2020/21 Carlo Ancelotti

[Gwladysstreetlad]

 

[Zatara]

What's your current assessment of where we're likely to finish this season?

I think Ancellotti may have a headache on his hands come next game. He can’t drop Godfrey as he’s been one of our most consistent players and has taken well to the left back roll. Digne is just too good and HAS to play. Richy also has to play. So it will be interesting to see how he approaches it going forward.

I don’t particularly want to see Godfrey moved to right back. Unless Carlo goes for a 3-4-3 with Digne and Iwobi on wings and James and Richy given free roles just behind DCL which I think could work.

We've fallen upon a system that is very strong defensively and provided we have the quality in the final third to finish teams off there's no reason why we can't continue picking up good wins. Maybe that 4411 system is the way to go away from home and against the top teams. Keep Digne left midfield, DCL up top and Richy on the right in place of Iwobi, with Allan and Doucoure in the middle, as a first choice lineup.

Leicester won the league with that system and Atletico play similar. Playing the Liverpool way with marauding FBs isn't the only way to win games. It won't always be easy on the eye, and I'm sure we can be a bit more adventurous in some home games, but it may be the best use of the resources currently available at the moment.

I

If the back 4 stays solid and we can get Allan back next to Doucoure its similar in flavour to Moyes 4th finish side but with much better players.

Lets see where we are after 26 games, id be hoping for 4th.

 

[SteStocksDJ]

View attachment 114049

That is mad. I didn’t realise how bad our away from was

 

[nsno-chris]

If the back 4 stays solid and we can get Allan back next to Doucoure its similar in flavour to Moyes 4th finish side but with much better players.

Lets see where we are after 26 games, id be hoping for 4th.

Top by 20 points

UTFT

 

[Jim Hopper]

I don't want to see us playing any 3 at the back system until all our players are comfortable with it. Our poor forrn in November when we had absolutely no idea proved these players are not happy with the system.

By all means bring it in at the start of preseason and run with it if that's what Carlo sees as the way forward. But we'll get systematically picked apart in this league playing that system when the players aren't used to it.

He could just stick to a 4-4-1-1 keep Digne at LM and play Richarlison on the right, James given freedom playing behind. DCL. Or Richy playing just off DCL and James back on the right like earlier in season. It’s a good headache for Carlo to have.

 

[Barnfred 55]

Let me be clearer - the players we had, in the system we played, shouldn't have worked as well as it did.

We played 4 centre backs, 1 fullback, 1 winger and no strikers.

That is insane, and had no right to win.

Anyone can use hindsight to say that side was good enough to win, but not one person expected 3 points when they saw the lineup.

And as I said, the 4 centre backs has worked every time we've played it in the league. 5 wins out of 5. Very difficult to break down and get behind, but not great going forward. Why did it come as such a shock that it worked again? And yes, Digne is a full back, but he is absolute quality. Why is it any surprise that he showed that quality in midfield plus, as i said, it brought a balance to the team we rarely see due to our lack of left footers. You say no strikers, but the system we played was 1 striker and a No10. And as I said, our number 10 is one of the best in the world at that role.

I get what you're saying and I agree that the majority of people in here were pessimistic. I had a different opinion so I'm challenging that majority view, hence the opening question in my original post. I wasn't having a go at you personally, I just used your post to pose the question. As you can see from my pre match post yesterday, my only concern was that we weren't reverting to 3 at the back. I did also have reservations about picking Siggy up front, but kept them to myself for fear of upsetting the Carlo Protection Society

 

[Barnfred 55]

And as I said, the 4 centre backs has worked every time we've played it in the league. 5 wins out of 5. Very difficult to break down and get behind, but not great going forward. Why did it come as such a shock that it worked again? And yes, Digne is a full back, but he is absolute quality. Why is it any surprise that he showed that quality in midfield plus, as i said, it brought a balance to the team we rarely see due to our lack of left footers. You say no strikers, but the system we played was 1 striker and a No10. And as I said, our number 10 is one of the best in the world at that role.

