2025/26 Vitalii Mykolenko

[RichCee123]

He is fit just in time for the internationals...frustrating. Let's hope he doesn't get injured when away on international duty...I guess he will be playing the full 90s too...

Gets him fit though

 

[caliblue]

I agree. I still think he’s limited going forward. Defensively he is sound, but the modern game is also about overlapping full backs who can deliver quality crosses. Something he lacks.

According to who? Someone that haven't watched a game in years?

The reality is that the best teams these days don't have full backs that cross. Crossing is seemed at the least effective way to play the game if you want to win matches.

Whether you are successful with crossing or not has little to do with the quality of the cross. You need bodies in the box. Good movements in the box. And if you have two players out wide to get an overlap in addition to 3-5 players in the box, you have 3-5 players to cover 90% of the pitch for every unsuccessful cross. Teams that are set up to do loads of crossing, give away more goals than they score from crossing themselves.

Liverpool signed an offensive left back this summer in Kerkez and have told him to stay back in a three when they attack. Chelsea does the same. Defend with a back three. City have done that several seasons. They allow full backs to attack, but they pop us a 6, an 8 or a 10. Not as overlapping full backs. Arteta's Arsenal play four central defenders and overlapping full backs have never been a thing in his team.

Overlapping full backs is a blast from the past. And if it was effective, the best teams, with the best managers, the best backroom staff and unlimited with money would all have is as a part of their game. They don't.

 

[rochdaleblue]

According to who? Someone that haven't watched a game in years?

The reality is that the best teams these days don't have full backs that cross. Crossing is seemed at the least effective way to play the game if you want to win matches.

Whether you are successful with crossing or not has little to do with the quality of the cross. You need bodies in the box. Good movements in the box. And if you have two players out wide to get an overlap in addition to 3-5 players in the box, you have 3-5 players to cover 90% of the pitch for every unsuccessful cross. Teams that are set up to do loads of crossing, give away more goals than they score from crossing themselves.

Liverpool signed an offensive left back this summer in Kerkez and have told him to stay back in a three when they attack. Chelsea does the same. Defend with a back three. City have done that several seasons. They allow full backs to attack, but they pop us a 6, an 8 or a 10. Not as overlapping full backs. Arteta's Arsenal play four central defenders and overlapping full backs have never been a thing in his team.

Overlapping full backs is a blast from the past. And if it was effective, the best teams, with the best managers, the best backroom staff and unlimited with money would all have is as a part of their game. They don't.

I’ve watched many games over the years. If you are happy that our fullbacks don’t offer any width or attacking impetus that’s fine.

 

[Frosty1878]

They allow full backs to attack, but they pop us a 6, an 8 or a 10. Not as overlapping full backs.

Well this would be nice a bit like garner Sunday, at the minute we don’t even have a RB and Our LB wouldn’t have hit it as well as garner did on his right foot. So to have full backs on either side whether over lapping or an attacking threat would be nice and would definitely help with goals or assists at present neither offer that in terms of O’Brien and myko

 

[toffeeblue9]

According to who? Someone that haven't watched a game in years?

The reality is that the best teams these days don't have full backs that cross. Crossing is seemed at the least effective way to play the game if you want to win matches.

Whether you are successful with crossing or not has little to do with the quality of the cross. You need bodies in the box. Good movements in the box. And if you have two players out wide to get an overlap in addition to 3-5 players in the box, you have 3-5 players to cover 90% of the pitch for every unsuccessful cross. Teams that are set up to do loads of crossing, give away more goals than they score from crossing themselves.

Liverpool signed an offensive left back this summer in Kerkez and have told him to stay back in a three when they attack. Chelsea does the same. Defend with a back three. City have done that several seasons. They allow full backs to attack, but they pop us a 6, an 8 or a 10. Not as overlapping full backs. Arteta's Arsenal play four central defenders and overlapping full backs have never been a thing in his team.

Overlapping full backs is a blast from the past. And if it was effective, the best teams, with the best managers, the best backroom staff and unlimited with money would all have is as a part of their game. They don't.

Klopp's Liverpool had full backs crossing the ball all the time mate.

You're generalising. Every team plays to the strengths of their players. If you have gifted crossers of a ball, you'd be daft not to utilise them

 

[rochdaleblue]

Klopp's Liverpool had full backs crossing the ball all the time mate.

