
It gives a wonderful platform for you to build your own narratives upon, because the moment to moment gameplay is just so fucking good. This, aside from the truly sublime gameplay which has made for perhaps the most authentic football experience other than sitting in the stands, is where PES 2017 shines. Now, obviously a lot of the story above – the pressure from the fans, the worry about the shaky start – was all created by my imagination I made the stories in my own head.

There’s even less time when he lofts a cross towards the back post and when the ball is met by the diving Kovacic who heads the ball over the keeper and into the corner of the goal. There isn’t long left on the clock when Lennon picks up the ball out on the right and uses his blistering pace to get past the marker.

Now our tails are really up, we’re going for it and Arsenal are rattled. Kovacic gets taken out by the keeper, but it matters not as the ball trickles over the line. He latches onto Lukaku’s through ball and manages to slide the ball under the onrushing Petr Cech. Romelu Lukaku picks up the ball over on the left and drags a centre back towards him, leaving a massive gap in the middle of the park for my new £11m signing Mateo Kovacic to exploit. Things really aren’t looking good and with twenties minutes to go I’ve still not managed to find an equaliser, despite being in the ascendancy for much of the second half. Within 15 minutes we were a goal down, some sloppy defending allowed for Alexis Sanchez to pounce on a loose ball and the Chilean made no mistake. I tinkered with the tactics and made the midfield a lot more compact, in order to cope with Arsenal’s attacking might. Out went the underperforming Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu, and in came the pacey Aaron Lennon and the tough tackler Muhamed Besic.

What if the fans start to turn on me? What if the board regret taking a chance on this inexperienced upstart? I need a result and soon.Īfter not being able to even score a single goal against teams that Everton really should be singlehandedly beating if we are to have any ambitions this season, how on Earth are we going to not get battered by Arsenal? Changes were needed. Four games in, relegation zone, and I’m already feeling the pressure pulling down on me like an anchor.

A 1-0 loss at home to Swansea City on the opening day of the season set an early disappointing tone, which was followed by three uninspired 0-0 draws on the bounce against Bournemouth, Middlesbrough and Southampton. Despite the fixture gods looking kindly down upon me, my Everton side have failed to win any of their first four games. My reign as manager of Merseyside Blue, or Everton, has not gotten off to a great start.
