Centre Midfield

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No he doesn't.

He drifts wide to try and create space for himself to receive a pass or for someone to drive into that space. That's what his role is when we have the ball. It isn't to run back 20 yards and spread a diagonal.

When Gomes went off we had no midfielder who could

a) find a pass into him
b) drive into the space created

That will need to change because we can't rely on Gomes being fit all year
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And how does that explain why he has so few touches per game? It doesn't because he hides. He may well drift out wide at times but he still hides and doesn't take up a position to receive the ball.
 

That says to me he doesn't get involved enough.

He's playing exactly where the manager tells him to.

If he moves from there, who plugs the gap?

That's our problem - nobody! DCL spent half his time dropping into midfield.

This isn't a problem at home. But as soon as Gomes went off we lacked any player to push us up the pitch. Gylfi isn't that player. People have been saying he should turn into that player for two years now, because they have this conception of what a 'number 10' should do.

Do I want him more involved? Yes. But not in the build up in midfield really. I want him in the final third because that's where he does damage. Not picking up the ball on the halfway line and trying to dribble past four players.
 
2 DCMs says we do.

They're just central midfielders, mate

Look at our average positions. We play a weird 4-4-2. When we haven't got the ball Sigurdsson presses right up alongside (or beyond) the striker. You don't need stats or graphics to show that. Just eyes.

When we're in possession I think the plan is for him to be able to receive the ball in that space but we simply haven't got the quality of player at times and, yes, his movement isn't always the best.
 
He's playing exactly where the manager tells him to.

If he moves from there, who plugs the gap?

That's our problem - nobody! DCL spent half his time dropping into midfield.

This isn't a problem at home. But as soon as Gomes went off we lacked any player to push us up the pitch. Gylfi isn't that player. People have been saying he should turn into that player for two years now, because they have this conception of what a 'number 10' should do.

Do I want him more involved? Yes. But not in the build up in midfield really. I want him in the final third because that's where he does damage. Not picking up the ball on the halfway line and trying to dribble past four players.
This is where not having Gana hurts us as well. We’d be able to push higher up the pitch as opposed to Schneiderlin. We’ve lost a bit of the counter attacking bite we had last year unless somebody can make some tackles up the field.
 
Use of formations is really just used to help define roles within the coaches system.
Digne is one our most important attacking players but at the end of the day he's still a RB, he comes from that position.
Talking about formations is useful to discuss certain things - despite what Eggs says.

Anyways, Gylfi as a 'second striker' is a compensation for the mess Silva's got himself into

Be interested on your thoughts on my previous post, p.20. Apologies for the length of it.

Re. your post. Honestly, I don't see that 4-3-3 working with Gylfi in there. There's no ball carrier. And that's what a 4-3-3 (with this current Everton squad) needs imo.

I'd sooner see Iwobi in it, but the option would probably have to be Gomes. I do think you're absolutely correct in that it will be used this season though. I just think it'll be in games that Sigurdsson doesn't start.

I don't think Silva really has himself in a mess. The 4-4-2 thingy works very well at home - or it did in the back end of last season. We saw at times how it can work away. We're a counter-attacking side and when teams give us space we'll exploit it.

When teams park the bus we can't get through and on Saturday injuries hampered the options. Silva made a bad sub with Gbamin as he wasn't ready and we basically had him and Schneiderlin doing the same job. Nobody was progressing the ball forward into the front four once Gomes went off. It also stopped our FBs getting forward as effectively as Gomes was retaining the ball and moving us up in stages, which is what needs to happen when you're playing a team that are parking the bus.

I think Iwobi will actually give us licence to use a 4-2-3-1 with a ball-carrying player in the hole. That could well work and I'd be happy to see it. But we'd have to see the likes of Bernard really step up with their product, and a lot of pressure would be on Iwobi to score and create, as well as the striker, because you'd lose your biggest goal threat apart from Richarlison.
 

This is where not having Gana hurts us as well. We’d be able to push higher up the pitch as opposed to Schneiderlin. We’ve lost a bit of the counter attacking bite we had last year unless somebody can make some tackles up the field.

100%

People are using the Palace game last year as an example of how it failed even with Gana. What they're conveniently forgetting is in that game, Gana wasn't with Gomes. He was with Schneiderlin. So we basically had the same problem - no creative player in the middle.

I'm not saying Gbamin can't fill that role a bit. But someone with Gana's energy will be a miss while we adapt.
 
100%

People are using the Palace game last year as an example of how it failed even with Gana. What they're conveniently forgetting is in that game, Gana wasn't with Gomes. He was with Schneiderlin. So we basically had the same problem - no creative player in the middle.

