consistency is the key but you've just mentioned Brendan Rodgers he's had 67 games in charge he's won 35 or 52% win ratio which is better than any Leicester manager in post-war history which is a well in the top any permanent foxes manager in the top flight so if I had an absolutely incredible run under him um Leicester have won only two at the last 14 away games at 11 which is an interest on one they've won seven of their nine away games this season in the Premier League which is only a night it's better to think isn't it in only two other trap flight seasons um have the one more games than that they won nine in 1965 and they won 11 when they won the league so she owes you that well they are doing uh Carlo and Tialotti there's only lost four of them games twice in his career for Malan both at Malan he's lost three for Everton uh Jamie Vardy's being involved directly in eight goals in his last 11 games against Everton said that before didn't I um Dominic how that Llewyn has failed to score in any of his last five Premier League games got 11 goals and James Madison has directly been involved in seven goals in his last eight Premier League appearance and scored in five and having two assists one more than in his previous 33 so it shows you that like you said before his phone has really picked up so it's a midfield battle this one and yeah we've got to be able to get in and contain them because if we try to let them pass through us they will cut through us and we're going to be there's going to be a lot of last ditch defending going on which is not never good no not what you want but get shot don't allow them shots as well because you know pick for them if we're a good side if we want to be a good side if we want to be a good squad the you know if you want to if you want to finish in the top four you want to finish in Europe these are the games where you've got to start standing out and hopefully hopefully it happens and we'll have to see we'll have to see uh obviously it's the middle game in a in a busy week we've started with the winning in Sheffield Wednesday let's hope we can get something positive against Leicester City and finish it off on Saturday with a victory against Newcastle three wins and six days it'd be great just do that be great just do that just do that good just do that well next I can pick up again next weekend lean to it you know lean it to it have an off day have an off day did you go let us know your thoughts in the comments that midfield make up what would you like to see it's got it's got it's got decisions to be made hasn't he certainly also with the full back positions also you know does he bring a worry back if he's fit let us know your thoughts on it don't forget to give this video a like subscribe if you haven't already if you want more great videos join us over on patreon 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