How do we fit Tim Cahill into the team now?

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I honestly don't know where I'd stick him in the team when he gets back. If we're honest we'll probably revert straight back to 4-5-1 with Cahill behind Saha. It's the way we roll.
 

So do you all think him playing at LM is ridiculous then?


I mean, he's built like Osman (diminutive, right footed) and can hold the ball up, play neat passes etc. And Osman's played quite well at LM for those games this season, so I don't think it's as ridiculous as it might seem!
 
RadioFriendlyUnitShifter said:
So do you all think him playing at LM is ridiculous then?


I mean, he's built like Osman (diminutive, right footed) and can hold the ball up, play neat passes etc. And Osman's played quite well at LM for those games this season, so I don't think it's as ridiculous as it might seem!
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Hasn't got the pace to do it IMO, or the awareness. He's a physical bulldog of a player who plays centrally and runs in straight lines; he could do a job on the left similar to how he could do a job anywhere on the pitch given the type of guy he is, but a player like him you have to use optimally. You very rarely see Cahill run with the ball and if we played him on the left he'd be picked up and sussed out by any half decent defender within minutes. His major strength is an intelligent ability to run from deep and dart off into space at the last minute - everything you want from an attacking midfielder.

In an in-form team, he's brilliant in the 4-5-1 and Everton can use it - I have no issue with the 4-5-1 other than to say that if it isn't working a transition to 4-4-2 should be made like it has been recently.

Imagine the goals from Cahill this season in an in-form Everton side playing 4-5-1 considering how many he's got in our terrible effort in the first half of the season.
 
RadioFriendlyUnitShifter said:
This is a real conundrum if you ask me, because unless something changes, when the asia cup is over for Australia, we're either going to have our top goalscorer on the bench, or we're going to revert back to the formation that's left us quite toothless this season.

Both seem like crappy options to me, really. Cahill's an asset anywhere, if only for set pieces, but 4-5-1 just hasn't cut it this season. Cahill isn't good enough to play CM, he'd offer us nothing on the right, and no matter what anyone says he isn't an out and out striker. You can play him in a 4-4-2, but it's not the same as when you play say, Beckford and Saha, because he doesn't offer the pace of the former, or the ability to strike from 25 yards, like the latter. He doesn't compliment Saha or Beckford in a 4-4-2, and they don't compliment him.

Now I guess you could play 4-5-1 some games, 4-4-2 others, or even switch it up after half time in a game. But to me 4-5-1 is redundant now, and the only convincing wins it's brought us this season have been against opposition who've made it quite easy for us; 2-0 brum (own goal for our first), 2-0 RS (the worst Liverpool derby performance in my lifetime). The other wins have been very scrappy affairs, and there hasn't been many of them.

So I've been thinking, and really, the only potential idea I've come up with is to play Cahill at LM. Before you start calling me a gluesniffing titrash, hear me out. Pienaar's obviously off, so we need a replacement. The main thing we need to replace is having someone to work with Baines and feed him on the overlap. Contrary to what many think, Cahill has great ball retention and is fantastic at little 1-2s, backheels and smart through balls. Just like Pienaar. I know you're not going to get the best out of Cahill there, but I think he'd be as good as Osman on the left, possibly better, and that's who'll probably be playing there when Pienaar leaves (seeing as we have no cash). And so long as Cahill's on the pitch, he'll be able to get in the box for set pieces, and that's where he gets most of his goals anyway.



Now, there's probably a lot of problems with my idea, and I might get laughed at, but the point of this thread really is to probe a problem that would have seemed inconceivable just 2 weeks ago; how do we fit Tim Cahill into the team?
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Its simple we dont put him on the bench
 
Tubey said:
Hasn't got the pace to do it IMO, or the awareness. He's a physical bulldog of a player who plays centrally and runs in straight lines; he could do a job on the left similar to how he could do a job anywhere on the pitch given the type of guy he is, but a player like him you have to use optimally. You very rarely see Cahill run with the ball and if we played him on the left he'd be picked up and sussed out by any half decent defender within minutes. His major strength is an intelligent ability to run from deep and dart off into space at the last minute - everything you want from an attacking midfielder.

In an in-form team, he's brilliant in the 4-5-1 and Everton can use it - I have no issue with the 4-5-1 other than to say that if it isn't working a transition to 4-4-2 should be made like it has been recently.

Imagine the goals from Cahill this season in an in-form Everton side playing 4-5-1 considering how many he's got in our terrible effort in the first half of the season.
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Interesting points, mate.

The thing is though, to get the most out of Cahill, we're getting the least out of the rest of the team!





My absolutely only other idea, would be a diamond formation, like:

Howard
Coleman Jags Distin Baines
Fellaini
Arteta ---------- Pienaar
Cahill
Beckford Saha​

That would get a lot out of Cahill, whilst keeping the powerful strikeforce. The questions then are about width and midfield dominance. That's why I'd put Coleman at RB, so we could have the width provided by Seamus and Leighton from fullback, and the possession and defensive cover with Fellaini, Arteta and Pienaar.

