2020/21 Carlo Ancelotti

[MikeH72]

People keep banding that we finished tenth too as something to beat him with, while that is plainly a fact it's also true it's just down to an anomaly caused by a lot of teams this year posting a good number of points. 3 points away from 7th isn't the criminal act some are saying it is. In the past three seasons it would have been good enough for 8th/7th and 7th.

Had we not had covid restrictions we would have won at least a couple of those games against the dross at home and there would have been a totally different outlook on this season.

We also would’ve won about 4 away games without said restrictions.

 

[BlueToff]

The irony is, all managers who have a style or "philosophy" get hammered for being stubborn when it doesn't work. Klopp and Guardiola have both had it in the last few years when they have struggled despite winning everything in the game. Fortunately for them, they also have the world's best players to pick from as well as some questionable medical practices to boot.

It's the fickle nature of the football critic. The manager has a style? Hammer him for not changing. He doesn't have a style? Hammer him having no "Identity".

Ancelotti has said a number of times, football is not a complicated game. He might not have a defined style that is unique to him, but what he does have is a track record of frustrating managers who do. There's something to be said of the intelligence of someone who can devise a plan and see it through. Let's give him a chance to do it here.

Well this is my point. There's more than one ways to skin a cat.

But people seem to think that better players is going to lead to a style. If done right, it should the other way around. So I don't think it's going to happen.

It isn't a criticism as such. I've said this for months now, as far back as December and I think even last season at times.

I'm not suggesting we don't give him a chance. But I am wanting better from him and I think we should expect that. I also do feel fresh impetus into the coaching staff is required.

 

[Lanolin]

People keep banding that we finished tenth too as something to beat him with, while that is plainly a fact it's also true it's just down to an anomaly caused by a lot of teams this year posting a good number of points. 3 points away from 7th isn't the criminal act some are saying it is. In the past three seasons it would have been good enough for 8th/7th and 7th.

Had we not had covid restrictions we would have won at least a couple of those games against the dross at home and there would have been a totally different outlook on this season.

This idea that the amount of points teams get in a season is some unfathomable quirk of fate and not a reflection of how easy points were to come by is really starting to hurt my brain.

 

[BlueToff]

We have had a Frankenstein squad full of unshiftable proven under achievers for a few seasons. Changing the manager doesn't change that fact.

We’re all disappointed with the way things finished, but this was never going to be sorted in a season. Ancelotti attracted Rodrigues and together they are changing the profile and attractiveness of the club in a way that Silva never could.

The players at his disposal don't have the quality to implement his system.

I know it wasn't going to be sorted in a season and I agree with all that other than his 'system'.

Really don't think he has one. But see my other response.

Time will tell. I just think his style is being able to put players on a pitch and they can change game-to-game. Now for that we do need better players than what we have, but they also need to have the physicality to play in the Premier League.

 

[The binman chronicles]

We also would’ve won about 4 away games without said restrictions.

I think with how we've been playing we are perfectly set up to be a classic away team. As they come forward our attacking players get the space not to be harried out of their strides and can do some damage. We already saw the previous season our away form had picked up under Carlo so I think there is evidence to say we won't be as bad as that.

You would be probably right to say we wouldn't have as many points away as we got this season but I would expect the home results to more than offset those.

 

[BlueToff]

Very sad news if true.

 

[The binman chronicles]

This idea that the amount of points teams get in a season is some unfathomable quirk of fate and not a reflection of how easy points were to come by is really starting to hurt my brain.

Let's look at it from a positive perspective as an example, when Martinez got his 72 points we were desperately unlucky not to have got Champions League football. A couple of seasons later that would have been good enough for 2nd. Though that season itself was an anomaly due to the low number of points amassed by the top 4 teams.

You pick up results throughout the season and that gets you your league position, in some seasons that would be good for x/y and z, as I said 59 averages out to a finishing position of 7.5 over the prior 3 seasons, so this season is unusual. Not really rocket science is it.

 

[Lanolin]

Let's look at it from a positive perspective as an example, when Martinez got his 72 points we were desperately unlucky not to have got Champions League football. A couple of seasons later that would have been good enough for 2nd. Though that season itself was an anomaly due to the low number of points amassed by the top 4 teams.

