Seasons  »  2015-16  »  Everton News

Jagielka pencilled in for Dagenham tie

by Lyndon Lloyd | 04/01/2016  11 Comments  [Jump to last]

Roberto Martinez has confirmed that Phil Jagielka won't start in Wednesday's Capital One Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester City but he could be involved at the weekend.

The Blues' skipper was named among the substitutes against Tottenham yesterday but the manager says that had he been involved in the game it would only have been for 15 minutes at the most.

Jagielka has been out of action with a medial knee ligament injury since October but is back in full training and could start return against Dagenham and Redbridge when Everton kick off their FA Cup campaign at Goodison Park.

"He's not fit to start [against City", Martinez told the media yesterday. "Today he would have been fit for a short spell, maybe 15 minutes maximum.

"For us it was important to have the figure of a captain ... someone who could give us a feeling of comfort in the dressing room.

"He will be part of the team for the next few games. [T]o start, we're talking maybe the FA Cup Third Round as a more realistic target."  

Reader Comments (11)

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Dean Adams
1 Posted 04/01/2016 at 21:23:13
Good luck Jags. It is a tough place to play at the moment for the home team and a solid performance will help to ease the concerns.
Kieran Kinsella
3 Posted 04/01/2016 at 23:41:18
Bizarre decision to have him on the bench if he can only play 15 minutes. I get what he's saying but while the site of Jags might give some a boost or a kick up the ass ahem, Mori, what about the flip side of the psychology. Hey Gibson, McGeady, Pennington, McAleny etc etc it's more valuable for us to have Jag as an unused sub visible to players than it is for us to have you ready to roll fighting fit off the bench.

Surely Jags could attend the game without being a sub? Also, imagine if say Stones pulled a hammy and Mori got sent off, wouldn't it be wiser to have subs you can really use?
Eddie Dunn
4 Posted 04/01/2016 at 23:42:10
I am shocked to hear that Jags took a valuable seat on the bench, when he would only have been fit enough for 15 minutes of play. Surely this is folly of the first order? Even with Galloway there to cover left back and presumably centre-back, it still meant that one less option was there for us during the game. I think that if Jags is so unready, it would have been daft to put him anywhere near the likes of Dier and Vertonghen.

He needs to be up to speed when he does make his return, as we don't want him to damage himself, and we don't want him on the field and unfit, like in the derby at Anfield, when he was playing with a hamstring strain. Within a month, he was out again for 10 weeks.

Don't rush him back!

Peter Carpenter
5 Posted 05/01/2016 at 00:16:51
Yes, Eddie, but he gave us a feeling of comfort in the dressing room!
Winston Williamson
6 Posted 05/01/2016 at 00:29:11
You're pissing in the wind, Eddie. You need Martinez-logic to even contemplate being able to convince this fella... and to have Martinez-logic you need to be from another planet, where they're taught football philosophy and politician speak...
Don Alexander
7 Posted 05/01/2016 at 01:00:59
Once again, utter shite from Martinez. And the board do... fuck all, as ever.
Roman Sidey
8 Posted 05/01/2016 at 02:21:31
I think you're all misunderstanding the boss. Jags is coming coming back in for Howard, with his past GK performances 10 years ago giving RM more confidence than whatever it is Robles has done to be left out.
Kieran Kinsella
10 Posted 05/01/2016 at 03:21:28
Lol... you may be right, Roman!
Harold Matthews
11 Posted 05/01/2016 at 03:42:28
Hope he's still got a spring in his heels. Dagenham rely heavily on crosses and headers.
Jay Harris
12 Posted 05/01/2016 at 04:13:21
I agree with you, Harold.

A very physical game may not be the right one to bring him back.

Maybe 45 minutes against Man City?

Minik Hansen
13 Posted 05/01/2016 at 15:01:40
Those 15 mins, I think he means "the worth of minutes risking him". He might be fit enough for half an hour/45 mins, but woulda only gotten 15 to be safe.

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