Just an idea, maybe not a good one though.
 

RadioFriendlyUnitShifter said:
Howard
Coleman Jags Distin Baines
Fellaini
Arteta ---------- Pienaar
Cahill
Beckford Saha​
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That'd work; except Cahill would be a lot deeper than the diamond shape suggests and be making constant runs from deep.

All that formation does different from 4-5-1 is push up one midfielder to attack and force Cahill deeper. It's a valid formation and is effectively a 4-4-2 when not in possession and a 4-3-3 when we are. It doesn't rely on wingers for attacking play, rather they sit deep and hit a target man or feed a ball in-field; which would be ideal for Arteta who isn't blessed with blistering speed.

There's dozens of options for Everton, and my main criticism of Moyes in the last few months is that he stubbornly refused to consider them - he's rectified that recently and I hope he remains open minded in the future!
 
Tubey said:
That'd work; except Cahill would be a lot deeper than the diamond shape suggests and be making constant runs from deep.

All that formation does different from 4-5-1 is push up one midfielder to attack and force Cahill deeper. It's a valid formation and is effectively a 4-4-2 when not in possession and a 4-3-3 when we are. It doesn't rely on wingers for attacking play, rather they sit deep and hit a target man or feed a ball in-field; which would be ideal for Arteta who isn't blessed with blistering speed.

There's dozens of options for Everton, and my main criticism of Moyes in the last few months is that he stubbornly refused to consider them - he's rectified that recently and I hope he remains open minded in the future!
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Spot on there mate. And that's where my fear stems from now... he's finally changed the formation, but when Cahill returns will he go straight back to the familiar formation of old? Or if not straight away, will he use the first 4-4-2 defeat as an excuse to go back to 4-5-1?

It's frustrating, but fingers crossed Moyes is bold, brave and ultimately gets it right.
 
Honestly, the 4-5-1 is fine! I know it's been terrible in the last few months, but that's because the players were dead in terms of confidence.

If Cahill comes back into an in-form Everton side, I can guarantee you a 4-5-1 will yield results - it's just that it shouldn't be the only option.

To write off 4-5-1 completely is to be short-sighted.

I like this..What's wrong with trying it???? anything is better than going back to 4-5-1...
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We essentially do play a diamond with the 4-4-2 we have right now, because one midfielder bombs on and another drops off. The only difference with a true diamond formation is that you have a designated player for each role so that one central midfielder is defensive and one is offensive and nothing changes.

Without possession, the diamond always reverts back to a flat 4-4-2.

In short, Cahill CAN play in a 4-4-2 but it needs to be a certain type of 4-4-2 with disciplined wingers instead of marauding wingers.
 

Tubey said:
Honestly, the 4-5-1 is fine! I know it's been terrible in the last few months, but that's because the players were dead in terms of confidence.

If Cahill comes back into an in-form Everton side, I can guarantee you a 4-5-1 will yield results - it's just that it shouldn't be the only option.

To write off 4-5-1 completely is to be short-sighted.



We essentially do play a diamond with the 4-4-2 we have right now, because one midfielder bombs on and another drops off. The only difference with a true diamond formation is that you have a designated player for each role so that one central midfielder is defensive and one is offensive and nothing changes.

Without possession, the diamond always reverts back to a flat 4-4-2.

In short, Cahill CAN play in a 4-4-2 but it needs to be a certain type of 4-4-2 with disciplined wingers instead of marauding wingers.
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This^^^^^^^^^
 
onceabluealwaysablue said:
It is if he is the only 1 scoring 3 times more than our strikers put together
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That's incredibly naive, mate.


Notice that only Cahill has really been scoring. In a 4-4-2 almost every player has looked like scoring, and most have, in only 2 games! Admittedly one was against a poor championship team, but we're creating so many more chances in open play than we were in a 4-5-1.
 
Sell Tiny Tim????

I love Tim, both as a player and as a decent human being. However it seems that Tim may actually be a hindrance to the best way Everton plays (based on the majority of opinions expressed here).

He is at his finest form at the moment and should command a good price. Potentially Everton can make enough money from his sale to buy a decent striker.

This would be a win for Cahill fans who, like me, wants to see him play as part of a starter team; rather than sitting on the bench.
 
I think the 451 442 scenario depends on how results go untill cahill comes back. If we stick to 442 and the wins keep coming then even david moyes can't change it. I do doubt if he will play 442 in the derby though, if he does we will win I reckon. If he sticks with 442 then I'm afraid cahill warms the bench, yes we lose something without him in the side but if we have 2 strikers up front scoring and the midfield chipping in with assists and a few goals themselves then I don't see how we accommodate tim in every game.
 

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