Centre Midfield

[BlueToff]

I don't think Silva excelled himself last night but you're kidding yourself if you think playing Kean, Iwobi and Davies wins us three points. Those three players aren't good enough to say the game completely turns on its head.

Well Kean and Iwobi created our two best chances in the second half.

I'm not saying they should have definitely started but they very nearly got us the points yesterday (and would have done if not for a bit of bad luck - in the case of Iwobi - and Walcott being atrocious)

 

[dannyboy]

I like Villa, I think they'll have a strong season, but we should be beating them.

The top 6 will likely all expect to beat Villa away. We are not at that level. If I was an opposition team playing us at home I would really fancy three points with a good atmosphere because we are considered a scalp.

You can talk about the manager and his tactics and that does matter but what's more important is the fact our players are not at the level you seem to think they are. Yes we're better than Villa but not good enough to say we 'should' be beating them away from home. Toss a coin.

 

[nsno-chris]

I don't think Silva excelled himself last night but you're kidding yourself if you think playing Kean, Iwobi and Davies wins us three points. Those three players aren't good enough to say the game completely turns on its head.

Kean and Iwobi would have made a difference, they would have exploited the space more. Iwobi showed that immediately, dropping deep, going wide and being an option for his teammates.

Prior to him it was stagnant, Mina to Gomes to Schneiderlin to Gomes to the wings. Predictable, slow and no guile. He refused to change his setup, when he eventually did we started looking more “dangerous” around their box

That approach from the off would have seen that game won by halftime

 

[davek]

Excuses, excuses, excuses

Fancy trying to lay that atrocious display last night at the feet of anyone but the manager

Good grief

Same manager that outthought and beat Chelsea, United, Arsenal last season.

Give him decent players to bed in during the preseason and he'll do a job. If not, you'll have to wait to get any decent performances and hope the duds brought in eventually prove themselves not duds.

Brands finger prints are all over this poor start.

 

[ijjysmith]

We aren’t missing Gana as much as people think:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47836286

Identical.

 

[BlueToff]

Excuses, excuses, excuses

Fancy trying to lay that atrocious display last night at the feet of anyone but the manager

Good grief

Well, the players are to blame too.

The manager got it wrong but he doesn't make Gomes have the worst game of his Everton career or Walcott and DCL miss sitters, does he?

 

[nsno-chris]

Same manager that outthought and beat Chelsea, United, Arsenal last season.

Give him decent players to bed in during the preseason and he'll do a job. If not, you'll have to wait to get any decent performances and hope the duds brought in eventually prove themselves not duds.

Brands finger prints are all over this poor start.

Indeed, they afforded Gylfi space because they are not defensive minded teams. His game plan worked for those type of games

However, against teams who sit deep (like Fulham away last year) the same issues apply. His one way approach doesn’t work

He’s paid the cold hard cash to identify ways of breaking these teams down

He’s responsible for that disgusting performance last night, one that was worse than Sam and Koeman combined,

 

[BlueToff]

We aren’t missing Gana as much as people think:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47836286

Identical.

Yeh.

But Ij, IIIRC that was a game that Gana had an off day and the entire side sort of fell apart.

I don't think Gana would have won us that match yesterday. But would he have helped push us 10 yards further up? Probably.

The issue is not so much he wasn't there. It was the fact we tried to play like he was there. And that left big gaps in midfield because Gomes was all over the shop and Schneiderlin refuses to run.

Silva should have dragged MS off at half-time and put Davies on. We needed energy in there and he didn't do it. It's on him.

And then to avoid it going down the line, he needs to realise we can't play that way anymore. It needs to change.

 

[nsno-chris]

Well, the players are to blame too.

The manager got it wrong but he doesn't make Gomes have the worst game of his Everton career or Walcott and DCL miss sitters, does he?

I’m not denying that, but again as a manager wouldn’t you rectify that. Like making substitutes at half time and not playing a striker who is as much as a threat as a piece of wet paper

 

[Frang]

He's done his hamstring in training, Dave, by the sounds of it. Digne had a tight hamstring last week. Is that anything to do with his fitness or is it just that these things happen? Stop talking nonsense.

