2023/24 Amadou Onana

[dannyboy]

Not being used in the right way

What do you see his ideal role being?

 

[forever everton]

He asks for the ball so he can pass it straight back first time to pad his pass completion %. Did it last year, done it this year. Does it from the start of games. No thought of progressing the ball or pulling the opposition out of shape. Bang, straight back to Tarks.

Does take a lot of passes deep in midfield, but how many times has he then turned or rolled the oncoming challenge and either opened end his legs and gained some ground, or passed it to anyone advancing. Even cut it wide to an advancing full back so at least they can move up the pitch and break a weak press. About twice in dozens of games.

He is like one of those you see in kids football who stroll around, a bit scared to get involved, but with 10 mins to go realise they about to have to go back to hear what the manager and parents have to say. Or in his case to go and badge slap in front of a half emptied Glwadys Street. Starts showing faux urgency and pashun in the final throes of a defeat to try and reduce the boos.

Definitely not helped by the cack around him, or where managers are trying to play him (though he manages to be totally invisible in all of the different forms of centre midfield play - was very deep today). Baffling. Everyone is at fault on this one. Including Kev and his agent.

His passings atrocious anyway on the odd occasion he does manage to turn and drive into space.

 

[Neiler]

Thought he phoned it in first half, better the second.

 

[HalfTimeSayers]

Thought he phoned it in first half, better the second.

As above, he’s the one that starts screaming for the ball with 20 seconds to go likes he’s desperate to launch it into the box, so he can throw his hands up and say “I tried”.

In fairness, he seems preoccupied rather than disinterested. Whether it’s where he should be on the pitch, or what his role is, who knows any more. I was worried when he was the deepest as he never ever ever ever spots and tracks midfield runners at that nearly sent us down. But turns out his job was to just stand in front of their striker so they couldn’t build that way. You then hear him talk and think he sounds properly smart, so he can’t be totally overwhelmed by being given one defensive task. What’s going on?

I’d rather he was just told to sprint around full tilt, kick people, get the ball and drive towards back-pedalling opponents for 60mins then come off knackered for a few games. He might enjoy it, crowd would get behind him, team would pat him on the back. Never ever in the history of professional football has then been a player so in need of something that finally makes it click in his head what he needs to do to go from 4/10 to 7/10 consistently.

 

[Street end man]

8' 6" yet i'd rather have 4'11" Osman in the middle. Weird

 

[MACCA75]

Just waiting for somebody to tell us he had the 3rd most interceptions of any midfielder all weekend, made 5 progressive ball carries, was in the top 3 percentile for pulling his socks up and actually had a fabulous game.

 

[Street end man]

What do you see his ideal role being?

Changiing light bulbs in bungaliws without using ladders, looking disgruntled and gormless whilst he does it

 

[Zatara]

Advanced. Where he plays for Belgium.

He certainly doesnt play "advancec" for Belgium.

I'm going to defend him here. He was constantly showing for the ball first half, from either pickford or the two CBs. He was confident enough to demand the ball in that tight space but we chose to ignore him and punt it long or try and hit danjuma with diagonals, which wasn't working. We continued that into the second half, at which point you could visibly see the lad, think what's the point in showing for the ball now. Those asking for him to drive with the ball, great but when the ball in hoofed over your head and then you have to concentrate on the opposition coming straight back at you, that's pretty hard to do.

Correct.

He asks for the ball so he can pass it straight back first time to pad his pass completion %. Did it last year, done it this year. Does it from the start of games. No thought of progressing the ball or pulling the opposition out of shape. Bang, straight back to Tarks.

Does take a lot of passes deep in midfield, but how many times has he then turned or rolled the oncoming challenge and either opened end his legs and gained some ground, or passed it to anyone advancing. Even cut it wide to an advancing full back so at least they can move up the pitch and break a weak press. About twice in dozens of games.

He is like one of those you see in kids football who stroll around, a bit scared to get involved, but with 10 mins to go realise they about to have to go back to hear what the manager and parents have to say. Or in his case to go and badge slap in front of a half emptied Glwadys Street. Starts showing faux urgency and pashun in the final throes of a defeat to try and reduce the boos.

Definitely not helped by the cack around him, or where managers are trying to play him (though he manages to be totally invisible in all of the different forms of centre midfield play - was very deep today). Baffling. Everyone is at fault on this one. Including Kev and his agent.

As above, he’s the one that starts screaming for the ball with 20 seconds to go likes he’s desperate to launch it into the box, so he can throw his hands up and say “I tried”.

In fairness, he seems preoccupied rather than disinterested. Whether it’s where he should be on the pitch, or what his role is, who knows any more. I was worried when he was the deepest as he never ever ever ever spots and tracks midfield runners at that nearly sent us down. But turns out his job was to just stand in front of their striker so they couldn’t build that way. You then hear him talk and think he sounds properly smart, so he can’t be totally overwhelmed by being given one defensive task. What’s going on?

I’d rather he was just told to sprint around full tilt, kick people, get the ball and drive towards back-pedalling opponents for 60mins then come off knackered for a few games. He might enjoy it, crowd would get behind him, team would pat him on the back. Never ever in the history of professional football has then been a player so in need of something that finally makes it click in his head what he needs to do to go from 4/10 to 7/10 consistently.

How to tell people you watched Everton this season...without actually watching them?

Nailed it

Just waiting for somebody to tell us he had the 3rd most interceptions of any midfielder all weekend, made 5 progressive ball carries, was in the top 3 percentile for pulling his socks up and actually had a fabulous game.

Its pretty obvious that he was excellent against Fulham, Sheff Utd good as well but out of the game today and against Villa.

What is amusing is that somehow he "was played in his position today"...

...his position being something which takes a minute of thought/google to find out.

If anyone thinks he was played as a midfield anchor today they need their head testing.

 

[Charlie Sweet]

Laugh at anyone saying he's a £40m+ player waiting to be picked off by a top club. Absolutely useless player for us. Total fraud.

 

[Billy Liar]

Yes sell in January.

 

[HalfTimeSayers]

Surely those middle fingering any critique of his performances can’t honestly say he is either playing well as a bottom 6 PL midfielder or getting close to what his current (not future) level is? This is not about potential and “ceiling”. It’s about scores out of 10 for performance NOW. If he wins the CL with PSG in 2027 he will still have been the worst midfielder on the pitch yesterday, and our current most expensive outfield player is our current least performing outfield player.

 

[Ed_Winchester]

I don’t get what the deal is with Onana?
He’s no midfield powerhouse. He’s not creative. It seems that one run to tackle in the second half is enough for him.
Indulging him (or someone else) by playing him in the holding role forces us to endure Gana further upfield.
Coupled with another day where Doucoure woke up and decided to put on his spaghetti legs, the whole midfield just fails as a functional unit

 

[Stan Lee Park]

Onana gave one of the most ineffective performances I've seen from an Everton midfield player.
It's a sad state of affairs when we have paid over £30m for a player who combines the worst attributes of Li Tie and Nyarko.

 

[ToffeeTim]

He's not performing and he's very overrated by our fanbase. The game passes him by all too often. Maybe some of that is poor management, but he gave the ball away so many times yesterday and I don't think we can blame that on coaching.

 

[Zatara]

Onana On How Everton Can Bounce Back

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