2019/20 Gylfi Sigurdsson

[Bob Elstone]

Brilliant last year.

this years he’s the ghost that walks.

 

[Bigjoe]

Saw on the sky sports page apparently ancelotti has told him he’s being sold this month

anyone seen anything concrete?

Why play him if we're going to sell him. I'd rather bring someone in from the under 21's, at least they would have legs.

 

[Exeter_Gently]

Has anyone called Aston Villa yet?

He's stinks of China.

 

[Exeter_Gently]

He's just not good enough.

Seen things here that he was "better" on Saturday. Should hope so! He's been a liability all season. In a team full of cowards, we have Sigurdsson and Schneiderlin in the spine of our team. They will go through great lengths to tell players where to pass provided its not to them.

Being terrified of the ball as our "creative" midfielder, is not a good combination. He hides, he's slow, he doesn't want to know, but disguises it with a decent goal every now and then. Garbage. Sell him in the summer when we get a chance and hopefully recoup something like £20m to someone who only reads stats.

Correct

 

[evertonarntwe]

. I hope he's been told that he isn't in the plans for next season and he ought to start looking at his next move.

I agree he needs to go like but telling him he's not gonna be here is hardly gonna motivate him to perform better is it haha

 

[Archie Knox]

I agree he needs to go like but telling him he's not gonna be here is hardly gonna motivate him to perform better is it haha

Drop him first then!

 

[Kantareller]

Brilliant last year.

this years he’s the ghost that walks.

Myth. He's the exact same player this season, only that he's got no goals to hide in

 

[riddick]

Brilliant last year.

this years he’s the ghost that walks.

Definitely a lot more prolific last year but there were also a ton of matches in which he did nothing.

 

[Agent Blue]

Never seen a worse take than that in my life.

Even Martinez would have shuddered reading that.

 

[barneygumble]

Myth. He's the exact same player this season, only that he's got no goals to hide in

Correct.

 

[Zatara]

He's stinks of China.

Changed the rules...salary cap of £50k

 

[catcherintherye]

This is funny. I‘m willing to indulge for a bit, so let‘s break it down. I admit I didn’t watch every Reading, Shrewsbury, Crewe, Hoffenheim, Spurs, Swansea, Iceland and Everton game he’s ever played in. But this is what I remember from reading up on him before he joined EFC.

And, in case you or anyone else misses it, the key point is this: just because a player *has played* in a position doesn’t mean it’s their position. Again, context matters.

In his career he’s played the majority of his games at attacking midfield. Ie the number 10 role (or arguably 8). This includes ‘second striker‘ because of the way he plays. Extremely rarely he’s played false nine when without a partner. All his clubs have recognised this, but most have struggled to put him in that position at some point for one reason or another. And Sigurdsson himself has said that’s his preferred position.

Left wing: He played some matches at left wing for Spurs, when they couldn’t fit him into the team, at Swansea for about half a season when he was largely supporting the striker from the left in attack then moving back in to make a compact 5, and at Everton in the Allardyce season. Out of all those, I’d say only Swansea is representative of him being played there in a settled structure. The rest were patchwork or experimentation, a lot like his position right now. The proof of that is that the experiments didn’t last very long, despite him ‘doing a job’. And at Spurs, he himself put the ‘failure’ down to being played out of position.

Central midfield: rarely, if ever. The fact that you‘re harking back to a period ten years ago, in the Championship, says it all.

I’m sure some appearance stats website will have this detail for you.

But the funny thing is, all that is completely irrelevant; my points being quite simple: 1) central midfield in a two at a team aiming for Europe is not his position — i.e. he is out of position — but he’s doing an OK job as cover while we have injuries. 2) The tactics need to acknowledge that, by not playing through him and whoever his partner is, if we do want to play with him in a two. 3) And as fans, we should recognise the context, lay off him, and put the negative energy into supporting someone else positively.

It’s not too hard to understand that that’s a *completely different thing* to discussing his long-term future at the club and whether he should be built around (the answer clearly being ‘no’). Give it a go.

You are probably correct that he hasn't played much in central midfield. My questions around this would be whether we continue to play with a number 10 (they seem to be moving out of favour) and if we do if it's more likely to be Richarlinson who is increasingly viewed as a key player for us. It's also worth considering, to what extent has the tolls of games taken an impact on Sigurdsson, and his ability to influence the game further up the pitch?

I called for him to player deeper, and have done for some time. I've felt for some time he shares a lot similarities as a player to Frank Lampard. He was a reasonable mover, quite a fit lad, positionally did well and strikes the ball nicely (perhaps better than Lampard). I'd say Lampard had a better engine and could smell a goal better, but Sigurdsson has better technique. For me Sigurdsson suits the game being in front of him now, he passes forward quite well and at times he can come onto things a bit later. We also get his ability to cross a ball from open play and dead ball situations (which in honesty won't change massively with him playing in an 8 as opposed to a 10).

I don't think the team was benefiting at all from him being in a number 10 role. He didn't make many chances from open play for any of our strikers (most of the chances were either from set plays, or by moving a little wider) and neither of these things are impacted upon by him playing deeper. Richarlinson looks far happier in the ten, it gives him greater freedom and makes him more of a goal threat, and it's also helped Calvert Lewin enormously, having someone up there with him to help with the work load. I don't see is returning to Sigurdsson in a 10.

I'd also add, I see Ancelotti wanting Bernard (and when he's fit) Iwobi to half play the 10 positions, to essentially start wide but look to pick up space inside where it's possible. Bernard is far better at doing this than Sigurdsson and will be more of a fulcrum to our attacking performances moving forward. I think he can get more assists doing that, and probably more in open play than Sigurdsson.

In the interim, Sigurdsson is ok for me as an 8. He needs legs and movement around him.

 

[jceverton]

Garbage - end of!

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

He should be played behind the striker (he's crap) he's being played out of position, he should be played deeper (he's crap) he's being played out of position,,...…..

 

[MikeH72]

He should be played behind the striker (he's crap) he's being played out of position, he should be played deeper (he's crap) he's being played out of position,,...…..

“He needs legs and energy around him”

*puts legs and energy around him*

”No not THOSE legs!!!!”