Delph - he'd have been a big help in these games. Though yes I'm worried about his injury record. However, we're evidenlty not wanting to rush him back to ensure that his injury is all healed and we don't get a repeat.

how have we got to the stage that we are hoping to rely on an injured FABIAN DELPH to sort our midfield out.

just think about that

 

[davek]

Indeed, they afforded Gylfi space because they are not defensive minded teams. His game plan worked for those type of games

However, against teams who sit deep (like Fulham away last year) the same issues apply. His one way approach doesn’t work

He’s paid the cold hard cash to identify ways of breaking these teams down

He’s responsible for that disgusting performance last night, one that was worse than Sam and Koeman combined,

Last season against 'those' teams we beat:

Fulham 3-0
Palace 2-0
Leicester 2-1
Brighton 3-1
Cardiff 1-0 and 3-0
Burnley 5-1 and 2-0
Bournemouth 2-0
Huddersfield 1-0
West Ham 2-0


....you were saying......?

 

[ToffeeTim]

We didn't recruit well enough. We have no quality. I hate the way we try to play in the midfield. We get one incisive pass a match at best.

 

[davek]

We didn't recruit well enough. We have no quality. I hate the way we try to play in the midfield. We get one incisive pass a match at best.

It's been piss poor recruitment that allows Delph through the door and takes a chance on a player knackered from AFCON.

 

[Zatara]

The midfield was wrecked by the sale of Gueye and the failure to bring in an adeqaute replacement.

Villa....VILLA....waltzed through us last night.

And why is that?

Not enough research done on that player.

A calamitous signing.

Gbamin needed preseason Dave...

Yep - agree with this. Personally i'd have avoided Doucoure and then when you add the fee in to it we should definitely have gone for Sangare!
Sangare, Gbamin and Iwobi would have been a good midfield three with Gomes, Delph, and Davies adding cover. We need to move Schneiderlin and Siggurdson on imo. Brands just didn't do a great job in the summer on the centre half position and the centre midfield position which we are going to pay for this season.

But Sangare might take awhile to get used to the premiership. Even gbamin said the game is so fast. This is the reason I wanted doucoure.

That’s a fair point but I’d have still gone for Sangare, lower fee, more upside in terms of improvement, just don’t rate Doucoure that much. He would have taken time to settle but I think we’d end up with a better player. Either way we needed someone of that ilk in centre midfield and we didn’t get them.

Should have gone for Sangare AND Gbamin.

The move for doucoure was clearly a 'try and breach the top 6' signing.

Id prefer we build a team with top potential than a proven player whose very good at what he does but not top notch.

Same manager that outthought and beat Chelsea, United, Arsenal last season.

Give him decent players to bed in during the preseason and he'll do a job. If not, you'll have to wait to get any decent performances and hope the duds brought in eventually prove themselves not duds.

Brands finger prints are all over this poor start.

Thats right Dave and so Gbamin didnt have a preseason...which knocks your 2 posts above a bit...

You could clearly see Gbamin had improved between the first two games, He needed time to adapt to the league...

Same as Mina who is now looking class.

 

[nsno-chris]

Last season against 'those' teams we beat:

Fulham 3-0
Palace 2-0
Leicester 2-1
Brighton 3-1
Cardiff 1-0 and 3-0
Burnley 5-1 and 2-0
Bournemouth 2-0
Huddersfield 1-0
West Ham 2-0


....you were saying......?

Brighton 1-0
Huddersfield 1-1
West Ham 3-1
Newcastle 1-1 & 3-2
Watford 2-2 & 1-0
Leicester 1-0
Southampton 2-1
Fulham 2-0
Palace 0-0
Wolves 2-2 & 3-1
Bournemouth 2-2

14 games, 42 points on offer, 6 points won and 13 goals scored

More than one third of the season there fam

Just sayin’