Blue Wiz
Player Valuation: £25m
Well... the summer is past and now the transfer window have closed. For good or for bad, depending on how you look at it. We now know how the team will look until the next transferwindow in January. So how do the squad look? I'm trying to look at it without my bluecolored goggles and give a fair review of the team.
GOALIES 7/10: Howard is our nr 1. The american keeper is usually reliable and of very high class. He can make some questionable things from time to time, but they are fairly rare.
Robles is nr2. And in my eyes at least far from ready to challenge Howard for the starting spot. He does bring confidence to the defenders and looks to me shaky when given the chances to show his skills.
If Howard gets injured we can most likely kiss CL good bye and perhaps even EL competition. We are weak here and luckily for us Howard is seldom injured.
DEFENDERS 7/10: Baines is one of the best LB in the League, if not in Europe. Dangerous on set pieces and in open play. His offensive skills have been very valuable to us and he can do it and still take care of his defensive obligations. Oviedo made a very good show of himself last season when Baines got injured and showed us that he is more than ready to compete for a starting spot. He might not be as dangerous on set pieces but he has skill. On the other side we have Coleman as our starting RB and he is just as dangerous going forward as Baines, if not more so. He also have a no-noncense attitude that works well. As a backup we have Hibbert. When he playes the whole World can be certain of one thing... our RB won't score a goal. 260 games and not a single goal so far. While not as good as Coleman, he can do the job against weaker teams. Will be nervous if he playes against better teams though since he is somewhat limited in his game. In the middle we have Distin and Jagielka that are reliable, experienced defenders. And as a backup we have Stones that is up and coming. He showed us last season that he is ready to replace one of them soon and since Distin is 36,5 I think Stones will replace Distin this season. Behind those Three we look more vulnerable. Alcaraz hasn't shown anything to suggest that he is ready to fight for a starting spot in our defence. Behind these we have our youngsters. All unproven on the big stage, but hopefully one or two can follow in Stone's footsteps and become a contender for a starting position this season.
MIDFIELDERS 9/10: We have an abundance of midfielders of high class. Pienaar, McCarthy, Besic, Barry, Mirallas & Barkley are all of very high international lvl. Behind them we have Osman, Gibson, Atsu & McGeady that are experienced and good midfielders. McGeady have shown glimpses of his skill in the beginning of this season and I hope he can continue to do so on a more regular basis. I'm curious on how Atsu will slot into this midfield.
STRIKERS 8/10: When the last season ended all evertonians screamed for at least 1 striker. I was one of them that shouted for two... and we got them. Lukaku and Eto'o both have experience and a very high international lvl. Lukaku is one for the longrun and Eto'o, while older, still have the skill and Eye for the goal that a striker should have. Behind them we have Kone that still have to prove to the fans that he belong here. He got injured last season and missed a large part of it. Naismith has perhaps found his role in the team now. 3 goals in 3 games this season has shut the mouth of most critics, me included. Wasn't impressed with his style when he came to us, but now he seems to have found his place and he really makes the most of this chance.
All in all, I think we have a very good team. Our starting 11, when fully fit, is among the best in the League and we can add a bench with good players on it. If we can sort out our defensive problems we do score the goals that will make us win games. 7 goals forward in 3 games is among the best in the League, and we still haven't gotten Lukaku on the scoresheet and Barkley is injured. We have cover for most posts. Our weakness are RB/CD and goalie. On all oher spots we can field 2 good or very good players.
The only thing I'm a bit miffed about is the lack of use of the loansystem this summer. Atsu is a great loan, but Henen is, for me, a mystery. I would have hoped for another CD to be brought in, either permanently or on loan.
GOALIES 7/10: Howard is our nr 1. The american keeper is usually reliable and of very high class. He can make some questionable things from time to time, but they are fairly rare.
Robles is nr2. And in my eyes at least far from ready to challenge Howard for the starting spot. He does bring confidence to the defenders and looks to me shaky when given the chances to show his skills.
If Howard gets injured we can most likely kiss CL good bye and perhaps even EL competition. We are weak here and luckily for us Howard is seldom injured.
DEFENDERS 7/10: Baines is one of the best LB in the League, if not in Europe. Dangerous on set pieces and in open play. His offensive skills have been very valuable to us and he can do it and still take care of his defensive obligations. Oviedo made a very good show of himself last season when Baines got injured and showed us that he is more than ready to compete for a starting spot. He might not be as dangerous on set pieces but he has skill. On the other side we have Coleman as our starting RB and he is just as dangerous going forward as Baines, if not more so. He also have a no-noncense attitude that works well. As a backup we have Hibbert. When he playes the whole World can be certain of one thing... our RB won't score a goal. 260 games and not a single goal so far. While not as good as Coleman, he can do the job against weaker teams. Will be nervous if he playes against better teams though since he is somewhat limited in his game. In the middle we have Distin and Jagielka that are reliable, experienced defenders. And as a backup we have Stones that is up and coming. He showed us last season that he is ready to replace one of them soon and since Distin is 36,5 I think Stones will replace Distin this season. Behind those Three we look more vulnerable. Alcaraz hasn't shown anything to suggest that he is ready to fight for a starting spot in our defence. Behind these we have our youngsters. All unproven on the big stage, but hopefully one or two can follow in Stone's footsteps and become a contender for a starting position this season.
MIDFIELDERS 9/10: We have an abundance of midfielders of high class. Pienaar, McCarthy, Besic, Barry, Mirallas & Barkley are all of very high international lvl. Behind them we have Osman, Gibson, Atsu & McGeady that are experienced and good midfielders. McGeady have shown glimpses of his skill in the beginning of this season and I hope he can continue to do so on a more regular basis. I'm curious on how Atsu will slot into this midfield.
STRIKERS 8/10: When the last season ended all evertonians screamed for at least 1 striker. I was one of them that shouted for two... and we got them. Lukaku and Eto'o both have experience and a very high international lvl. Lukaku is one for the longrun and Eto'o, while older, still have the skill and Eye for the goal that a striker should have. Behind them we have Kone that still have to prove to the fans that he belong here. He got injured last season and missed a large part of it. Naismith has perhaps found his role in the team now. 3 goals in 3 games this season has shut the mouth of most critics, me included. Wasn't impressed with his style when he came to us, but now he seems to have found his place and he really makes the most of this chance.
All in all, I think we have a very good team. Our starting 11, when fully fit, is among the best in the League and we can add a bench with good players on it. If we can sort out our defensive problems we do score the goals that will make us win games. 7 goals forward in 3 games is among the best in the League, and we still haven't gotten Lukaku on the scoresheet and Barkley is injured. We have cover for most posts. Our weakness are RB/CD and goalie. On all oher spots we can field 2 good or very good players.
The only thing I'm a bit miffed about is the lack of use of the loansystem this summer. Atsu is a great loan, but Henen is, for me, a mystery. I would have hoped for another CD to be brought in, either permanently or on loan.
