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James McCarthy

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http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soc...n-up-by-heroic-mccarthy-and-walters-1.2384775

For McCarthy, this was a coming of age. Right from his first appearance in an Ireland jersey, we’ve been making claims for him and having to swallow them nearly as soon as they were out of our mouths. We’ve watched him play for Everton like a classy, to-the-manor bornPremier League midfielder and wondered where that guy disappeared to when his shirt turned from blue to green.

Turns out that we were imagining him to be something he wasn’t. In the partnership between him and Glenn Whelan, we figured he was Morecambe to Whelan’s Wise. We looked to him for the creativity when he was the straight man all along.

This is who he is – a covering midfielder who is most comfortable reading the game and turning it his team’s way.

About 18 months ago, Roy Keane urged us not to think of him in his image but there were times last night when Keane’s was the only comparison that would stand up to scrutiny.
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Furey1878 said:
Too shy in relieving the ball at times to play Barry's role of dropping in to collect the ball and turning to start our play.

Funnily enough, Ross suits that role better despite McCarthy being a far better defensive player than he is.
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There's something wrong with that whole equation though. So we have a progressive midfielder dropping back to the centrebacks to get the ball just to pass it to a defensive midfielder who is in an asvanced position who then tries to find a number 10 who isn't a number 10.

We have a great back 4, John Stones is more than capable of striding out and finding Barkley who can then find the advanced players. McCarthy can then do what he does best, sit deep, break up play, retain the ball. Why do Barry and McCartht need to do this fetching game from me to you just to move us up from our box to the halfway line. It's a complete waste when, as we see when we're losing a game, Stones strides out and pings one into the feet of Deulofeu completely bypassing them anyway.
 
Saint Domingo said:
There's something wrong with that whole equation though. So we have a progressive midfielder dropping back to the centrebacks to get the ball just to pass it to a defensive midfielder who is in an asvanced position who then tries to find a number 10 who isn't a number 10.

We have a great back 4, John Stones is more than capable of striding out and finding Barkley who can then find the advanced players. McCarthy can then do what he does best, sit deep, break up play, retain the ball. Why do Barry and McCartht need to do this fetching game from me to you just to move us up from our box to the halfway line. It's a complete waste when, as we see when we're losing a game, Stones strides out and pings one into the feet of Deulofeu completely bypassing them anyway.
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is it not a case of trying to draw the opposition out of their own half and move them around a bit? tries to stop them sitting in in fixed banks of four waiting for us to attack.
Later on they leave gaps as they try to counter against us and we're not so worried about losing possession trying something desperate.
 
When the full backs are so advanced and the centre backs are split wide to cover you need a player who can drop back in to 1) pick up the ball and start a move off 2) cover the gap. (Busquets, I suppose, is the model in this role)

McCarthy can do #2 very well but not so #1. Barry can do both but hasn't the legs to maintain it over 90mins.
 
Bilko said:
Thought he was fantastic last night , I was in a bar ,so didn't hear what Dunphy had to say ,( Dunphy is a journalist in ROI who doesn't rate him,imo a total tool )
If possible read the irish times journalist report on the match , he gets McCarthy ,simply purring over him.not in a position to post it on here if someone would be so kind.
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Brady mentioned McCarthy did well and Dunphy didnt say a word. Hes too stubborn to admit he played well after slatting him. Too busy praising Hoolihan he was with his told u so attitude. I use to like Dunphy but he comments about Mccarthy not doing if for Everton as well as Ireland turned me off him. One of my fav things from win last night was mccarthy performance. Like a proud father !! Not bad for Scots man ( U know who u are gents!!)
 

penev10 said:
When the full backs are so advanced and the centre backs are split wide to cover you need a player who can drop back in to 1) pick up the ball and start a move off 2) cover the gap. (Busquets, I suppose, is the model in this role)

McCarthy can do #2 very well but not so #1. Barry can do both but hasn't the legs to maintain it over 90mins.
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We've not used this tactic in either of our two best performances this season. Against Chelsea and Southampton we were letting Stones bring it out and the back 4 were staying compact. I think Martinez has moved away from the split centrebacks a bit.
 
Saint Domingo said:
Amazing how well he can play in the correct position and not carrying Barry. McCarthy and Barkley in a two and we would be flying this season.
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Not like you to slip in that you don't rate Barry mate?

