Fellaini CM

[Elong]

If Spurs had just passed it along the back line for the last 5 minutes they'd have been sorted.

I REALLY hope a team actually does that one day.

I'm half way through watching the replay right now so I'm not sure, but I can imagine what you mean.

 

[Brennan]

How was that Jelavic goal lucky?

Basically I feel like this current system will win us games, it hasn't won us too many so far but I can see it nearly working and there have been mitigating circumstances (injuries, dodgy decisions etc). I'm not ready to ditch it just yet.

Bicycle kick which Vellios scuffed and the ball happened to dribble through to Jelavic. It wasn't exactly a precision pass.

Somebody (i think it might have been Tubey) pointed out that if we play with Fellaini up high against Stoke we'll be playing into their hands and they'll rugby tackle him out of the game.

 

[Allezfan]

Which Jelavic goal was lucky, anyway the winner against Sunderland or the winner against Spurs?

Cos a nutmeg and an overheadkick aren't luck, that's skills.

 

[Allezfan]

Bicycle kick which Vellios scuffed and the ball happened to dribble through to Jelavic. It wasn't exactly a precision pass.

Somebody (i think it might have been Tubey) pointed out that if we play with Fellaini up high against Stoke we'll be playing into their hands and they'll rugby tackle him out of the game.

Yeah I agree with that. Wouldn't play him there against Stoke.

 

[Jimboefc97]

He does work as an attacking midfielder but only against certain teams, Moyes should rotate him between CAM and the deeper CM when playing teams with different styles

 

[Christiffa25]

He does work as an attacking midfielder but only against certain teams, Moyes should rotate him between CAM and the deeper CM when playing teams with different styles

I do agree with this but I imagine its very hard to judge which game/s are right or wrong to play him there.
Of course you can have a idea but really till the game starts and takes shape you never really know.

City - I wouldn't of perhaps thought he would work there but he did.
Spurs - thought he would of worked well there but really didn't.

 

[harry]

If we drop osman our football will suffer. his movement off the ball is fantastic and he is always available for a pass. Osman, pienaar and baines play really well together. I thought Osman played well yesterday and has been for weeks.

 

[Christiffa25]

If we drop osman our football will suffer. his movement off the ball is fantastic and he is always available for a pass. Osman, pienaar and baines play really well together. I thought Osman played well yesterday and has been for weeks.

Been one of his biggest critics over the years but osman has been one of our best players this season. We have no one in our squad better to replace him and do what he does. He helps a lot in making us play better football. Maybe Barkley? But I think where Barkley is better than osman ie going forward, scoring he being young is not as good as osman positional wise and breaking things up.

I do wish he'd put his foot through the ball when shooting tho...

 

[toffeejack]

I don't like the way we currently play because we don't score enough goals and were it not for a bit of luck with that Jelavic goal we'd be looking at one win from our last 11 games.

If Fellaini moving back means we score more then i'm all for it, and i feel we might as well try it. What's the worst that can happen, we lose instead of drawing again and drop a point.

At this point winning games is way more important than playing lovely stuff, our points target is way off what it should be to feel optimistic about the chance of CL (or even Europa League) footy. While you can look at the league table and get some reassurance from the fact that we're fourth and teams below us haven't been getting as many points as you'd expect either, you can be sure it won't stay that way.

We need to kick on and start winning games on the trot, if that means sticking two up front and moving Fellaini back to shore up the midfield than lets do it, or at least try it and see what happens.

think we're 4th top scorers in the league, when you see the attacking options of man city and man united, the best you can hope for is 3rd highest. Give spurs credit, they defended really well yesterday for 89 minutes.

I agree felli's best position is further back, but he's really impressed me in that role and he's scored in the big games as well. Just because he wasn't great yesterday, i don't think everyone on here should knee jerk and say he should be pushed back. We've created mass amounts of chances with him playing there so far in the season and it's not been him missing them all. We have a plan b that worked yesterday and against sunderland (even though fellaini was the epicentre of both goals in an advanced position :s) and that's what it should be atm. Every football game is different, games change based on change of set-up, substitutions etc.

if we started vs stoke as we ended the game yesterday and were losing before pushing felli forward who then changes the game, will people be asking for us to change back again? we've created a bit less in the last few games because we've been playing better opposition and had hibbert at RB. we've remained unbeaten in 3 tough games vs arsenal, city and spurs and it was very important we won at least one, which we did. If it's clearly not working in about 5 games time then people have a case for wanting to change it.

 

[toffeejack]

also osman has been ****ing fantastic so far in CM this season, his best season for us by far imo and not just saying that because he got an england call up, think he'd do okay in the more advanced position, but we're clogging along very nicely with the current team shape, just hoping that win could kick start our season now we've had our season's blip.

also, would be a tad dissapointed if we lost more than 2 home games this season, chelsea and man city are the only games i see as loseable now but also both are very winnable

 

[Hellerad]

Moyes likes versatility. Fellaini will stay in the hole until the attack needs to ramp up the aggression, at which point he "drops back" into a more aggressive middle 2. Much like the Spurs move of pushing Jela/Vellios up top with Fellaini as the top of a midfield diamond.

But that is pretty reckless and lends itself to the long ball (ala Gibson to Velliocycle to Jelavic). Good for late game pushes but not a sound strategy for the other 80 minutes.

 

[agreen08]

Can't believe Ossie is getting stick! I think he has had a great start to the season! Buzzing around the midfield and always keeping the ball moving! Plus he is willing to have a dribble at defenders! he wins his fair share of free kicks for us in and around the box.

Leave it as it is! Moyes will see if and when it isn't working with Fellaini up there and make the changes required. I don't believe that playing a4-4-2 will help us in the slightest either. To start with we don't have another striker, that is the kind to compliment someone like Jelavic, unless you were to play Naysmith up top with him and i personally don't think he is good enough to play up front in the Prem. Vellios and victor are to mcuh like Him and will only run in to his space and hamper him alot more! I do agree that Stoke will pinpoint Fellaini next week if we play him up there but that will only leave more room for Jelavic if shawcross and huth are chasiing Fellaini around. We have a good record at Stoke lets hope it continues.

 

[Walken]

Osman is having his best season, but I would like to see Fellaini back at CM at some point, I just wish Osman could strike a ball

 

[BigBlueConk]

Keep life simple against Stoke, swap Fellaini and Ossie roles. Stoke will not like us having a tricky small player playing behind the striker.

At the same time, we need Fellainis height and strength in the middle of the pitch, with Gibson. Who was fantastic last night, his range of passing and distribution was as good I have seen from an Everton player in a while.

 

[Goat]

Keep life simple against Stoke, swap Fellaini and Ossie roles. Stoke will not like us having a tricky small player playing behind the striker.

At the same time, we need Fellainis height and strength in the middle of the pitch, with Gibson. Who was fantastic last night, his range of passing and distribution was as good I have seen from an Everton player in a while.

Not sure how you think this will work.

If we switch Ossie and Fellaini, how many headers will Ossie win?

That would only work if we switched Jelavic and Velios.