Despite a 1-0 reverse in the week to BATE Borisov, Everton progressed into the knockout phase of the Europa Cup and were drawn on Friday against Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, in a game which has the potential to be a classic encounter.
Everton’s last trip to Portugal ended in a 5-0 thumping at the hands of their Europa Cup group rivals Benfica, who also defeated the blues at Goodison Park. However come February, David Moyes will hope to have several of his injured stars back, fit and playing ahead of the game. With the winners of the tie facing off against either Spanish side Atletico Madrid or Turkish giants Galatasaray, Moyes will be hoping his squad is at full strength for the crucial games coming in February.
However defeat to BATE Borisov masks many positives that can be gleamed from the game. Manager David Moyes fielded a very young Everton side, resting many first teamers ahead of this weekend’s crunch Premier league clash with in form Birmingham City. Despite facing up against far more experienced opponents, Everton’s youngsters showed that there is great hope for the future with many putting in excellent performances against their Belarussian counterparts.
However one sour moment for the Goodison Park outfit came just nine minutes into the game when the highly regarded youngster Jack Rodwell limped off the field with what looked like a hamstring strain. Rodwell looks certain to be sidelined for a couple of weeks at least as Everton’s injury problems continue to worsen.
The team Moyes selected however contained seven teenagers, five making their full debut and all five showed that they have a future in the game. Young left back Jake Bidwell became Everton’s youngest ever player in Europe on the night and had a decent game against some fine Belarus international quality players. In attack Kieran Agard showed pace and a willingness to run that worried the experienced BATE defence at times while in midfield young Adam Forshaw and Hope Akpan were tidy in possession alongside the more experienced Leon Osman.
However three youngsters really stood out for the team on the night. Right back Seamus Coleman, who made a stunning impact in the league game with Tottenham previously when he came off the bench to deliver a man of the match performance, looked tidy and showed great tenacity and pace down the right flank. He certainly looks to have a bright future in Everton’s soccer apparel.
The same can be said of centre half Shane Duffy. The tall Irishman, 17, was the unfortunate cause of the deflection which gave BATE their only goal, but that doesn’t tell the story of the young defenders night. A towering presence in defence at times, he showed maturity beyond his years on occasion, making a fine goal line clearance and several last ditch tackles to keep BATE out. There was still an undoubtedly raw edge to his game, but there is also undoubted potential for the future for this young defender.
Finally Evertonians will be glad to see Jose Baxter making headlines for the right reasons. The stocky midfielder was at the heart of Everton’s best moments. He looked comfortable in possession and showed a vision and maturity in his passing that cannot have failed to impress the sparse Goodison Park crowd. It is easy to see why Everton’s youth coaches rate the youngster so highly and it seems likely that he and a couple of other youngsters will be part of the Everton first team squad sooner, rather than later, based on their fine showings in this Europa Cup league clash.
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