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Ross Barkley

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Saint Domingo said:
How is this a fact? We're in 7th currently yet people are going on like we're top of the league. We are playing alright, great at times, ok at others and this is reflected in the league table. A good number of our points have come when our midfield has been substituted so I don't see how we've got a great balance. We've gone behind in a lot of games and continue to struggle to break poor teams down. Barkley, Lukaku, Jagielka, Deulofeu, Galloway and Stones are all in top form some of the best in the league, so why are we 7th?

For me the midfield pairing and our keeper are the two biggest areas of weakness in our team, of course I'm going to bring them up as ultimately the entire forum is people expressing opinions on how to improve Everton.

The line 'I guess the gaffer has been getting it wrong' is ridiculous because that would imply just being a football manager is enough to never be questioned at all. Do none of them make mistakes? Why are some better than others? They do get it wrong and I think this is one area Martinez continues to get wrong in my opinion. Does that mean I know more than Martinez about football? No. Do I have to to give an opinion on the problems in a team that finished 12th last year? No.
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I, and I'm sure a few others, would love you to substantiate this mate.
In a question, when have we sacrificed McCarthy and Barry this season and subsequently gone on to won a game we should have lost?
 
mkrudden said:
I, and I'm sure a few others, would love you to substantiate this mate.
In a question, when have we sacrificed McCarthy and Barry this season and subsequently gone on to won a game we should have lost?
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Not both at the same time one or the other. A few examples. Watford at home, barely looked interested first half, then at 1 down Martinez moves Barry to left back, Barkley backwards and Kone on. We then go on to score 2 with Barkley coming from deep to score and Kone scoring, we let in one but the play was much improved in general. We earned a point. WBA away, a dire first half and we are 2 down having created zilch. Martinez moves McCarthy to right back in place of Gibson and we go and score 3 thanks to Deulofeu and Lukaku getting early ball to them. There's 3 points.

Spurs away, we stuck with the pair and created squat. Liverpool at home, we had the whole second half to break them down and did very little. Why not throw on Gibson? At this point they were no threat.

Barry and McCarthy are good for certain games when you know the opposition will come on to you (we'll probably play really well v United and Arsenal) but as sure as night follows day when we're up agai st a poor side not interested in playing, or one that has gone in front they are not the pair to break them down.

We could very easily be right up at the top of this league if Martinez would just vary his midfield pairing for certain games. Barry cannot play every single game this season at his age, Martinez said that last season but he is still doing it despite having quality options on the bench, but Cleverley ends up wide, Barkley ends up at 10, Gibson only comes on when we need a Hail Mary, Besic only gets to play in a three or outwide. Osman may as well not exist. Why buy Cleverley or Besic if you have no intention of playing them in their correct position? Even Roy Hodgson trusts Barkley to play deep midfield but somehow Martinez trusts no one but Barry and McCarthy?

This intransigence, similar to his stance with Howard will cost us more points than it will earn.
 

Saint Domingo said:
Not both at the same time one or the other. A few examples. Watford at home, barely looked interested first half, then at 1 down Martinez moves Barry to left back, Barkley backwards and Kone on. We then go on to score 2 with Barkley coming from deep to score and Kone scoring, we let in one but the play was much improved in general. We earned a point. WBA away, a dire first half and we are 2 down having created zilch. Martinez moves McCarthy to right back in place of Gibson and we go and score 3 thanks to Deulofeu and Lukaku getting early ball to them. There's 3 points.

Spurs away, we stuck with the pair and created squat. Liverpool at home, we had the whole second half to break them down and did very little. Why not throw on Gibson? At this point they were no threat.

Barry and McCarthy are good for certain games when you know the opposition will come on to you (we'll probably play really well v United and Arsenal) but as sure as night follows day when we're up agai st a poor side not interested in playing, or one that has gone in front they are not the pair to break them down.

We could very easily be right up at the top of this league if Martinez would just vary his midfield pairing for certain games. Barry cannot play every single game this season at his age, Martinez said that last season but he is still doing it despite having quality options on the bench, but Cleverley ends up wide, Barkley ends up at 10, Gibson only comes on when we need a Hail Mary, Besic only gets to play in a three or outwide. Osman may as well not exist. Why buy Cleverley or Besic if you have no intention of playing them in their correct position? Even Roy Hodgson trusts Barkley to play deep midfield but somehow Martinez trusts no one but Barry and McCarthy?

