Everton’s young generation suffer a losing experience against Krasnodar
Everton 0-1 Krasnodar
• Laborde 30
• Laborde 30
Fourteen Krasnodar fans made the 2,388-mile journey from southern
Russia to Merseyside and were rewarded with free tickets in the Alex
Young Suite and their team’s first Europa League win. The price of a few hospitality tickets and the end of an unbeaten run in Europe will not worry Everton, however.
This was an experiment with a competitive edge and nothing more. Roberto Martínez’s men sealed first place in the group a fortnight ago in Wolfsburg and that enabled Everton to encourage the next generation in the final dead rubber. At a time of protests over rising ticket prices, the Goodison Park club slashed admission costs for under-16s to £5. On the pitch, the Everton manager handed debuts to several promising youngsters and was repaid with a major step forward in their development.
Ricardo Laborde’s first-half effort embarrassed Joel Robles in the home goal and inflicted a first European defeat of the season on Everton but with the combative Ryan Ledson impressing in central midfield and Luke Garbutt confident at left-back, the continued health of Goodison’s academy production line provided the bigger picture. “The youngsters didn’t look themselves in the first half,” said Martínez. “I know them well from the under-21s and from training at Finch Farm and for me they looked a bit fearful and cagey in the first half. But in the second half they expressed themselves, made much better decisions and we saw young talent getting a unique experience.
“After this game we have got different options and information to help these players fulfil their potential. To see 17-year-olds showing the football arrogance that Ryan Ledson showed is very pleasing. It was a shame we couldn’t get a positive result but we will get the benefit from this experience.”
Garbutt, an England Under-21 international, started at left-back for the second European game in succession. “It’s time to push on now,” said the former Leeds United schoolboy, who has had to bide his time, with Leighton Baines for competition. The powerful defender Tyias Browning and the striker Conor McAleny also started and there was a full debut for Ledson, captain of the England team that won the European Championship at under-17 level in the summer.
Ledson, who cites Javier Mascherano as a player he has modelled his game upon, was one of the “two young diamonds” Martínez wanted to blood against Krasnodar but whom he refused to name in advance in case it caused a sleepless night. The other, Kieran Dowell, was summoned for his senior debut after 10 minutes when Christian Atsu hobbled off with a hamstring tear that will be assessed on Friday.
Everton’s teenagers grew into the game but it was Arouna Koné who initially stood out on his first competitive appearance for 14 months. The Ivory Coast international suffered several setbacks in his recovery from a complex knee injury – “basically, a chunk of cartilage has come off in his knee,” Martínez once explained while allaying concerns the striker’s career might be over – but showed no ill-effects here.
The 31-year-old muscled two Krasnodar defenders out of the way to win an early corner that Antolín Alcaraz headed wide, tested Andrei Sinitsin in the visiting goal with a 25-yard drive and picked up a harsh booking for catching Vitali Kaleshin in the face when shielding the ball during another positive run. There were no signs of the player holding back despite so long on the sidelines.
Krasnodar’s South American forward line, however, posed frequent problems for Everton’s makeshift central defence of Alcaraz and Gareth Barry and combined to open the scoring on the half-hour. The Brazilian Wánderson forced Robles into a near-post save after slipping clear of Alcaraz’s offside trap when his compatriot Joãozinho clipped an inviting pass over Barry for Laborde to chase.
The Colombian beat Steven Pienaar to the through ball, drew Robles from his line and shaped to cross from a tight angle. Everton’s second-choice goalkeeper fell for the move and was made to look helpless as Laborde tucked a simple finish inside his near post.
Krasnodar were unable to qualify from the group regardless of the result but they are no lightweights. They sit fourth in the Russian league, 10 points adrift of the leaders, Zenit St Petersburg, but only three behind second-placed CSKA Moscow, yet they were on the defensive for much of the second half because of a more assertive Everton display.
