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Thread: Poor midfield recruitment model

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nineteenx View Post
    It's a fucking mess - I think we're going to end up in a battle for top four this season
    I say this with the intent of providing some reassurance, not to belittle the sentiment.

    We have a 7-point lead on Arsenal. The cluster of sides currently vying for the last Champion's League spot (Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham, Man United) have all lost between 5 and 7 times in the League this season, whereas we have lost twice.

    Our current wobble does need fixing, but we have a cushion and thus far lose games less often than those below us. I don't think any of Arsenal/Tottenham/Man United/West Ham finish above us this season, nevermind two of them doing so to push us down to 5th. Man United might get closer over the coming weeks due to a forgiving run of fixtures, but they'll likely fall away again later in the season. Arsenal are Arsenal, David Moyes is a Football Genius and Tottenham once finished third in a two-Horse League race.

    If we focus on improvements and don't have a massive crash like last season's 6 losses in a row we will be absolutely fine. The Cup situation will keep us motivated and the tie against Inter is only 6 or 7 weeks away which will help our "business end" mode kick in a bit.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    49,570
    Quote Originally Posted by teesred View Post
    @eggy. That's what our midfield has lacked for years now. That lock picker.
    I thought Thiago might have been it but he's not. Different type of player. Every manager has their way, it's just unfortunate that ours is easy to shut down. Give us space and we'll run riot, squeeze us and pack the defence and we are up against it. 9/10 we'll find a way but we always seem to hit one of these creative barren spells each season.
    Absolutely right about us not getting behind lately, I can't remember us once getting behind Leicesters defence.
    It's why I advocate the fluid midfield 3 and acting now to land hopefully 2 of the players who could be a part of that for a long long time at the club with the skills to unlock defences, score goals, press and counter press, defend and bully opposition midfields as Hendo, Gini and Millie used to
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
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    Reading
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    8,084
    Drop Bobby to a number 10 role. Having Fabinho at the number 6 and an inform injury if either Keita or Thiago will do the trick for this season.

    Henderson can come on as a sub and Milner, thanks for the years of service. You’ve e been great, but your legs aren’t holding up.

    Maybe, if we’re lucky we’ll spend some money in the summer. Think the owners know city have won it and are reluctant to splash the pennies in January.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    We had better not be resting on our laurels these 2 weeks, this is the IDEAL opportunity to get Tchouameni in and do some work on the training pitch with the midfield and rest of the team to getting the press and counter press back to where it needs to be, given our success was built on it, and our being vastly superior at it to all other sides and especially City in 19-20 it is absolutely criminal they have been far superior to us at it the last season and even better in that respect this season
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nineteenx View Post
    We had better not be resting on our laurels these 2 weeks, this is the IDEAL opportunity to get Tchouameni in and do some work on the training pitch with the midfield and rest of the team to getting the press and counter press back to where it needs to be, given our success was built on it, and our being vastly superior at it to all other sides and especially City in 19-20 it is absolutely criminal they have been far superior to us at it the last season and even better in that respect this season
    Tchouameni? You've never mentioned him before. Is he any good?

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    49,570
    Quote Originally Posted by justincredible View Post
    Tchouameni? You've never mentioned him before. Is he any good?
    Whatever FSG don't do, which is the mist likely scenario, Jurgen and the coaches need to have our lads on the training pitch and with the video analysis team working on that press and counter press, it's been nowhere neat the levels it used to be or needs to be, this is an ideal opportunity to fix it for the remainder of the season

    Re FSG, if it were me I'd be moving failed transfer and perennial sicknote Thiago out to Barca and getting that lad you're raving about in , may as well start improving for next season and working towards the future now rather than wait for the summer
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  7. #17
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    everywhere and nowhere
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    Naby Keita should be back soon.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    23,793
    Quote Originally Posted by redebreck View Post
    Naby Keita should be back soon.
    Ive already booked him a bed in the infirmary,I will give it two days before we hear he has some kinda injury.
    Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Posts
    34,180
    Be fair justme, there’s a lot of steps to come down getting off a plane.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    23,793
    he needs one of them shoots they have instead.. like they use to get people out of fires.. Stairs can be dangerous
    Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century

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