[NoSkillz]

Sat. August 19, 2023

Barclays Premier League
Dover (0-0-0, 0 points, -) vs. Everton (0-0-0, 0 points, -)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Everton: 7-4
Past Meetings: 7W 1D 4L

For the second consecutive season, we face Everton in the home opener, only this time we’re at home. They usually fight for a continental spot each year but in 2022/23, they finished back in 12th. Their big offseason signing is 26 year old Southampton striker Mike Hall, who comes over for £6.25 million after scoring 18 goals in 34 games in the Championship last year. Everton also spent a couple million pounds to bring in 27 year old Wolfsburg midfielder Mohamed Medjkane on loan for the season. Other dangerous players to watch will be wide midfielder Daniele Bentivoglio and strikers Erik Ulrik and Chris Wood. Wood has been prolific in past years but is 31 and I imagine Hall will eventually take over for him. Everton also has two former Dover players in defenders Jozef Kuciak and Daniel Traore.

We are pretty much healthy right across the board, with only Gian Marco Fanfoni on the shelf but even he will be due back in a few days. We’ll go with our main starting eleven today and use a control mentality at home.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - R. Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, G. Bolis
S - S. Andrea, Chiquinho
Bench - Rafinha, S. Nasri, Jose, E. Harvey, H. Cruz, G. Allan, P. Moses

Everton come out in a 4-4-2 diamond formation, a look we usually do well against. Newcomer Mike Hall is up front with veteran Chris Wood. Franco Di Capua is their goalkeeper while former Dover defender Daniel Traore is on the bench for Everton today. Lets play well for the fans today!

27’ - We are dominating the highlights but can’t get any great chances. Andrea springs Chiquinho up the middle and he quickly fires on goal and it’s off the goalpost and out! Come on guys…we need some shots here!

29’ - On a failed Rocca corner kick, Everton march up field and we just back right off. A cross comes into the middle and there is the wily veteran Wood, sliding at the ball and sending it past Wilke and IN. Not good. EVERTON GOAL 0-1

43’ - Wow. Shanon Andrea is sent on a clear cut breakaway and misses the net. This is awful.

44’ - WHAT IS GOING ON?! Now it’s Mike Hall getting past Loucif, dancing in through the defence and RIFLING A ROCKET into the top corner past Wilke and we’re down two goals at home. Holy crap! EVERTON GOAL 0-2

45’+1 - We have possession and slowly move up field. The ball comes to Gianluca Bolis in the middle and he touches a little ball through the defence to Chiquinho. His one touch blast is low and past Di Capua and in. Bad goal to give up by Everton as we pull to within one at half. DOVER GOAL 1-2

HALFTIME - That goal saved the team from getting torched in the half time team talk. We hold 55% of possession and a 13-7 (3-3 on target) shot advantage. I ask “where is the passion?”

49’ - Rocca takes a corner and it’s headed off the crossbar by Contreras, our second piece of woodwork already.

60’ - Wow. We need an infusion of something so in comes Paul Moses and out comes Shanon Andrea.

71’ - Bamba cuts in and hits a blast at Di Capua and he makes the fine reflex save!

72’ - Out comes Andrea Rocca and in comes Jose

We switch to an attacking mentality

73’ - We have a corner and it’s Jose delivering the ball into the area. Contreras is at the far post and heads it off an Everton defender and the ball bounces right onto the foot of Arsene Bamba, who quickly hits the ball into the back of the net! We pull level from two behind! DOVER GOAL 2-2

Everton now switch to a 4-2-2-2 with two DMCs, as they go into a defensive shell. We move back into a control mentality.

85’ - Cairney threads the ball through to Paul Moses and he is in behind the defence and SCORES! But wait! The flag is up? BAD CALL - the replay shows Moses right on the inside shoulder of the defensive line.

86' - I take out Gianluca Bolis and bring in Graham Allan.

We move to an attacking mentality again.

88' - Allan with a ROCKET that is stopped by a diving Di Capua.

89’ - We are putting on SERIOUS PRESSURE and there is a mad scramble in the Everton box after a Bamba corner. We get a header and a subsequent shot both blocked and Everton clear. Just crazy stuff…

90'+1 - Wow - our defence is obviously pinching and that allows Mike Hall to get loose and his curling blast is saved by a diving Ingo Wilke!

At least we get a point.

Dover 2 - 2 Everton
Goals - Chiquinho (7.2), Arsene Bamba (7.7)
Assists - Gianluca Bolis (7.3), Jose (6.9)
Man of the Match - Arsene Bamba
Other Dover Notables - Claudio Contreras (7.0), Neil Cairney (7.0)
Attendance - 21,633

Well, we did everything but win I guess, as we hold 57% of the ball and a huge 32-9 (11-4 on target) shot advantage. I sympathize with the team after the game. That Moses disallowed goal was a killer. I’m convinced that part of our problem is the fact that we don’t have full comprehension of our tactics yet - this is a bit of a curious thing for me, as we haven’t made any changes yet we’re still a long way away from having “full bars” on our match preparation screens.

-- Manchester United get off to a great start, annihilating Reading 6-0 and City beat up on Norwich 3-0. Last year’s champions Chelsea stumble in a 2-2 draw against Wolves.



Dover U18 Update

-- The U18’s get their league season off to a good start with a 4-2 win over Aldershot. Gary Archer and Ben Patterson both bag braces in the victory while substitute Adam Hyde notches three assists in the match.



Season Ticket Update

-- Projections had us selling approximately 5600 season ticket packages but the team confirm that the final total is only 5317. Disappointing but a sizeable increase over last year’s total of 4562.



Champions League Update

-- The Champions Playoff and Best Placed Playoff stages begin with teams such as Sheriff, FK Austria Wien, Schalke, AS Monaco and CSKA Moscow taking part. We’ll enter the competition at the Group Stage this year.



Dover Reserves Team Update

-- Helder Cruz scores three goals, including two penalty shots and adds two assists in a five point night while Zoltan Bardi scores the other three goals in a 6-1 whitewash over Aston Villa.



Next Up

-- Our first road game of the year is at Craven Cottage as we take on newly promoted Fulham.