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Goats squad analysis thread 2019/20

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Keiran said:
It's not an achievement to reach a cup final. It only becomes an achievement if you win the final.

Interesting approach.
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Is it? Do teams put 'beaten finalists' on their honours board now?

Surprised there's so much dispute over this to be honest, I think it's really straightforward. I would see finishing 7th as a 'successful' season in relative terms. I would say winning a cup was a successful season in real terms. I would say doing both would be a very successful season. Losing in a cup final is not success by any measure. You could effectively beat a load of lower league teams on the way and then get hammered by the first decent team you play. That's meaningless in my opinion.

I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy a run to the final, of course I would. If you asked me before a final was it good to be in it I would say yes. If we lost, and you said to me afterwards that it didn't really matter that the league position was poor and we'd still not a won a trophy, because reaching the final had been enough of an achievement to make the season a success, I would disagree. Obviously people can have a different opinion on it, but I don't see what's so odd about my view, I would have thought most people felt the same, they certainly seemed to in 2015 when it looked like it would happen.
 
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JimmyK said:
I have no idea what you’re finding so hard to understand about this but you’ve somehow completely misunderstood the whole conversation. I can’t be bothered going over it again, but me ‘stating the obvious’ is the whole point. I was answering the question ‘would you be happy losing in a cup final’ with ‘no’. If your answer would be yes, you’re weird. If your answer would be no , you agree with me, and are arguing with yourself.
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JimmyK said:
I'd be 'happy' (relatively speaking) with finishing 7th regardless. Have no interest whatsoever in a guaranteed loss in a final. Winning a cup is great, a 'cup run' is only good for the fact that winning the individual games on the way makes you happy. If you don't win at the end of it it's not really a big deal. I'd rather get knocked out early than our guaranteed loss be the sort of humiliation Watford endured last season.
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I would not be happy with a cup final loss. No Evertonian would be. I found the comment regarding getting knocked out in the early stages strange. That's the point I was making.
 
Keiran said:
I respect that approach, but at the biggest clubs (which is where we’re aspiring to), it’s a results business i’m afraid. Performing admirably and honorably and finishing 9th, irrespective of extenuating circumstances like injuries etc, for me would be utterly unforgivable.

I’m 100% looking for improved performances etc but it’s how you improve at the rate of the competition that’s important really. Likewise, in my opinion.
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After 2 years and inheriting a mess of a squad that needed total revamping I am not sure we should be expecting too much.
Silva and Brands see the holes in the squad and tried to fill some of them this year (Zaha,Zouma ,Doucoure ) but were obviously constrained by financial implications and players not being available.
Give it till next September and I can see only Pickford and maybe just maybe Siggy being the only starters left from the day silva joined.
Then we can start to judge him.
I did not want Silva ,and still have reservations about him.
Will he take us to top 4 ,in his time here ,I doubt it
Will we be in much better shape when he leaves ,I doubt anybody can dispute that
 

evertonarntwe said:
to be honest this is the best chance we have had in a LONG time to break into the top 6, not saying we ourselves have improved massively from last season but...

United under ole are a shambles, he is a terrible terrible manager and his form since he took over permanently shows that ( I don't expect him to last past Christmas )

Chelsea- started the season poorly, lost their best player, unproven manager they will struggle

Arsenal- amazing attacking players in aubamayang and lacazette ( unsure on pepe yet ) but their defence is absolutely shocking, and they are so weak in midfield with that xhaka

if we can keep our team fit, and get a CB in in January in case of an injury to yerry or keane and hope kean starts firing we have as good as chance as any to mix in the top 6
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Leicester, Wolves and to a lesser extent West Ham will all be thinking the same
Like it or not that is who we are up against for the 3 spots in the top 6 alongside the present incumbents
 
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti

GK
Jordan Pickford (HG)
Jonas Lössl
Maarten Stekelenburg

RB
Séamus Coleman
Djibril Sidibé
Cuco Martina

LB
Lucas Digne
Leighton Baines (HG)

CB
Yerry Mina
Michael Keane (HG)
Mason Holgate (HG)

DM/CM/AM
Gylfi Sigurðsson (HG)
André Gomes (+)
Fabian Delph (HG)
Jean-Philippe Gbamin (+)
Tom Davies (UA)
Morgan Schneiderlin (HG)

Widers
Richarlison
Bernard
Alex Iwobi (HG)
Theo Walcott (HG)

ST
Moise Kean (UA)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (HG)
Cenk Tosun
Oumar Niasse

Total players: 25
10 HG/13 Non-HG/2 UnderAge
Max 17 Non-HG

Players culled so far: 21
A.Williams(OOC), Jagielka(OOC), Vlasic(Sale), Galloway(Free), Robinson(Sale), Lookman(Sale), Gana(Sale), J.Williams(Sale), McCarthy(Sale), Onyekuru(Sale), Mirallas(Free?)