This intransigence, similar to his stance with Howard will cost us more points than it will earn.
Click to expand...

All of our best performances since Martinez turned up have involved Barry and McCarthy in midfield and Barkley further forward, you used 3 examples here but have omitted Southampton and Chelsea from this season which we were great in.

You can't have it all ways by throwing a caveat in to cover this nonsense thats just bollocks to cover yourself from the evidence.
 
Saint Domingo said:
Not both at the same time one or the other. A few examples. Watford at home, barely looked interested first half, then at 1 down Martinez moves Barry to left back, Barkley backwards and Kone on. We then go on to score 2 with Barkley coming from deep to score and Kone scoring, we let in one but the play was much improved in general. We earned a point. WBA away, a dire first half and we are 2 down having created zilch. Martinez moves McCarthy to right back in place of Gibson and we go and score 3 thanks to Deulofeu and Lukaku getting early ball to them. There's 3 points.

Spurs away, we stuck with the pair and created squat. Liverpool at home, we had the whole second half to break them down and did very little. Why not throw on Gibson? At this point they were no threat.

Barry and McCarthy are good for certain games when you know the opposition will come on to you (we'll probably play really well v United and Arsenal) but as sure as night follows day when we're up agai st a poor side not interested in playing, or one that has gone in front they are not the pair to break them down.

We could very easily be right up at the top of this league if Martinez would just vary his midfield pairing for certain games. Barry cannot play every single game this season at his age, Martinez said that last season but he is still doing it despite having quality options on the bench, but Cleverley ends up wide, Barkley ends up at 10, Gibson only comes on when we need a Hail Mary, Besic only gets to play in a three or outwide. Osman may as well not exist. Why buy Cleverley or Besic if you have no intention of playing them in their correct position? Even Roy Hodgson trusts Barkley to play deep midfield but somehow Martinez trusts no one but Barry and McCarthy?

This intransigence, similar to his stance with Howard will cost us more points than it will earn.
Click to expand...

Martinez said last year that Barry was over played because we had the Europa league.

Barry came on against Reading, a team with men behind the ball at that stage, and dictated play well. We won 2-1.

So your saying that against Watford, the issue was Barry and McCarthy in the middle, even though they were both on the pitch when we clawed the game back.
Same with WBA.

So it's not that they are overrated or anything, you just think we should be more gung-ho generally?

This is a bit confusing.
And I have to ask, are you an Adversus multi?
 
mkrudden said:
Martinez said last year that Barry was over played because we had the Europa league.

Barry came on against Reading, a team with men behind the ball at that stage, and dictated play well. We won 2-1.

So your saying that against Watford, the issue was Barry and McCarthy in the middle, even though they were both on the pitch when we clawed the game back.
Same with WBA.

So it's not that they are overrated or anything, you just think we should be more gung-ho generally?

This is a bit confusing.
And I have to ask, are you an Adversus multi?
Click to expand...

Basically my position is only one should play in the two midfield slots at any point, unless we are playing a team like Arsenal or Chelsea who will come on to us. If Martinez wants to play the right back or left back that's up to him but both in the middle make us too negative in my opinion.
 
Dithering Dougie said:
All of our best performances since Martinez turned up have involved Barry and McCarthy in midfield and Barkley further forward, you used 3 examples here but have omitted Southampton and Chelsea from this season which we were great in.

You can't have it all ways by throwing a caveat in to cover this nonsense thats just bollocks to cover yourself from the evidence.
Click to expand...

Of course our best performances feature these players, they play nearly every single game! Other combinations have barely been given a go.

Southampton and Chelsea were two teams who came on to us and suited the way Barry and McCarthy play. Again, my point is not that they should be dropped every game, but that as a pair they suit some games but not others. My issue is with Martinez playing them every single game home or away.
 

Saint Domingo said:
Basically my position is only one should play in the two midfield slots at any point, unless we are playing a team like Arsenal or Chelsea who will come on to us. If Martinez wants to play the right back or left back that's up to him but both in the middle make us too negative in my opinion.
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I mean, most agree with this, right? That two holding midfielders against teams that sit back is a giant waste of time?
 

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