I'm not saying Gbamin can't fill that role a bit. But someone with Gana's energy will be a miss while we adapt.
If I recall correctly, we dominated that game much more than this past weekend even with Schneiderlin. We either need a better tackler to compliment Gomes or two well rounded players to sit beside him and dominate possession/midfield. As is we are leaving tremendous gaps in the middle of the park.
 

It seems pretty consistent that Sig stays higher up in Marcos setup. Have to assume it’s instruction from Silva. Problem is both Snides and Gomes want to sit deep. Gbamin seems the same in that regard. Either Sig needs to be told to drop back or maybe Delph can fill that space.
 
It seems pretty consistent that Sig stays higher up in Marcos setup. Have to assume it’s instruction from Silva. Problem is both Snides and Gomes want to sit deep. Gbamin seems the same in that regard. Either Sig needs to be told to drop back or maybe Delph can fill that space.

I think Gomes wants to push on. But he wants to push on with the ball - i.e. collect deep and move forward.

Also, without the insurance of Gana there, he has to be more wary.
 
Re. your post. Honestly, I don't see that 4-3-3 working with Gylfi in there. There's no ball carrier. And that's what a 4-3-3 (with this current Everton squad) needs imo.

I'd sooner see Iwobi in it, but the option would probably have to be Gomes. I do think you're absolutely correct in that it will be used this season though. I just think it'll be in games that Sigurdsson doesn't start.

I don't think Silva really has himself in a mess. The 4-4-2 thingy works very well at home - or it did in the back end of last season. We saw at times how it can work away. We're a counter-attacking side and when teams give us space we'll exploit it.

When teams park the bus we can't get through and on Saturday injuries hampered the options. Silva made a bad sub with Gbamin as he wasn't ready and we basically had him and Schneiderlin doing the same job. Nobody was progressing the ball forward into the front four once Gomes went off. It also stopped our FBs getting forward as effectively as Gomes was retaining the ball and moving us up in stages, which is what needs to happen when you're playing a team that are parking the bus.

I think Iwobi will actually give us licence to use a 4-2-3-1 with a ball-carrying player in the hole. That could well work and I'd be happy to see it. But we'd have to see the likes of Bernard really step up with their product, and a lot of pressure would be on Iwobi to score and create, as well as the striker, because you'd lose your biggest goal threat apart from Richarlison.
Ok so no ball carrier.
Take the left side. Both Iwobi and Digne are the ball carriers.

Delph is the feeder, the linker, you don't need another ball carrier.
you need a player which has more vision of the field, Digne and Iwobi need this type of player.
he makes more of the macro decisions, they the micro decisons with ball at feet.
he's the outlet, the one that switches the play or he's the one that keeps the ball at their feet or provides the defence splitting pass for them,
one of my main critiques of Silva is he hasn't set up these type of successful consistent partnerships

Not only does Delph have this role, he would also juggle this with the JP partnership,
covering, screening or pressing in event of ball turnover
or providing the outlet for ball retention and switch of play - from anywhere on the field.

So you should always have a 3-2 or 2-3 defensive set up as we enter the opp half, depending how advance the far sided fullback advances. That's a pretty stable platform to attack, 5 attacking and 7 involved in ball retention, more if you have to retreat through the CBs to maintain possession.

So Delph's role is critical and different from the other two midfielders. Why the left side? Because Digne is so good in attack, thus you need a player like Delph to take advantage.
That's not to say Coleman doesn't advance, just that the dynamic is a bit different with either Sig or JP playing Delph's role.
If JP plays the role Delph sits more centrally.

Sig role? - traditional box to box. Again he doesn't have to be the ball carrier, he has Coleman and Richarlison.
He also has Kean who can drop central or left to provide another option on the ball.
Critically if Kean loses the ball under pressure the is more cover than when Sig loses it now.

His vision and passing is pretty damn special.
And from a midfield position, in build up, he has more space to execute what he is good at than in the advance role.
If it is true that he is not a ball carrier and he is pressed, then he is given a lot more outs to to play to in this position.
But he is better than being made out carrying the ball. He's better than Fellani, better imo than Barkley.
Is Cahill thought of as a ball carrier, as good as any box to box.

And from this position, like Cahill he can score goals and win matches. The way the side is set up, with the focus more on Digne, Coleman, Iwobi, Rciharlison adn Kean, Sig gets what he is best at, make runs into space from deep and reek havoc around the box, all in the confidece and knowledge he has Delph and JP covering.
Silva has said that he wants his right winger to run a more cental, direct line. What he really needs is Sig running that line as a box to box.
If not Sig then Gomes.

Whoever it is, these mixture of roles is not uncommon across a 3 man midfield

Anyways, thats me done for excessive rambling.
It one or two sentences until the City game.
 

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