The performance Everton put on against City on New Year’s Eve was inspired by Brentford’s tactics against City in November.
Manchester City have now dropped points in two consecutive Premier League home games, falling seven points behind leaders Arsenal after being held at home by a tenacious Everton side on New Year’s Eve.
The performance Everton put on against City on New Year’s Eve was inspired by Brentford’s tactics against City in November.
As a result of being held on New Year’s Eve by a tenacious Everton team, Manchester City have now dropped points in back-to-back home Premier League games and are now seven points behind leaders Arsenal.
Everton, like Brentford in the penultimate game before the World Cup in November, played a staunch defensive game and got in City’s faces right away to disrupt them while seeking to counter on the break.
Everton manager Frank Lampard acknowledged that he used elements of Brentford’s successful performance against Manchester City in November to help guide his team’s game plan in their Saturday Etihad draw.
Speaking at the end of the game, Lampard said that their performance had been aided by chance as well as inspiration from Brentford in some aspects of their strategy. He said:
“We watched that performance. It’d be great to come here and open up against City and try to go toe-to-toe but they are at such a level and the position we’re in at the moment that’s not for us,”
“The Brentford one showed it could be done to a degree but we definitely didn’t follow that blueprint. I wouldn’t want to pull the players into a pre-team meeting and say ‘Let’s just copy what Brentford do’. But as a coach sometimes you have to see things and think if they would work for your team and I thought it worked for us.” He added
Lampard also applauded his team’s perseverance, which was evident throughout the competitive clash. He still thinks there is a lot to accomplish and that the team achieved great success when the players continuously communicated their commitment to the task at hand.
Brentford may have provided him the inspiration he needed to stun Manchester City today, but the team’s capacity to deliver when it most helped them hold off the hungry City side and earn a point.
Everton has helped Arsenal go seven points clear of City and will now try to win their next game against Brighton, another formidable team in the Premier League this season. Pep was dissatisfied with the result of the match, but City will continue to strive to retain their championship.