I get what you're saying and I agree that the majority of people in here were pessimistic. I had a different opinion so I'm challenging that majority view, hence the opening question in my original post. I wasn't having a go at you personally, I just used your post to pose the question. As you can see from my pre match post yesterday, my only concern was that we weren't reverting to 3 at the back. I did also have reservations about picking Siggy up front, but kept them to myself for fear of upsetting the Carlo Protection Society

I'm hoping to God it's a back 4 with either Holgate in midfield or Digne left mid. If he's reverted to 3 at the back I despair, I really do. Unless he's been practicing it in training 3 days a week since November and everyone knows what they're doing now.

Oops

 

[Barnfred 55]

He could just stick to a 4-4-1-1 keep Digne at LM and play Richarlison on the right, James given freedom playing behind. DCL. Or Richy playing just off DCL and James back on the right like earlier in season. It’s a good headache for Carlo to have.

Here's one I prepared earlier

 

[Toffeelover]

View attachment 114049

Shades of Tina Turner

You're simply the best
Better than all the rest

 

[Furey1878]

Masterclass last night. Stitched together a team I’d imagine no one was expecting and managed to grind out a win without it being anywhere near a ‘back to the wall’ type of performance.

Even the last 10 mins when we shut up shop, it wasn’t 10 men behind the ball with last ditch defending - it was well drilled shape with intelligent use of the ball.

I still aged about 5 years watching it though, 30 years of Everton have effected me

Yeah I wonder about that too, I reckon a neutral watching it would have had no doubt Everton were gonna see that one out with the shape after our 2nd goal. Whereas the whole time I was scraping the leather off the couch with my fingernails.

We should be starting to be much more confident that we'll just see those wins out, Leicester in the restart, Spurs and Palace at the beginning of the season, Chelsea, Arsenal and Shef Utd in December. If there's one thing Carlo can do it see out a narrow win.

Imagine us away in Europe under Carlo? I think we'd see some glorious, glorious seeing out of an away goal win or draw.

 

[allen]

And as I said, the 4 centre backs has worked every time we've played it in the league. 5 wins out of 5. Very difficult to break down and get behind, but not great going forward. Why did it come as such a shock that it worked again? And yes, Digne is a full back, but he is absolute quality. Why is it any surprise that he showed that quality in midfield plus, as i said, it brought a balance to the team we rarely see due to our lack of left footers. You say no strikers, but the system we played was 1 striker and a No10. And as I said, our number 10 is one of the best in the world at that role.

I get what you're saying and I agree that the majority of people in here were pessimistic. I had a different opinion so I'm challenging that majority view, hence the opening question in my original post. I wasn't having a go at you personally, I just used your post to pose the question. As you can see from my pre match post yesterday, my only concern was that we weren't reverting to 3 at the back. I did also have reservations about picking Siggy up front, but kept them to myself for fear of upsetting the Carlo Protection Society

I'd have more respect for your hindsight if I'd seen your foresight.

 

[Barnfred 55]

I'd have more respect for your hindsight if I'd seen your foresight.

Next post mate

Forgot to insert quote.

 

[Toffeelover]

And as I said, the 4 centre backs has worked every time we've played it in the league. 5 wins out of 5. Very difficult to break down and get behind, but not great going forward. Why did it come as such a shock that it worked again? And yes, Digne is a full back, but he is absolute quality. Why is it any surprise that he showed that quality in midfield plus, as i said, it brought a balance to the team we rarely see due to our lack of left footers. You say no strikers, but the system we played was 1 striker and a No10. And as I said, our number 10 is one of the best in the world at that role.

I get what you're saying and I agree that the majority of people in here were pessimistic. I had a different opinion so I'm challenging that majority view, hence the opening question in my original post. I wasn't having a go at you personally, I just used your post to pose the question. As you can see from my pre match post yesterday, my only concern was that we weren't reverting to 3 at the back. I did also have reservations about picking Siggy up front, but kept them to myself for fear of upsetting the Carlo Protection Society

It has indeed and I have supported this every time and keeping Coleman out. It has worked very well not just that they are CBs but darn good players. Opposition are finding it hard to break down.

Carlo has hit on this and there must be some out there who wish they could replicate it.

 

[Saint Domingo]

That is mad. I didn’t realise how bad our away from was

We went a calendar year at one point without winning away from home.

 

[roy vernon]

Yeah I seen before the game the reporter trying to get a reaction about the manner wolves beat us last time. He just gave her the peoples eyebrow and a smirk and that was then end of it.

Every time I see Carlo do that now I’ll think ‘people’s Eyebrow’. Nice one.