The Midfield

[Top Balcony Blue]

Cahill

Arteta Fellaini Osman

Heitinga

In my opinion the midfield next season should be Cahill playing just behind the striker, Arteta playing on the left and Ossie on the right (swapping occasionally during the game), Fellaini in the middle of the park and Johnny playing as the defensive midfielder. If we need to revert to 4-4-2 during the game or start with it (against lesser teams at home) then drop Johnny and push Cahill and Fellaini further back.

It’s not an ideal midfield because Ossie is a lot better in the middle but due to a lack of good wingers at the club I think this is the best of what we’ve got at the moment.

 

[RFUS]

Cahill

Arteta Fellaini Osman

Heitinga

In my opinion the midfield next season should be Cahill playing just behind the striker, Arteta playing on the left and Ossie on the right (swapping occasionally during the game), Fellaini in the middle of the park and Johnny playing as the defensive midfielder. If we need to revert to 4-4-2 during the game or start with it (against lesser teams at home) then drop Johnny and push Cahill and Fellaini further back.

It’s not an ideal midfield because Ossie is a lot better in the middle but due to a lack of good wingers at the club I think this is the best of what we’ve got at the moment.

First of all, welcome.

Secondly, having one striker with Cahill supporting doesn't work for us anymore. Especially with the lack of width and pace. Your formation consists of central players in all midfield positions, so yet again we'd be relying on Baines solely for width. The problems of last season would persist here.

Also pushing Cahill back to play 4-4-2 makes no sense either, as he's a poor CM. Arteta, Osman, Fellaini and even Rodwell are better there.

I do realise you're aware of the lack of wingers at the club, and how this is your take on the best we have at the moment, but for me to make up for the lack of width we need to utilise other ways to stretch defences. Either by having 2 proper strikers up top -- Beckford is important here, as his pace makes him a nuisance. Or by having a 4-2-3-1 with the 3 in free roles. Having Ossie there makes him nigh on impossible to mark, and that tactic allowed us to stretch defences last season.

 

[c1982]

Our team should be...

.................Howard..............
Coleman...Jags...Distin...Baines
..................Nev..................
............Felli.......Osman........
Right winger.............Left Winger
..................Saha................

Sell heitinga, bily and arteta along with yak and yobo and buy 2 genuinely class wingers - N'Zogbia would be a good start!!!

 

[RFUS]

Our team should be...

.................Howard..............
Coleman...Jags...Distin...Baines
..................Nev..................
............Felli.......Osman........
Right winger.............Left Winger
..................Saha................

Sell heitinga, bily and arteta along with yak and yobo and buy 2 genuinely class wingers - N'Zogbia would be a good start!!!

If you blow all of the wad on 2 wingers, then you're relying on our existing strikeforce for all of the season. Saha will get injured at some point, leaving either Beckford up top alone, Anichebe up top alone, or the both of them in a 4-4-2. That's less than desirable.

 

[c1982]

and a striker but wingers must be our priority with us only playing 1 up top and having saha/beckford/vic/cahill 'capable' to different extents there.

 

[RFUS]

and a striker but wingers must be our priority with us only playing 1 up top and having saha/beckford/vic/cahill 'capable' to different extents there.

A winger should be the priority, but in this fanciful hypothetical, why would a second winger take priority over a striker?

That's just nonsensical. What's the point in having great wingers providing service, if you've got no one decent to tap it in?

Vic is useless up top, Cahill is useless as a proper striker, Beckford needs a partner and Saha is unreliable. So as CFs, no, they're not all capable.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

Arteta or Osman in the middle at all times. Maybe Rodwell if he learns to be expressive and use the ability he possesses.

Fellaini with one of Neville or Heitinga would be dire, dire stuff. Like watching paint dry...

 

[Top Balcony Blue]

First of all, welcome.

Secondly, having one striker with Cahill supporting doesn't work for us anymore. Especially with the lack of width and pace. Your formation consists of central players in all midfield positions, so yet again we'd be relying on Baines solely for width. The problems of last season would persist here.

Also pushing Cahill back to play 4-4-2 makes no sense either, as he's a poor CM. Arteta, Osman, Fellaini and even Rodwell are better there.

I do realise you're aware of the lack of wingers at the club, and how this is your take on the best we have at the moment, but for me to make up for the lack of width we need to utilise other ways to stretch defences. Either by having 2 proper strikers up top -- Beckford is important here, as his pace makes him a nuisance. Or by having a 4-2-3-1 with the 3 in free roles. Having Ossie there makes him nigh on impossible to mark, and that tactic allowed us to stretch defences last season.

Fair enough about Cahill not being great in the central midfield position but as long as he's fully fit he's too important not to have him in the team for his goals he scores and the chaos he causes in opposition boxes.

 

[RFUS]

Fair enough about Cahill not being great in the central midfield position but as long as he's fully fit he's too important not to have him in the team for his goals he scores and the chaos he causes in opposition boxes.

