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Everton Youth Teams Thread

Our u23 squad is seriously imbalanced at the moment. We don't have any natural full backs and are playing centre backs or midfielders there. Could do with a proper clear out in the summer as there are players in the squad that are never going to make it and at the moment they are blocking opportunities for the better u18 at getting a higher level challenge. Astley and Gordon are the 2 that spring to mind but there are probably others as well who would benefit. Not many of our younger players went out in loan which has probably compounded this situation.
 
Our u23 squad is seriously imbalanced at the moment. We don't have any natural full backs and are playing centre backs or midfielders there. Could do with a proper clear out in the summer as there are players in the squad that are never going to make it and at the moment they are blocking opportunities for the better u18 at getting a higher level challenge. Astley and Gordon are the 2 that spring to mind but there are probably others as well who would benefit. Not many of our younger players went out in loan which has probably compounded this situation.

This lack of natural full backs has come up a few times recently,it seems odd given we’ve identified weaknesses in the past and targeted players to fill gaps. I’m thinking that this may be a deliberate policy, and that we want to make our players as well rounded as possible and also see if they can not only adapt to a new position but excel there. We’ve had the winger/fast attackers like Charsley and Danny Bramall, young CBs like Collins and Ellis Richards, midfielders Markelo and Denny and even the older ones like Foulds and Galloway who have also played as CBs playing as full backs. Maybe we don’t look for natural full backs anymore, as being able to only play one position is seen as limiting, and even Kenny had spells in his younger days as a CB although always destined to be a FB.

It seems to me ,i.e. I have no stats to prove it!, that since they changed from u21 to U23s we’ve had less u18s playing up at U23s. This is partly due to a lack of quality in depth compared to say 3 years ago, but even in a comparatively poor year we had Feeney and Beni playing U23s at 18. So far this season only Gordon has done this and I’m not sure if he’s made a starting U23s team , if so very few starts. You’re right about the loans and young players, the players out on loan are all players who’ve had loans before, I don’t believe there are any first timer on loan ( I’ll exclude Vlasic ) . Maybe Brands wanted a look at them before they went out on loan. This is likely to change come January and more U23s will move out on loan , more u18s will move up to 23 and we should start to see some of the current u16s in u18 squads .
 
Our u23 squad is seriously imbalanced at the moment. We don't have any natural full backs and are playing centre backs or midfielders there. Could do with a proper clear out in the summer as there are players in the squad that are never going to make it and at the moment they are blocking opportunities for the better u18 at getting a higher level challenge. Astley and Gordon are the 2 that spring to mind but there are probably others as well who would benefit. Not many of our younger players went out in loan which has probably compounded this situation.
It's worth noting that you don't always want players moving up an age bracket though. It's often seen as more beneficial to keep players from the same age group together to foster team spirit, and individual development can be hindered by being pitched in against older, more physically developed players too soon.
 
Our u23 squad is seriously imbalanced at the moment. We don't have any natural full backs and are playing centre backs or midfielders there. Could do with a proper clear out in the summer as there are players in the squad that are never going to make it and at the moment they are blocking opportunities for the better u18 at getting a higher level challenge. Astley and Gordon are the 2 that spring to mind but there are probably others as well who would benefit. Not many of our younger players went out in loan which has probably compounded this situation.
This lack of natural full backs has come up a few times recently,it seems odd given we’ve identified weaknesses in the past and targeted players to fill gaps. I’m thinking that this may be a deliberate policy, and that we want to make our players as well rounded as possible and also see if they can not only adapt to a new position but excel there. We’ve had the winger/fast attackers like Charsley and Danny Bramall, young CBs like Collins and Ellis Richards, midfielders Markelo and Denny and even the older ones like Foulds and Galloway who have also played as CBs playing as full backs. Maybe we don’t look for natural full backs anymore, as being able to only play one position is seen as limiting, and even Kenny had spells in his younger days as a CB although always destined to be a FB.

It seems to me ,i.e. I have no stats to prove it!, that since they changed from u21 to U23s we’ve had less u18s playing up at U23s. This is partly due to a lack of quality in depth compared to say 3 years ago, but even in a comparatively poor year we had Feeney and Beni playing U23s at 18. So far this season only Gordon has done this and I’m not sure if he’s made a starting U23s team , if so very few starts. You’re right about the loans and young players, the players out on loan are all players who’ve had loans before, I don’t believe there are any first timer on loan ( I’ll exclude Vlasic ) . Maybe Brands wanted a look at them before they went out on loan. This is likely to change come January and more U23s will move out on loan , more u18s will move up to 23 and we should start to see some of the current u16s in u18 squads .

With Brands saying he will focus on the youth teams just after the window, i think we'll see a lot of changes similar to the last window for the first team.

I think a lot of players will be moved on and id estimate from now till the end of next summer we will bring in 5 or 6 players for the u23s. At PSV Brands was known to invest in the youth teams and bring in players frequently who he created a pathway for into the first 11.

I think once we sort out the first team over the next 2-3 windows we'll see most of our activity focused on the u23s.
 



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