Which of McCarthy or Barkley would you trust to be picking up the ball with the centre-halves split? Which of them would you expect to slot in as a CB when one of our regular centre-backs advances? Which of them would you sacrifice to play in a far deeper position, given the form of Barkley behind the striker and McCarthy's best attribute being his energy?
 
mkrudden said:
Not like you to slip in that you don't rate Barry mate?

Which of McCarthy or Barkley would you trust to be picking up the ball with the centre-halves split? Which of them would you expect to slot in as a CB when one of our regular centre-backs advances? Which of them would you sacrifice to play in a far deeper position, given the form of Barkley behind the striker and McCarthy's best attribute being his energy?
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McCarthy to play deep when the opposition have the ball. Stones to pass out if defence into midfield. This splitting the centrebacks stuff is nonsense. We're the only team in the league that do it, even Arsenal don't. When we've played best this season we've not even played that way. If this is how we want to start every attack then we may as well just play three at the back. Splitting the centrebacks then watching Barry try and hit a 30 yard pass into someone in the midfield is exactly the sort of stupidity that bombed us down the table last year. This season has been better because the full backs have stayed back, the back 4 is solid, and Stones and Jags have rolled simple balls out to midfielders so when there is a mistake it's not punished. Splitting the centrebacks results in what Funes Mori did v WBA and we got stupidly punished for it.
 
Saint Domingo said:
We've not used this tactic in either of our two best performances this season. Against Chelsea and Southampton we were letting Stones bring it out and the back 4 were staying compact. I think Martinez has moved away from the split centrebacks a bit.
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Maybe it's because we haven't had our two attacking full backs fit together all season? And anyway, Galloway has been getting forward loads.
 
Bilko said:
Thought he was fantastic last night , I was in a bar ,so didn't hear what Dunphy had to say ,( Dunphy is a journalist in ROI who doesn't rate him,imo a total tool )
If possible read the irish times journalist report on the match , he gets McCarthy ,simply purring over him.not in a position to post it on here if someone would be so kind.
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Dunphy's a former pro who was average and used to play for Millwall.

He's also a drama queen who lets rip live on TV just for effect. He has his opinions and his favourites and everyone who doesn't agree can f off as far as he's concerned. He's stormed out of the studio while on live on more than one occasion. Great TV - crap punditry. Who can ever forget his 'Man Utd are in crisis' or 'Ronaldo isn't all that' rants to name but two.

I take everything he says with a large pinch of salt and I have been PMSL at his opinion of McCarthy over the last 2 years. And lets not start on his opinion of Gibson. Basically as far as Eamon is concerned, if you are not Lionel Messi you are crap.
 

The Equaliser said:
Basically as far as Eamon is concerned, if you are not Lionel Messi you are crap.
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Or Wes Hoolahan.

Eamo hasn't a clue, but he's good TV. They don't watch McCarthy week in and week out. We know he's not creative, but that's not the point. For Everton, he partners Gareth Barry who can distribute a ball and use it when it has been won back. For Ireland, he partners Whelan, a good but guileless destroyer. They end up tripping over each other more often than not. We know how good McCarthy is, so it really doesn't bother me in the slightest when Dunphy fires up his uneducated sweeping statement cannon.
 
Prevenger17 said:
Or Wes Hoolahan.

Eamo hasn't a clue, but he's good TV. They don't watch McCarthy week in and week out. We know he's not creative, but that's not the point. For Everton, he partners Gareth Barry who can distribute a ball and use it when it has been won back. For Ireland, he partners Whelan, a good but guileless destroyer. They end up tripping over each other more often than not. We know how good McCarthy is, so it really doesn't bother me in the slightest when Dunphy fires up his uneducated sweeping statement cannon.
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I can understand his championing of Hoolahan. When the ball came to him last night he was the only one who put his foot on it and managed to keep possession (although Brady was also decent in that respect). It's just they way Dunphy is so polarised in his opinions that grates - a player is either superb, or in his own words "rubbish." How many times have we heard him say "dat's roobish dat Bill" over the years.

His opinion changes with the wind direction. I'd wager that in a couple of years time he'll be extolling the virtues of McCarthy.
 
Doesn't offer enough. Runs about n tackles which isnt always enough in certain games. Poor Barry has to do all the footballing side of the central midfield.
 

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