I won't deny his ability, but until we can find a formation that incorporates him and works for the whole team, then for me we shouldn't incorporate him at all.

His goals are worth nothing if we're still dropping points. The earlier part of the season being the best example; him getting 9 goals in half a season, and us languishing at the bottom. He didn't score in the second part of the season, but we climbed to 7th. I'd say we managed without him.

 

[Top Balcony Blue]

A point on Arteta - when he first came into the club he replaced Gravesen in central midfield but after a while Moyes stuck him out wide and he was a revelation. Then he started to fade away and he was put back in the central role where he dictated play and was fantastic but injury halted him. When he came back from injury he wasn’t the same player in the central position with too many sideways passes and not enough penetrating balls through to the striker(s). He was then put on the left against Newcastle (away) and was terrific all game but another injury stopped him from carrying on playing on the wing again.

With a lack of decent wingers I think Arteta should play as one and Everton should ideally buy another, probably N’Zogbia if the price is right.

 

[c1982]

A winger should be the priority, but in this fanciful hypothetical, why would a second winger take priority over a striker?

That's just nonsensical. What's the point in having great wingers providing service, if you've got no one decent to tap it in?

Vic is useless up top, Cahill is useless as a proper striker, Beckford needs a partner and Saha is unreliable. So as CFs, no, they're not all capable.

I think Beckford as a poacher would be fine up top alone with 2 quality wingers, Saha if fit it goes without saying, Anichebe will get game time as back up like it or not so he's got to be seen as an option, Velios must be seen as an option too with him being used at the tail end of last season and then there's cahill who's proved he can do it when we're desperate.

The fact is we have a few options up front but we don't have 1 natural winger so I believe we need 2 wingers and then a striker (maybe on loan if we can't buy a decent striker).

 

[ToxtethBlue]

A winger should be the priority, but in this fanciful hypothetical, why would a second winger take priority over a striker?

That's just nonsensical. What's the point in having great wingers providing service, if you've got no one decent to tap it in?

Vic is useless up top, Cahill is useless as a proper striker, Beckford needs a partner and Saha is unreliable. So as CFs, no, they're not all capable.

Why does the striker have to score the goals? I understand what your saying, but we could go for players like N'Zogbia and Donovan, for example, who are capable of taking up a number of different roles, and aren't just wide players in the traditional sense.

 

[c1982]

A point on Arteta - when he first came into the club he replaced Gravesen in central midfield but after a while Moyes stuck him out wide and he was a revelation. Then he started to fade away and he was put back in the central role where he dictated play and was fantastic but injury halted him. When he came back from injury he wasn’t the same player in the central position with too many sideways passes and not enough penetrating balls through to the striker(s). He was then put on the left against Newcastle (away) and was terrific all game but another injury stopped him from carrying on playing on the wing again.

With a lack of decent wingers I think Arteta should play as one and Everton should ideally buy another, probably N’Zogbia if the price is right.

If we keep Arteta I agree he should be played as Pienaar was in tandem with Baines.

 

[Top Balcony Blue]

Good point RFUS, but I doubt Moyes will drop him if he's fully fit.

 

[RFUS]

I think Beckford as a poacher would be fine up top alone with 2 quality wingers, Saha if fit it goes without saying, Anichebe will get game time as back up like it or not so he's got to be seen as an option, Velios must be seen as an option too with him being used at the tail end of last season and then there's cahill who's proved he can do it when we're desperate.

The fact is we have a few options up front but we don't have 1 natural winger so I believe we need 2 wingers and then a striker (maybe on loan if we can't buy a decent striker).

Cahill hasn't proven anything up top. He's played there before when we were indeed desperate, but he's not very good at it. His game is all about finding space and that's why traditionally he's worked well with a regular CF; they act as a shield, and he utilises the space they create.

It would be nice to have 2 wingers, but we've not had 1 decent one in... forever... I think one would do us nicely, as we've got Baines for width on the other flank.

As for Vellios, and all the young 'uns, I'm not banking on anything.

Why does the striker have to score the goals? I understand what your saying, but we could go for players like N'Zogbia and Donovan, for example, who are capable of taking up a number of different roles, and aren't just wide players in the traditional sense.

Good points.

I'm not saying you need a traditional CF or else you can't score, but you do need at least one reliable CF. Beckford's the closest thing we have to that, but he's terrible as a lone striker. In this hypothetical with 2 wingers, could he play in a 4-3-3? Well that's a different -- and very interesting -- proposition.

As for versatile wingers, could LD for example, seriously play up top for us in this league? I'd suspect he'd get battered all over the show. We have enough square pegs in round holes, so I don't think wanting just 1 reliable, quality CF is unreasonable. Saha is exactly what I'm talking about... or at least he would be if he didn't get injured every time he found form.

Good point RFUS, but I doubt Moyes will drop him if he's fully fit.

In these hypotheticals I'm not accounting for any Moyes-imposed limitations.

If we just account for what Moyes might do... well we can pretty much bank on what we've seen for years again next season.