By florida 
Starting the Research Mess
So this morning, I grabbed my coffee and laptop thinking I’d smash this Everton vs City lineup analysis. Figured I’d check fan forums first. Big mistake. Scrolled through pages of wild guesses – folks swearing Pep would rest Haaland, others convinced Dyche starts three goalkeepers. Absolute chaos. Spilled coffee trying to take notes. Real fast, I realized: gotta ignore the noise.
What Actually Went Down
Switched gears hard. Pulled up last five game stats for both teams first. Numbers don’t lie, right? Noticed something weird immediately. Everton kept letting goals in around the 60-minute mark. Like clockwork. Checked City’s subs pattern too – Pep always makes that double change around 70’. Scribbled it down: “target 60-70 min for Everton collapse.”
Then dove into injury reports. Found that one Everton defender – you know, the tall bloke – was actually fit despite rumors. Changed everything. Meant Dyche wouldn’t panic and shift formation. My initial prediction? Kinda messed up.
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Major lineup traps I dodged:
- Believing fake leaks about Stones playing midfield
- Assuming Dyche would park the bus entirely
- Ignoring City’s away game fatigue stats
Testing My Theory Live
Put the notebook away when kickoff started. Wanted to see real flow. First half? Painful. Everton sat so deep, thought my screen froze. But around 55’? Exactly when my notes said – whole team looked gassed. Legs stopped moving. Then Pep does his thing: two subs on 68’. Fresh legs tearing through. The big guy up front? Moved like a freight train suddenly. Textbook.
Big Lessons Learned
Proper gut check today. Never trusting “ITK” gossip again. Real work comes from:
- Tracking actual patterns (not vibes)
- Reading boring medical reports properly
- Watching past games at specific minutes like a madman
And coffee? Keep it far from the keyboard. Still wiping stains off my formation charts.