You pick up results throughout the season and that gets you your league position, in some seasons that would be good for x/y and z, as I said 59 averages out to a finishing position of 7.5 over the prior 3 seasons, so this season is unusual. Not really rocket science is it.

Some people would say that the number of points needed to finish in any given position will vary based on the quality of teams in the league in that season, but now that you’ve pointed out I think the idea of it just being pure chance actually makes loads more sense.

 

[Bluestar]

I know it wasn't going to be sorted in a season and I agree with all that other than his 'system'.

Really don't think he has one. But see my other response.

Time will tell. I just think his style is being able to put players on a pitch and they can change game-to-game. Now for that we do need better players than what we have, but they also need to have the physicality to play in the Premier League.

Getting decent players in sufficient numbers is essential this summer. The lack of options on the bench was ridiculous and the injuries prett6 much determined the style of play.

 

[The binman chronicles]

Some people would say that the number of points needed to finish in any given position will vary based on the quality of teams in the league in that season, but now that you’ve pointed out I think the idea of it just being pure chance actually makes loads more sense.

Don't get me wrong it's not ALL down to pure chance but more often than not there will be a range that x amount gets you top 4, top 7 and under 40 leaves you in potential relegation trouble.

A couple of results stand out straightaway why we were able to drop so low:

Arsenal beating Chelsea. Despite Arsenal's good finish to the season beating teams you would expect, Chelsea should have had more than enough to see of this weak gunners team. The stats show it was fairly one sided and somehow they got the win as the wheels started to come off for the west Londoners.

Talking of fluky wins, Leeds against Man City has to be up there, a man sent off and an injury time winner despite 50 million shots on goal for City.

If those two results went how they should have gone we finish 8th. Of course you have to credit both for overhauling us and place some blame on us not getting a result against say a Sheffield, but had the fixture list aligned and Leeds were playing City away for the final game they would have got a spanking too. Everton that.

 

[johnjoeefc]

I don't really understand why this group of players had so much trouble in home games towards the end of the season. I think back to Brighton at home earlier in the season and how fluid and creative we looked in periods of that game and compare that to Sheffield utd at home.

Its this which concerns me the most. Surely even if we lined up a basic 4 - 4 - 2 with two Brazilian / ex Brazilian internationals on the wing bernard and Richardson and stuck king and dcl up front with James and Allan in the middle. Are you seriously telling me they shouldn't be able to create masses of problems for a team like Sheffield utd.

I think the problem is deeper than just the players. I think there's an issue with motivation, coaching and tactics. How can so many talented players go into so many games and literally not have a clue what they are going to do or what they are expected to do.

 

[AmericasToffee]

I agree, but the problem within that is we went from Moyes to Martinez with no directors in place. Then we got a new owner and appointed our 1st DOF and a new manager who made it very clear that the previous manager was totally wrong about everything and went out of his way to do everything the opposite way to prove it. This meant alienating and replacing almost half of an entire squad in 2 years, and it failed spectacularly and expensively. So we appointed a 2nd manager to try and fix his mess, and let's be fair to Allardyce, we all knew it was a temporary, damage limitation tactic. Allardyce said what we all knew, the squad was a mess, but he wasnt well liked, so everyone dismissed it.

So we go and get a new Director of football and a new manager, both of whom felt that the previous approach was wrong. This negates the consistency of the DOF approach, as it was a complete reset. The new manager had similar ideas/ideals to Martinez, and was once again, a complete 180 from the previous approach. Unfortunately, like Martinez and Koeman before him, he was so stubborn and inflexible, that he refused to alter his approach for anyone, and if plan A didn't work, plan B was trying plan A again. On top of this, he was about as charismatic a leader as Gary Megson, and he had neither the tactical nous nor the gravitas or pull to alter things in a different way. At least Koeman was a name, even if he was an arrogant bully who didn't care. But safe to say, it didn't work. Again.