With Ledson producing a mature performance in central midfield, Garbutt providing a steady supply of crosses and McAleny always seeking an opening, the youngsters were key to the improvement. Koné forced Sinitsin into another decent save with a snap-shot on the turn, Bryan Oviedo just failed to connect with Garbutt’s cross in front of goal and Dowell had a shot deflected wide having been played through by the Costa Rica international.
This was an experiment with a competitive edge and nothing more. Roberto Martínez’s men sealed first place in the group a fortnight ago in Wolfsburg and that enabled Everton to encourage the next generation in the final dead rubber. At a time of protests over rising ticket prices, the Goodison Park club slashed admission costs for under-16s to £5. On the pitch, the Everton manager handed debuts to several promising youngsters and was repaid with a major step forward in their development.
Ricardo Laborde’s first-half effort embarrassed Joel Robles in the home goal and inflicted a first European defeat of the season on Everton but with the combative Ryan Ledson impressing in central midfield and Luke Garbutt confident at left-back, the continued health of Goodison’s academy production line provided the bigger picture. “The youngsters didn’t look themselves in the first half,” said Martínez. “I know them well from the under-21s and from training at Finch Farm and for me they looked a bit fearful and cagey in the first half. But in the second half they expressed themselves, made much better decisions and we saw young talent getting a unique experience.
“After this game we have got different options and information to help these players fulfil their potential. To see 17-year-olds showing the football arrogance that Ryan Ledson showed is very pleasing. It was a shame we couldn’t get a positive result but we will get the benefit from this experience.”
Garbutt, an England Under-21 international, started at left-back for the second European game in succession. “It’s time to push on now,” said the former Leeds United schoolboy, who has had to bide his time, with Leighton Baines for competition. The powerful defender Tyias Browning and the striker Conor McAleny also started and there was a full debut for Ledson, captain of the England team that won the European Championship at under-17 level in the summer.
Ledson, who cites Javier Mascherano as a player he has modelled his game upon, was one of the “two young diamonds” Martínez wanted to blood against Krasnodar but whom he refused to name in advance in case it caused a sleepless night. The other, Kieran Dowell, was summoned for his senior debut after 10 minutes when Christian Atsu hobbled off with a hamstring tear that will be assessed on Friday.
Everton’s teenagers grew into the game but it was Arouna Koné who initially stood out on his first competitive appearance for 14 months. The Ivory Coast international suffered several setbacks in his recovery from a complex knee injury – “basically, a chunk of cartilage has come off in his knee,” Martínez once explained while allaying concerns the striker’s career might be over – but showed no ill-effects here.
The 31-year-old muscled two Krasnodar defenders out of the way to win an early corner that Antolín Alcaraz headed wide, tested Andrei Sinitsin in the visiting goal with a 25-yard drive and picked up a harsh booking for catching Vitali Kaleshin in the face when shielding the ball during another positive run. There were no signs of the player holding back despite so long on the sidelines.
Krasnodar’s South American forward line, however, posed frequent problems for Everton’s makeshift central defence of Alcaraz and Gareth Barry and combined to open the scoring on the half-hour. The Brazilian Wánderson forced Robles into a near-post save after slipping clear of Alcaraz’s offside trap when his compatriot Joãozinho clipped an inviting pass over Barry for Laborde to chase.
The Colombian beat Steven Pienaar to the through ball, drew Robles from his line and shaped to cross from a tight angle. Everton’s second-choice goalkeeper fell for the move and was made to look helpless as Laborde tucked a simple finish inside his near post.
Krasnodar were unable to qualify from the group regardless of the result but they are no lightweights. They sit fourth in the Russian league, 10 points adrift of the leaders, Zenit St Petersburg, but only three behind second-placed CSKA Moscow, yet they were on the defensive for much of the second half because of a more assertive Everton display.
With Ledson producing a mature performance in central midfield, Garbutt providing a steady supply of crosses and McAleny always seeking an opening, the youngsters were key to the improvement. Koné forced Sinitsin into another decent save with a snap-shot on the turn, Bryan Oviedo just failed to connect with Garbutt’s cross in front of goal and Dowell had a shot deflected wide having been played through by the Costa Rica international.
