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Goats 2016/17 In depth tactical squad analysis thread

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McCarthy and Cleverley have a stay of execution now to try and earn a place in Koeman's team going forward. They'll both get game time given Barry's age.

Gibson and Kone will hopefully not get a minute barring an injury crisis and will soon be on the same boat out of the docks as Niasse.

Other than that, we're just short. Need a keeper, striker, playmaker and centre back.
Not sure that Gibson is actually worse than the Clev
 
Tom Davies should be included as well. Already played this season, and picked ahead of senior players.
Would also argue that Cleverley will be Barkleys backup..... (yes, I know....)
 

After 12 games its quite clear to see where the problems lie within the squad.

We lost our best midfielder and we lack serious options in the middle of the park, we have the axis of safety that is Gana and Barry, but no other options in that area, we have other players, like Jamo and The Clev, but neither are the dynamic driving midfielder with magic in his boots we have been lacking since Arteta smashed his knee into 5 places in 2008.

Without turning this into a transfer thread, if we really want to make a mark this season we require the same players we required in the Summer :

A CM, a number 8, a player that drives forward with the ball and plays with agression
An ACM, a number 10, a player that pulls the strings, has a pop from 40 yards and makes us tick
A ST, a number 9, a player that holds the ball up, whether with his head or with his feet, a player that can burst into the box and get his head on the end of crosses

Fairly sure I highlighted these players in the Summer and sadly the issues werent addressed and we are left relying on Barkley and Lukaku to score goals.

At a push I would maybe look at getting in another CB, in case Jags cant recover from the current rut of form he finds himself in, cos whatever the question, Funes Mori is not the answer, the utter yard dog.

As for the wing options, none of them are great, but with an actual spine of a team they wouldnt look as bad as they currently do and with a proper number 9 to get on the end of some crosses maybe things wont look as bad overall.
 
After 12 games its quite clear to see where the problems lie within the squad.

We lost our best midfielder and we lack serious options in the middle of the park, we have the axis of safety that is Gana and Barry, but no other options in that area, we have other players, like Jamo and The Clev, but neither are the dynamic driving midfielder with magic in his boots we have been lacking since Arteta smashed his knee into 5 places in 2008.

Without turning this into a transfer thread, if we really want to make a mark this season we require the same players we required in the Summer :

A CM, a number 8, a player that drives forward with the ball and plays with agression
An ACM, a number 10, a player that pulls the strings, has a pop from 40 yards and makes us tick
A ST, a number 9, a player that holds the ball up, whether with his head or with his feet, a player that can burst into the box and get his head on the end of crosses

Fairly sure I highlighted these players in the Summer and sadly the issues werent addressed and we are left relying on Barkley and Lukaku to score goals.

At a push I would maybe look at getting in another CB, in case Jags cant recover from the current rut of form he finds himself in, cos whatever the question, Funes Mori is not the answer, the utter yard dog.

As for the wing options, none of them are great, but with an actual spine of a team they wouldnt look as bad as they currently do and with a proper number 9 to get on the end of some crosses maybe things wont look as bad overall.


Good overview and I completely agree with Mori. I have little faith in him. His positional sense is woeful. South American centre-half, though. What did we expect?

Only position I would add is another wide man for the opposite side to Bolasie. However, it's not as important as the positions you've stated above. Oh, and a Goalkeeper if there's a decent enough one knocking around? Maybe just terrorise Burnley until they let us have Tom Heaton.
 
After 12 games its quite clear to see where the problems lie within the squad.

We lost our best midfielder and we lack serious options in the middle of the park, we have the axis of safety that is Gana and Barry, but no other options in that area, we have other players, like Jamo and The Clev, but neither are the dynamic driving midfielder with magic in his boots we have been lacking since Arteta smashed his knee into 5 places in 2008.

Without turning this into a transfer thread, if we really want to make a mark this season we require the same players we required in the Summer :

A CM, a number 8, a player that drives forward with the ball and plays with agression
An ACM, a number 10, a player that pulls the strings, has a pop from 40 yards and makes us tick
A ST, a number 9, a player that holds the ball up, whether with his head or with his feet, a player that can burst into the box and get his head on the end of crosses

Fairly sure I highlighted these players in the Summer and sadly the issues werent addressed and we are left relying on Barkley and Lukaku to score goals.

At a push I would maybe look at getting in another CB, in case Jags cant recover from the current rut of form he finds himself in, cos whatever the question, Funes Mori is not the answer, the utter yard dog.

As for the wing options, none of them are great, but with an actual spine of a team they wouldnt look as bad as they currently do and with a proper number 9 to get on the end of some crosses maybe things wont look as bad overall.

Yep agree.

Still think (in the right system) Barkley could be the no.8 - but only in a 4-3-3 for me, so we have that insurance policy that allows him the freedom needed.

