Originally Posted by
CCTV
I'm advocating a robust midfield to keep it tight, using the players who've proven themselves most consistently.
Milner on merit has contributed more than thiago, same goes for Gini and Fab.
I'd have Salah playing 90 and thereafter not too bothered about which 2 partner Salah. Bobby for his disruptive capacity probably a good shout to start as I would set the team up.
Key is to aim to disrupt their midfield unit, protect the defense and have something on the bench if we manage to achieve our early doors objectives.
Keeping it tight and not having anyone who can make sure we keep the ball and who can pass it won't work against Real
For me we need to set up as we did v Leipzig
Forwards not looking to press quite as high, but blocking the lines to stop their defence playing into their midfielders or forwards and in doing that setting traps to nick the ball in midfield rather than the final third as they try to play out, to then release our forwards already in brilliant positions between their midfield and defence because of where and how they're pressing to attack Real quickly with whatever we can and whoever we can
In that press it will be absolutely key that there is however the instruction to rapidly press Kroos or Modric if/when they drop between their 2 CBs to receive the ball, that will surely have been learned from the first game when Jota stood off Kroos to disastrous effect
It will be crucial to stop Real getting their 3 midfielders on the ball easily and playing long to their forwards easily, we failed to do either of those things in the first leg
Fab has to be a lot better too, in the Villa match thread someone posted about us having 5 or 6 back against one or 2 and still not defending situations, a big part of that is Fabs love of and want of a tackle, he runs into situations when we already have 2 or 3 defenders and mids combined to deal with them easily and in doing so gifts that player an easy ball into a player arriving in the space he's left who in turn can play in their forward
He's done it the last 2 games, ran into a situation he didn't need to instead of staying with Modric, giving the Real player who was going nowhere an easy ball to Modric with all the time in the world to tee their lad up to score their third
He did it v Villa too, ran into a situation that he didn't need to, giving their lad an easy ball to McGinn arriving in the space he just left, who then teed up their forward to score
He really needs to show a lot more intelligence, understanding of and reading of the game and stop charging into situations when we already comfortably outnumber the opposition player(s), because he gives that player an easy ball far too often by doing it, it's exactly what I meant when I spoke about him needing to learn and understand when to press or try and go to make a tackle and when to stay in his area or with his man, for all his other undoubted qualities, his decision making in that respect is absolutely fucking abysmal, it's under 18 level
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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