Everton vs. Krasnodar: Lessons Learned from Europa League Game
A youthful Everton side lost 1-0 at home to Krasnodar on Thursday, but despite the defeat, the Toffees finished atop Group H and progressed to the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League alongside runners-up Wolfsburg.
Krasnodar, with six points to Everton's 11, came third in the bracket and wound up two points ahead of Lille, who failed to win a single match.
Following are some of the lessons learned from Thursday's match at Goodison Park.
Andrei Sinitsyn Could Be a Goalkeeper to Watch
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Everton weren't the only side that shuffled the deck for Thursday's Europa League encounter with Krasnodar at Goodison Park.
Bulls manager Aleh Konanaw also made some changes to his starting line-up—most notably in goal, where Andrei Sinitsyn replaced Ukraine international Andriy Dykan.
He was surely pleased with what he saw.
The 26-year-old, who stands 6'5", made four saves at Goodison Park and single-handedly kept a very eager Arouna Kone from finding the back of the net.
He also made important stops to deny Luke Garbutt and Conor McAleny en route to an impressive clean sheet.
Sinitsyn, who has played his entire career in Russia, could be a goalkeeper to watch during upcoming transfer periods.
Everton Have Some Promising Youngsters
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As Sky Sports tweeted prior to kick-off, Everton began Thursday's match with four academy graduates in the starting line-up.
Luke Garbutt, who played the entire 90 minutes at left-back, was especially impressive for the Toffees, and midway through the second half, analytics experts Squawka tweeted that the 21-year-old "has got an engine on him."
Conor McAleny can't be quite as happy with his own performance, and Tyias Browning tended to struggle opposite Ricardo Laborde and the energetic Joaozinho.
But as Squawka pointed out, at one point in the second half, 17-year-old Ryan Ledson had completed all of his passes since the restart.
Everton fans might not have been happy with the result, but some of their youngsters received vital first-team minutes against Krasnodar.
Arouna Kone Is Eager to Make an Everton Impact
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In October 2013, Arouna Kone, who had only joined Everton from Wigan the previous July, suffered a serious knee injury that would keep him out of manager Roberto Martinez's first-team plans until Thursday's Europa League match at home to Krasnodar.
Prior to kick-off, the 31-year-old told the Toffees' official website he was "really excited" to be making his return and that the match would be a sort of second debut for him at Goodison Park.
And that's exactly how he played.
In a vigorous, 90-minute performance, Kone took four shots—two of which tested Sinitsyn—and was generally his side's most useful attacker.
No doubt Martinez will be hoping for similar displays throughout what remains of the season.
Krasnodar Continue to Be a Team on the Rise
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Thursday's 1-0 win over Everton marked the end of Krasnodar's debut campaign in Europe.
Given that the club was only founded in 2008, this is hardly surprising. But if the past few months are any indication, they'll be back at this level before too long.
Since their establishment, the eastern Russian side has climbed up the Russian football pyramid, and in 2013-14, they finished fifth in the top flight.
They're presently fourth in the division after 17 rounds but are just three points back of CSKA Moscow and the second Champions League slot going into the winter break.
Steven Pienaar Has Had His Day
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Steven Pienaar has started just three Premier League matches so far this season. On Thursday, he put in his first 90-minute showing of the season.
It's unlikely he'll do it all that often between now and the spring.
Although the 32-year-old has been a popular player at Goodison Park (especially in his first spell at the club between 2008 and 2011), his performance against Krasnodar, which was hardly effective, didn't do him any favours in his quest for more first-team opportunities.
As manager Roberto Martinez demonstrated in his side's final Group H contest, the movement at Everton is that of youth.
Pienaar has had his day.
