2020/21 Carlo Ancelotti

[APN_EFC]

Had a debate on twitter - stupidly - about this last night. Someone saying that we'd all be chuffed with 59 points if offered it at the start of the season.

It means nothing without context. Had 59 points meant we finished sixth, I'm sure we'd all have taken it. But it meant we finished 10th with a negative goal difference.

For me apart from a desperately needed right back the gaping hole for me is we need midfielders who can actually score goals, our return from this area of the field has been woeful. Lets just say our midfield had scored maybe an extra 15 goals all season that could easily have got us into Europe and on the verge of the top four. I'm not saying who we can get that can do that for us but for me it has to be a priority for any midfielder we bring in.

And in the good years under Moyes and Martinez, we had about 10 goals from our defenders as well, and that was with no strikers scoring goals. Set piece tactics would be nice, cos Mina and Keane can actually score from corners and freekicks if they're given the service.

 

[kenada_blue]

Had a debate on twitter - stupidly - about this last night. Someone saying that we'd all be chuffed with 59 points if offered it at the start of the season.

It means nothing without context. Had 59 points meant we finished sixth, I'm sure we'd all have taken it. But it meant we finished 10th with a negative goal difference.

That's my point entirely.

Last season 59 points got 6th. We'd be buzzing about that. This season, it didn't.

But if we got at least 59 points next season (which on average is between 6th-8th finish) and improved by 2 or 3 more wins, you're talking top 6.

Points means more in terms of progress IMO. 2 more wins and a couple of draws had us top 4 based on this season. On paper that doesn't sound impossible.

 

[blue1948]

It seems Carlo's wife has died .So sad for him.

 

[Nymzee]

It seems Carlo's wife has died .So sad for him.

*ex-wife

 

[MikeH72]

Had a debate on twitter - stupidly - about this last night. Someone saying that we'd all be chuffed with 59 points if offered it at the start of the season.

It means nothing without context. Had 59 points meant we finished sixth, I'm sure we'd all have taken it. But it meant we finished 10th with a negative goal difference.

If someone had offered me “59 points” at the start of the season my immediate response would’ve been “but where will we finish with it?”

 

[blue1948]

*ex-wife

Definitely is now !

 

[Eggs]

It seems Carlo's wife has died .So sad for him.

...I think it’s his ex-wife but they were married for many years. I understand it’s Davide Ancelotti’s Mum.

Yes, it’s very sad for the family.

 

[chicoazul]

I was sort of thinking ten points better off this season is progress but then someone earlier in the thread argued well that he only managed the second half of the season last year, and that Silva had left him with a meagre points total for half of that base season. I’m a sucker for a superior argument like.

I’m firmly in the give him time camp and my reasoning is simple, if anyone can fix Everton then it’s probably him. He can attract talent we wouldn’t possibly get to help us get a leg up, and it’s refreshing to see a versatile manager employing different tactical systems rather than the one trick slugs we’ve had as his predecessors. I’ve seen green shoots of cracking the glass ceiling with the wins at Spurs, Arsenal and Big Red, throw in the Leicester away win and the fight back at Old Trafford to that too. I’m probably more patient as I’m verging on apathy after so many false dawns and painful weekends, the chopping and changing hasn’t work even with some serious backing from Moshiri. From Moyes right through to Silva we’ve tried so many different formulas and then got in a toxic boom bust cycle of 18 month managers, poor recruitment and the new man trying to sift through the patchwork of players with an understandably impatient fanbase getting upset when the next chronic dip happens. So I’m tired, we’ve been going nowhere really for 26 years so what’s giving this man a couple of years and seeing if the formula of “patience” bucks the trend. Lest we turn into hysteria ridden Geordies narrating our own pitiful soap opera. If Ancelotti fails then sack it, just fold us and reclaim our weekends for stuff that serves us better than Everton.

I get the angst as we’ve once again passed up great opportunities to level up this season and the past few months have been really bad. It’s not hysteria to have some of those decisions criticised. Progress usually isn’t linear though so this plateauing won’t be in vain if, and it’s a big if, Ancelotti takes the falling short in quality and character from some of his players as a mandate to exit them out and attract them with players who remedy it.

So as a simple as that in my head. Which is a simple head but hey, keep on killing each other in here as it’s decent entertainment.

 

[phil_t98]

There were about 2 games all season that we deserved to win and failed to.

So if we would of won them another 6 points better off? I kn ow there needs to be massive improvement next season

 

[GoSoccerToffees]

I think Carlo knows the link limitations the squad has and the exact positions we need to improve. 10th looks awful but in reality we were a silly home defeat and draw away from Europe. A couple of different types of players may have been the difference. Hopefully we can make that 7-10 point jump with the next few signings. I think few managers are better equipped to find the solution than Carlo. He knows full well the style has to be better.