Then, the stars aligned, and we had the opportunity to sign Ancelotti, 1 of the best most revered coaches in the world. On top of being available, he brings experience, exposure, calmness, connections, and a track record of winning. He is also a student of the game, trained under Arrigo Sacchi and is tactically astute as well as pragmatic, something we have been calling out for for years.

But the problem with appointing someone of his calibre, is people expect miracles.

The squad was patchy when Martinez failed to get players to believe in his methods.

Koeman made a bad squad worse by selling 3 of the best young stars in the squad and wasting hundreds of millions on overly expensive, older, bang average journeyman players in hopes of a quick fix to make us the best of the rest.

Allardyce took over his mess and realised there were no goals in the team, so spent another small fortune on 2 more quick fix short term signings.

Silva went the other way and spent even more money on expensive cast offs (and Richarlison) from other teams.

Ancelotti is 1 COVID interrupted year in to trying to fix 7 years of topsy turvy mis management and is left with the onerous task of the squad rebuild Moyes left us with in 2013, but hamstrung by the expensive flops that prevent any meaningful movement 1 way or the other.

He needs 2 years minimum from now, and if that means 2 years of treading water until we are in a position to challenge again, then so be it. Sometimes you need to take a step back to take 2 steps forward, and this seems like 1 of those occasions. We need a bit of patience.

Football is never ending. Not getting Europe in year 1 is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Excellent summary. There is such a mishmash of player styles.

 

[Zatara]

There is no way anyone rational would think a season and a half - including one summer transfer window - means he's had long enough. He's one of the most successful managers in the history of the game, and he started at pretty much the ground floor in terms of squad quality.

I don't think this will be Carlo's team until the start of the 22/23 season, and we'll see what he can really do with Everton at the end of that season.

Yeah i posted in the past that i thought wed see Ancelottis team in 2022/23 season.

Theres a number of contracts still to expire and players to move on before were at that point.

 

[ArtetaMoney]

Yeah i posted in the past that i thought wed see Ancelottis team in 2022/23 season.

Theres a number of contracts still to expire and players to move on before were at that point.

Iwobi will still be in that squad.

 

[Jim Hopper]

I don't really understand why this group of players had so much trouble in home games towards the end of the season. I think back to Brighton at home earlier in the season and how fluid and creative we looked in periods of that game and compare that to Sheffield utd at home.

Its this which concerns me the most. Surely even if we lined up a basic 4 - 4 - 2 with two Brazilian / ex Brazilian internationals on the wing bernard and Richardson and stuck king and dcl up front with James and Allan in the middle. Are you seriously telling me they shouldn't be able to create masses of problems for a team like Sheffield utd.

I think the problem is deeper than just the players. I think there's an issue with motivation, coaching and tactics. How can so many talented players go into so many games and literally not have a clue what they are going to do or what they are expected to do.

It’s the mentality of the squad. It’s very very poor. We were like this in the second season of Silva. Coleman highlighted it last year. Lack of dedication and commitment. Too many players on big wages who have no real desire to be winners and be successful. Turning up every week knowing that because the squad in general is so poor they don’t even have to try hard to cement a place in the team but generally will be happy to sit on the bench claiming their money.

Look at Iwobi last year had an embarrassing season and as soon as the season ends he’s taking pictures of his flashy lifestyle and jets like he’s earnt that. He’s done nothing to deserve that. You’d have thought the criticism he received for that would have made him want to try harder this season and prove a point but no he was even worse this season.

Then you’ve got players like James and Gomes who know they can pick and chose when they want to play, crocks like Delph, big headed players who think they’re better than they are like Holgate, players like Richarlison who only turned up in January but thinks he’s immune from being dropped and taken off like his performances have been outstanding, when let’s be honest he’s been horrendous for most of the season. Throwing tantrums and squaring up to his own players.

I generally think this current crop are the worst we’ve had for a long, long, time. In terms of cohesion and spirit I don’t see much if any at all. I just see a lot of weak minded and unsuccessful individuals with very limited ability, here because it’s a comfortable job that earns them mega cash.

The fact we have missed out on European football and the fight for it has been non existent since the turn of the new year really says it all about this group.