JJK(Loan), Sandro(Loan), Virginia(Loan), Dowell(Loan), Garbutt(Loan), Tarashaji(Loan), Pennington(Loan), Besic(Loan), Connolly(Loan), Bolaise(Loan)

Players purchased : 7
Lossl, Gomes, Delph, Gbamin, Kean, Iwobi

Sidibe(Loan)




The problems for me are very clear, whether we can fix them in a Winter window we shall see.

We, of course, have an issue at CB, we have been very lucky that we havent suffered any major injuries in that area, Keane is looking next-level bad, lets see if Carlo can sprinkle some dust, I doubt it, but numbers-wise we could do with a body in the CB area.

We need a body also in the CM area, Gomes and Gmblammo are long term injured, maybe we will see Gmblammo next month, but we certainly need a bit of quality in the middle.

Everything else will probably have to wait till summer, the problems are many and I doubt we will address them all in this Winter window, but the above are the 2 most pressing for me at this point in time.
 
I would move Tosun out. I'd rather have Niasse as back up until end of season. I agree with the 2 priorities even if they are just loans. Also if Virginia comes back I would make him 3rd choice and move Stekelenburg on. Another loan move could be a disaster.
 

Exit in Jan: Walcott, Tosun, Niasse, Martina, Keane, Schneiderlin, Stek

6 out, aim for 3 or 4 in. Not a particularly good window for re-inforcements but there is value there if we go for it.

Exit in Summer: Bernard, Iwobi, Sidibe, Baines, Sigurdsson.

5 out, 6 in.

9 or 10 in over 2 windows is, in my opinion, the sort of overhaul we need if Carlo is to get us near that top six next year.

With 9 or 10 quality additions, we could start to see a 1st team comprising 6 or 7 players entirely of Carlo's choosing going in to next season.
 
I'm not expecting a lot of movement in or out in January. But what are the key positions that Ancelotti needs to do something about ? I think that his main focus should be on strengthening our attack rather than our defence. Here's why.

GK
I'd imagine that we'll be looking for a new keeper in the summer, when the Stek's contract is due to end.

RB
I think we have an option to buy Sidibé in the summer, we should do that, and also keep Séamus for at least another 12 months.

LB
Leighton is proving once again that he's a great professional who can step in at a moment's notice and make you forget that he was ever away. No doubt there will again be a chorus of voices saying 'get rid', I think we need to be looking seriously in the summer for a young left back to bring into the squad, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if Leighton were to hang around for another 12 months.

CB
So pleased that Holgate is proving the doubters wrong. Three goals conceded in five PL games has eased the sense of crisis. I totally agree that we do need a 4th senior CB, but I won't be too distraught if that doesn't happen until the summer.

DM/CM/AM
This is a worry. Ancelotti doesn't have great options at the moment. Ideal solution for me would be to bring a player in on loan, then reassess the position in the summer. If anyone comes in, (a) they have to be able to deliver right away, and (b) they need to have pace.

Widers
It's surely time that Everton and Walcott parted company, while he's still worth a few bob. He's not been doing much for us, and his career is going nowhere. At the moment, our best crossers are Digne and Sidibé. I would love to see us bring in a young winger who will take defenders on.

ST
It's easy to say we should sell Tosun / Niasse and buy a striker. But finding the right players in January can be tough - we know that Brands is reluctant to attempt too much in the January window - and any strikers of proven quality will be heavily in demand. Niasse's contract ends in the summer, and won't be extended, so forget him. I don't see that we can risk losing Tosun unless and until we've brought someone in. Let's hope that happens.
 
Keiran said:
Exit in Jan: Walcott, Tosun, Niasse, Martina, Keane, Schneiderlin, Stek

6 out, aim for 3 or 4 in. Not a particularly good window for re-inforcements but there is value there if we go for it.

Exit in Summer: Bernard, Iwobi, Sidibe, Baines, Sigurdsson.

5 out, 6 in.

9 or 10 in over 2 windows is, in my opinion, the sort of overhaul we need if Carlo is to get us near that top six next year.

With 9 or 10 quality additions, we could start to see a 1st team comprising 6 or 7 players entirely of Carlo's choosing going in to next season.
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