You're generalising. Every team plays to the strengths of their players. If you have gifted crossers of a ball, you'd be daft not to utilise them

We have Beto and Barry both 6’4. Although they both have their strengths - Barry’s hold up and link play has been decent, whereas Beto prefers the ball in behind to run into, both would benefit from full backs putting decent crosses in to utilise their height.

 

[caliblue]

Klopp's Liverpool had full backs crossing the ball all the time mate.

You're generalising. Every team plays to the strengths of their players. If you have gifted crossers of a ball, you'd be daft not to utilise them

Not really. Early in Klopp's stint they did, but that was a team that played 2-3-5 in possession with a flat midfield giving defensive security. They had Mane, Salah and Firmino taking up good positions in the box allowing Trent and Robertson to put in crosses blind into the box. Crossing is all about having bodies and good movements in the box.

More interesting was it to see Klopp move away from overlapping full backs. Trent stopped overlapping years ago. He peaked at 12-13 league assists per season, but finished with 4 and 6. Robertson had 10, 11 and 12 league assists, but has 1 and 2 the last two seasons. This season people have started takling about how vulnerable they look defensively with one overlapping full back.

Gary Neville talked recently about how very few footballers in the league can pick out a player and serve a good cross with consistency. Whole most players in the league can put a ball in an area. Whip it in between goalkeeper or defender. Hang it up on the back post. Cutback towards the penalty spot. With bodies in the box and good movement any player can look decent at crossing. If you have one or two players that doesn't move as footballer, even the best crossers will look pathetic.

Everton's first goal against Brighton is a good example. Grealish doesn't aim for a player. He puts the ball in a dangerous area hoping someone will attack it. Barry has a great movement towards the front post, affecting both the defenders and Brighton's goalkeeper. He doesn't get the ball but his movement created an opening for Ndiaye on the back post.

If we play Beto instead of Barry, we don't score. Beto doesn't attack the front post. If he did, he would have scored 4 or 5 goals in pre-season. Beto goes straight down the middle of the goalmouth where defenders and goalkeepers always are favorites to win the ball. And Beto's movement doesn't create an opening for Ndiaye on the back post.

If Barry doesn't attack the front post, we don't score and certain people criticize Grealish' poor cross. The exact same cross that secured him a standing ovation when he was substituted.

Everton, as most teams in the league, defend narrow and are happy to invite opponents to cross the ball. We can handle crosses. We want teams to cross as much as possible. I find it crazy that we've been seeing that for years and still think that for Everton to be successful, we need to cross the ball more.

There's a reason for why people are still talking about Moyes' clueless United team that put 81 crosses in the box against Fulham 12 seasons ago.

 

[ElGato]

There's a reason for why people are still talking about Moyes' clueless United team that put 81 crosses in the box against Fulham 12 seasons ago.

What dinner parties are you going to?

 

[Saint Domingo]

According to who? Someone that haven't watched a game in years?

The reality is that the best teams these days don't have full backs that cross. Crossing is seemed at the least effective way to play the game if you want to win matches.

Whether you are successful with crossing or not has little to do with the quality of the cross. You need bodies in the box. Good movements in the box. And if you have two players out wide to get an overlap in addition to 3-5 players in the box, you have 3-5 players to cover 90% of the pitch for every unsuccessful cross. Teams that are set up to do loads of crossing, give away more goals than they score from crossing themselves.

Liverpool signed an offensive left back this summer in Kerkez and have told him to stay back in a three when they attack. Chelsea does the same. Defend with a back three. City have done that several seasons. They allow full backs to attack, but they pop us a 6, an 8 or a 10. Not as overlapping full backs. Arteta's Arsenal play four central defenders and overlapping full backs have never been a thing in his team.

Overlapping full backs is a blast from the past. And if it was effective, the best teams, with the best managers, the best backroom staff and unlimited with money would all have is as a part of their game. They don't.

Everton fans have had a unique obsession with attacking left backs since Leighton Baines. As you said, the best teams aren’t using them in that way anymore.

 

[ElGato]

Everton fans have had a unique obsession with attacking left backs since Leighton Baines. As you said, the best teams aren’t using them in that way anymore.

I would argue some of the best teams in the world do use attacking left backs.

Cucurella at Chelsea
Mendes at PSG
Balde at Barca
Davies at Bayern

All love to get forward either wide or inside channel

Obviously some of the top teams also deploy more defensive full backs as well, or those that step into midfield. Likes of Gvardiol, Calafori, Mykolenko

 

[aj79]

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. It’s true to say crossing in the traditional sense is becoming a bit out of fashion at the moment as it’s not seen as a statistically efficient method of attack. It’s not just fullbacks either, it’s why everyone seems obsessed with these “inside out” wingers who can cut in and shoot.

