2020/21 Carlo Ancelotti

[big nev lookalike]

Good catholic boy me. I know not what you speak.

I apologise for insinuating that you did....

 

[ClausThomsen]

Yet we've just given the man responsible for recruitment over the last 3 years another 3 year deal...

No, using injuries turns us into the RS.

We don't have a way of playing good footy unless James is on song.

Btw, I don't mean good footy to mean tippy tappy passing on the edge of our own box. I mean like just having a basic grasp of attacking play.

Anyway, we got the win because we got lucky, and Arsenal were crap.

Lowered the wage bill of the senior squad.
Lowered the average age of the senior squad.
Increased the average value of the senior squad.
Revamped the academy pathway and the entire scouting department.

It's stuff that literally takes years to do. There are no shortcuts to doing that kind of stuff.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Just skimmed over the last 4 pages and basically we have luckily won 15 games this year, yes?

Yep, all the wins were flukes but all the draws and losses were fully deserved. We can’t attack, we can’t defend, and the league table lies unless we come 8th in which case it is the only thing that matters. Results don’t matter, unless they’re losses in which case they do.

 

[BirkenheadBlue]

Because City will tank us so that loss will essentially be our game in hand.

The fact we might lose doesn't make it our game in hand.

Fully agree.

My issue is that we don't seem to have some way of playing around our injuries, like other teams do.

But we're still there and there abouts.

there’s not many teams that could have “played around” the level, variety and consistency of injuries we’ve had this season to be honest.

 

[BlueToff]

Me, I don't care how we got it, 3 points on the table is what counts.

I'm not disputing that.

But we can't think that that's going to get us anywhere down the line.

We had the same thing in December - and I was happy to just pick up points. I still am, but 16/17 months into Carlo's tenure, in a must-win game against a pretty average team with their best attackers out, we managed one shot on target.

 

[BlueToff]

Is the squad now not better than the one Brands picked up in 17/18?

Williams Martina Bolasie Niasse Klaasen Tosun Sandro Schneiderlin

Would you take the 17/18 squad over this squad?

Yes I think the squad is better.

But the poster I was replying to said the squad is crap. So what we at? Varying degrees of crap?

 

[BlueToff]

The fact we might lose doesn't make it our game in hand.

there’s not many teams that could have “played around” the level, variety and consistency of injuries we’ve had this season to be honest.

Leicester have had out...

Vardy, Maddison, Pereira, Soyuncu, Evans, Fofana, Ndidi, Barnes, Justin, Castagne

Off the top of my head, that's all of their key players at one point or another.

We aren't the only team to struggle with injuries mate.

 

[BlueToff]

Lowered the wage bill of the senior squad.
Lowered the average age of the senior squad.
Increased the average value of the senior squad.
Revamped the academy pathway and the entire scouting department.

It's stuff that literally takes years to do. There are no shortcuts to doing that kind of stuff.

The poster I was replying to said 'the squad is crap'.

 

[Nymzee]

I'm not disputing that.

But we can't think that that's going to get us anywhere down the line.

We had the same thing in December - and I was happy to just pick up points. I still am, but 16/17 months into Carlo's tenure, in a must-win game against a pretty average team with their best attackers out, we managed one shot on target.

I don't really believe this is the style that Carlo ultimately wants for us though.

 

[wainy]

I'm not disputing that.

But we can't think that that's going to get us anywhere down the line.

We had the same thing in December - and I was happy to just pick up points. I still am, but 16/17 months into Carlo's tenure, in a must-win game against a pretty average team with their best attackers out, we managed one shot on target.

When did we last win a “must win” game? We won, that’s all that matters.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Yes I think the squad is better.

But the poster I was replying to said the squad is crap. So what we at? Varying degrees of crap?

Yes. The squad has improved so those saying Brands hasn’t done anything in 3 seasons are wrong in my opinion. Equally there’s a lot of players in this squad that in my opinion aren’t good enough and have played far too often this season and made too many mistakes.

I believe people have glossed over how poor we were in 17/18 thanks to the final league position. That was honestly the lowest I’ve felt as an Evertonian watching us go 1 up at home agaisnt Arsenal and knowing we were so poor we still wouldn’t win. The away game agaisnt Arsenal was equally humiliating. I think we’re a million miles away from that outfit now and definitely on an upwards curve.

We were an utter joke back then. People think we are defensive now but watch the Anfield derby from that season under Allardyce, the only time we crossed the halfway line was the punt upfield which led to the pen. We couldn’t even put a pass together.

 

[Toffeelover]

I don't really believe this is the style that Carlo ultimately wants for us though.

True, it is being worked on.

 

[BirkenheadBlue]

Leicester have had out...

Vardy, Maddison, Pereira, Soyuncu, Evans, Fofana, Ndidi, Barnes, Justin, Castagne

Off the top of my head, that's all of their key players at one point or another.

We aren't the only team to struggle with injuries mate.

Leicester have had out...

Vardy, Maddison, Pereira, Soyuncu, Evans, Fofana, Ndidi, Barnes, Justin, Castagne

Off the top of my head, that's all of their key players at one point or another.

We aren't the only team to struggle with injuries mate.

Not saying we are, but I’d say it’s more Leicester doing a good job rather than us doing a poor one. They’ve also got more depth at the positions they’ve lost players.

 

[BlueToff]

I don't really believe this is the style that Carlo ultimately wants for us though.

Neither do I.

But after 16 months I think it's fair to say we should be seeing something, no?

I'm happy for us to have different ways of playing. I'm happy for us to be a counter-attacking team in games. But, it's not like we did that very well yesterday either, and we can't pin it on injuries, unless we really are entirely dependent on Doucoure...

 

[BlueToff]

When did we last win a “must win” game? We won, that’s all that matters.

We've won a fair few this season. We've also not won a fair few.