 

[Tipp blue]

For me apart from a desperately needed right back the gaping hole for me is we need midfielders who can actually score goals, our return from this area of the field has been woeful. Lets just say our midfield had scored maybe an extra 15 goals all season that could easily have got us into Europe and on the verge of the top four. I'm not saying who we can get that can do that for us but for me it has to be a priority for any midfielder we bring in.

If our midfielders scored 15 extra goals we'd have been 3rd.

 

[LocalNative]

I was sort of thinking ten points better off this season is progress but then someone earlier in the thread argued well that he only managed the second half of the season last year, and that Silva had left him with a meagre points total for half of that base season. I’m a sucker for a superior argument like.

I’m firmly in the give him time camp and my reasoning is simple, if anyone can fix Everton then it’s probably him. He can attract talent we wouldn’t possibly get to help us get a leg up, and it’s refreshing to see a versatile manager employing different tactical systems rather than the one trick slugs we’ve had as his predecessors. I’ve seen green shoots of cracking the glass ceiling with the wins at Spurs, Arsenal and Big Red, throw in the Leicester away win and the fight back at Old Trafford to that too. I’m probably more patient as I’m verging on apathy after so many false dawns and painful weekends, the chopping and changing hasn’t work even with some serious backing from Moshiri. From Moyes right through to Silva we’ve tried so many different formulas and then got in a toxic boom bust cycle of 18 month managers, poor recruitment and the new man trying to sift through the patchwork of players with an understandably impatient fanbase getting upset when the next chronic dip happens. So I’m tired, we’ve been going nowhere really for 26 years so what’s giving this man a couple of years and seeing if the formula of “patience” bucks the trend. Lest we turn into hysteria ridden Geordies narrating our own pitiful soap opera. If Ancelotti fails then sack it, just fold us and reclaim our weekends for stuff that serves us better than Everton.

I get the angst as we’ve once again passed up great opportunities to level up this season and the past few months have been really bad. It’s not hysteria to have some of those decisions criticised. Progress usually isn’t linear though so this plateauing won’t be in vain if, and it’s a big if, Ancelotti takes the falling short in quality and character from some of his players as a mandate to exit them out and attract them with players who remedy it.

So as a simple as that in my head. Which is a simple head but hey, keep on killing each other in here as it’s decent entertainment.

I think the 10 points better off this season is also skewed by how bad the bottom three teams were. Mentioned it in another thread but 15 teams (ourselves included) either equalled or bettered their points tally this season compared to last.

We're all genuinely kidding ourselves into thinking this was a season of progress, the past 3-4 months have been some of the worst football we've seen - luckily not live - at Goodison. I want to back Ancelotti and give him the summer to get it right cause it feels a bit like 'if not him, who else?' to take us forward but I have zero trust that he and Brands will sign the right players and give us a proper team to take into next season.

 

[BlueToff]

If someone had offered me “59 points” at the start of the season my immediate response would’ve been “but where will we finish with it?”

My point (pardon the pun) exactly.

You can't take points without the context of league position.

Whereas nobody was complaining when we finished 4th with 61 points.

 

[chicoazul]

I think the 10 points better off this season is also skewed by how bad the bottom three teams were. Mentioned it in another thread but 15 teams (ourselves included) either equalled or bettered their points tally this season compared to last.

We're all genuinely kidding ourselves into thinking this was a season of progress, the past 3-4 months have been some of the worst football we've seen - luckily not live - at Goodison. I want to back Ancelotti and give him the summer to get it right cause it feels a bit like 'if not him, who else?' to take us forward but I have zero trust that he and Brands will sign the right players and give us a proper team to take into next season.

Aye I get you but the signings last summer weren’t so bad so I do have some hope maybe he, or they, will repeat the trick. Would be sound to see some players signed for character as much as quality, and not waiting until the end of the window so they can get a good pre season down them and knitted in.

The quality of the football certainly has to be be improved, some turgid stuff been offered up of late.

 

[BlueToff]

That's my point entirely.

Last season 59 points got 6th. We'd be buzzing about that. This season, it didn't.

But if we got at least 59 points next season (which on average is between 6th-8th finish) and improved by 2 or 3 more wins, you're talking top 6.

Points means more in terms of progress IMO. 2 more wins and a couple of draws had us top 4 based on this season. On paper that doesn't sound impossible.

I get that mate, but... nobody is thinking at the start of the season we need xx points (other than to stay up, like).

The points total only becomes relevant as the season draws on, and genuinely I'd really say only about with 10 games to go.

Yes it perhaps does point to progress, but the league this year has been a strange one. Would Arsenal fans say they have progressed this season? They finished with five more points than last year.