But I think modern full back are still expected to contribute massively to attacking play with good football, smart interplay and quick incisive passing. I personally dont think you are ever going to be getting that from Mykolenko.

 

[caliblue]

Everton fans have had a unique obsession with attacking left backs since Leighton Baines. As you said, the best teams aren’t using them in that way anymore.

Rightly so. Baines was fantastic. But he played in another era.

You don't need to go many years back to see full backs defend very wide and stopping crosses was seen as very important. These days most teams invite crosses and want their defenders defending crosses in the box. With more defenders in front of the goal, it's harder to be successful with crosses.

Baines was an example of winger turned into full back. These days the more and more full backs have grown up playing as central defenders. Most teams now have 3 or 4 big strong defenders that are great at defending crosses.

 

[caliblue]

I would argue some of the best teams in the world do use attacking left backs.

Cucurella at Chelsea
Mendes at PSG
Balde at Barca
Davies at Bayern

All love to get forward either wide or inside channel

Obviously some of the top teams also deploy more defensive full backs as well, or those that step into midfield. Likes of Gvardiol, Calafori, Mykolenko

Nothing wrong with offensive full backs. It's great fun.

But none of those you've mentioned are typical old school overlapping full backs that puts a lot of crosses into the box. They also play for teams that usually dominates matches. If they, as Everton, average on having 35-40% possession in matches their roles would look very different. And I suspect a lot of questions would have been asked about their defending.

I find Cucurella interesting. Chelsea play with a back three when they have the ball. First match of the season they had Reece James as a right back that stayed back as an extra central defender while Cucurella kept popping up next to Cole Palmer and was positioned as a 10. The next match Chelsea played Gusto as right back and he was allowed to attack, while Cucurella stayed back in the three throughout the match.

We've seen the same with Liverpool. They let their right back go, while Kerkez on the left often looks like a third central defender.

I expect Moyes to be more pleased with the full back options than any supporter. I think we need full backs that are defenders first to get the best out of Grealish, Dibling and Ndiaye. It's all about balance.

 

[ElGato]

Nothing wrong with offensive full backs. It's great fun.

But none of those you've mentioned are typical old school overlapping full backs that puts a lot of crosses into the box. They also play for teams that usually dominates matches. If they, as Everton, average on having 35-40% possession in matches their roles would look very different. And I suspect a lot of questions would have been asked about their defending.

I find Cucurella interesting. Chelsea play with a back three when they have the ball. First match of the season they had Reece James as a right back that stayed back as an extra central defender while Cucurella kept popping up next to Cole Palmer and was positioned as a 10. The next match Chelsea played Gusto as right back and he was allowed to attack, while Cucurella stayed back in the three throughout the match.

We've seen the same with Liverpool. They let their right back go, while Kerkez on the left often looks like a third central defender.

I expect Moyes to be more pleased with the full back options than any supporter. I think we need full backs that are defenders first to get the best out of Grealish, Dibling and Ndiaye. It's all about balance.

On your first point: I think they are fairly typical, overlapping full backs. Sometimes they might underlap, but in general they are getting on the outside of their winger. They may not be crossing it from deep for a big no. 9 to compete, but that's because modern football means they are getting possession further up the pitch so are looking more for little dinks to the back post or cut backs to the penalty spot, generally from the byline. But that's to do with contemporary tactics, rather than contemporary full backs. I think that's sort of what you're getting at though, not many teams play to get it wide and swing it in from deep anymore, at least not the successful ones (Dyche was all about overloads on the wing and then whip it in)

Your second point is moot, they do play for top sides so what they would or wouldn't do at Everton is by the by. The original poster said top sides don't play with attacking, overlapping full backs, I'm saying that in many cases they do.

But I hear what you're saying, many teams have one attacking full back and the other then holds their position as part of a back three or steps into midfield. In the case of those that I've mentioned above, it just so happens that the right back tends to be the more defensive option.

For Davies at Bayern, read Kimmich. For Cucurella, James. For Balde, Kounde.

PSG bit of an anomaly, as both full backs get on. Tbf Mendes is probably the more defensive out of the two, but he is a cheat code, his game is so well rounded he can do both

 

[witchdoc187]

Big boost if fit