But yeh, a dominating centre mid is a must. A playmaker (even if they are predominately played from a wing ala Mahrez) another one. A commanding centre forward and a centre back who is as good in the tackle as he is on the ball.

Spot on with the wingers as well.

Think I said yesterday how I don't think it was ever the plan to have Bolasie as our main creative outlet.

Out and out wingers have and always will be luxury players to an extent. In that they are mostly very inconsistent due to their nature of getting into forward areas and taking risks that sometimes pay off and sometimes don't.

As bad as Bolasie was the other day he was still involved in every good opportunity we created.
 
Good overview and I completely agree with Mori. I have little faith in him. His positional sense is woeful. South American centre-half, though. What did we expect?

Only position I would add is another wide man for the opposite side to Bolasie. However, it's not as important as the positions you've stated above. Oh, and a Goalkeeper if there's a decent enough one knocking around? Maybe just terrorise Burnley until they let us have Tom Heaton.

I think a wide-playmaker (for lack of a better term) would be ideal - if we were to also get in that commanding central midfielder.

Somebody who makes us tick by popping all over the final third (think Silva etc.), or even like Arteta did in his first few years with us.

That and a proper box to box player allows Barkley the freedom in the middle, and also gets the best out of Bolasie/Del/whoever on the other side.

It's easy this management lark :)
 
As we approach the Winter window lets see were we stand with regards playing staff.

GK
Maarten Stekelenburg

RB

Seamus Coleman
Mason Holgate

LB
Leighton Baines
Bryan Oviedo

CB
Ashley Williams
Phil Jagielka
Ramiro Funes Mori

CM
Gareth Barry
James McCarthy
Idrissa Gueye
Tom Cleverley

AM
Ross Barkley

LW


RW
Kevin Mirallas
Gerard Deulofeu
Aaron Lennon

ST
Romelu Lukaku
Enner Valencia

I have removed the long term injured and anybody that Ronny hasnt given a shot and straight away we see the holes within the squad.

GK - We need a number 1, that much is very clear
RB - We are fine in this area, Holgate is a very able back up to Coleman
LB - We are fine in this area, Oviedo isnt amazing and a long term injury to Baines would hurt, but currently, its all gravy
CB - We need another option, Jags might be broken and Mori is an utter donkey
CM - A disgusting lack of creativity and drive in this area, vast replacements needed
AM - The danger was if Ross didnt perform, we are screwed, Ross isnt performing or even playing, back up needed
LW - Our 1 and only LW gets done for the season, Everton that, body needed ASAP
RW - They all stink of meh, but fine until the summer
ST - A body needed here as a matter of urgency

So coming into the Winter Window, for the perfect window we need :

1 GK
1 CB
1 CM - Number 8 rather than number 6
1 AM
1 LW
1 ST

A min of 6 players.
 

After 12 games its quite clear to see where the problems lie within the squad.

We lost our best midfielder and we lack serious options in the middle of the park, we have the axis of safety that is Gana and Barry, but no other options in that area, we have other players, like Jamo and The Clev, but neither are the dynamic driving midfielder with magic in his boots we have been lacking since Arteta smashed his knee into 5 places in 2008.

Without turning this into a transfer thread, if we really want to make a mark this season we require the same players we required in the Summer :

A CM, a number 8, a player that drives forward with the ball and plays with agression
An ACM, a number 10, a player that pulls the strings, has a pop from 40 yards and makes us tick
A ST, a number 9, a player that holds the ball up, whether with his head or with his feet, a player that can burst into the box and get his head on the end of crosses

Fairly sure I highlighted these players in the Summer and sadly the issues werent addressed and we are left relying on Barkley and Lukaku to score goals.

At a push I would maybe look at getting in another CB, in case Jags cant recover from the current rut of form he finds himself in, cos whatever the question, Funes Mori is not the answer, the utter yard dog.

As for the wing options, none of them are great, but with an actual spine of a team they wouldnt look as bad as they currently do and with a proper number 9 to get on the end of some crosses maybe things wont look as bad overall.

Good analysis, except that much as I want him to succeed as much as you do Besic has only been hit and miss so far
 
As we approach the Winter window lets see were we stand with regards playing staff.

GK
Maarten Stekelenburg
Joel Robles

RB

Seamus Coleman
Mason Holgate
Tyias Browning

LB
Leighton Baines
Bryan Oviedo

CB
Ashley Williams
Phil Jagielka
Ramiro Funes Mori
Matthew Pennington

CM
Gareth Barry
James McCarthy
Idrissa Gueye
Mo Besic
Tom Cleverley
Darron Gibson

AM
Ross Barkley
Conor McAleny

LW
Yannick Bolasie

RW
Kevin Mirallas
Gerard Deulofeu
Aaron Lennon

ST
Romelu Lukaku
Enner Valencia
Arouna Kone
Oumar Niasse

Re-added the whole squad in the blind hope that I get the pleasure of deleting some of them as well as adding some much needed additions.
 

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