OK, no new 1st team players - whats our best 11 and formation now?

[ijjysmith]

i challenge you to a duel...
As a visionary, i see our best squad soon being

----------Howard
Stones Jags Duffy Baines
---------Gibson
Coleman Fellaini Barkley
---------Mirallas
---------Jelavic

I will crush you

 

[Ste Stocks]

I will crush you

Dont promise me a good time if you can't deliver...

 

[Eggs]

.....I'm clearly alone in having Neville as my 1st choice right back. This guy gets a lot of stick but he's a real influence. Indeed I think Coleman is over-hyped and very much work in progress. I have 3rd choice behind Hibbert. Think next season Stones might well leapfrog them all.

 

[Gwladys Nights]

I vaguely thing we've tried it before a few seasons back. Not with Baines and Coleman though I might add.

I remember us playing with a back three for a while in the late 90s. I'm sure we beat Middlesborough 4-0 with it once. We didn't really use wing backs as I recall we just asked whoever usually played on the wing to make runs from deeper. It was all rather static. I remember Unsworth writing some pearls about the system in his contemporaneous Echo column - "It's like 5-3-2 when you're defending, but 3-5-2 when you're attacking".

If we've played it since then I must've missed it. Certainly don't think Moyes has ever tried it.

 

[Carlito]

The team picks itself most of the time, but I would definitely like to see less of Fellaini up front. He's a phenomenal centre midfielder, and chances are we've only got another four months to watch him play there for Everton.

I also hope Moyes persists with Coleman. He's a good player and deserves a chance to make the right-back position his own.

 

[uknightbreed]

That's my bloody Pro Evo and FIFA Everton line up FFS!! Except I have Heitinga as right CB and Jags in the middle.

Works on the games really well, rarely concede. However, would never work in real life.

i use it too

would love to see if it works just once in a real match.
the way i see it various players could move out of position and the formation easily ocommodate the space left , front to back and left to right.

any attacking lm would hate coming up against coleman and jags .... then as a last resort johny h.
on the opposite side for an attacking rm , baines and distin ... last resort johny h
would any cf pairing like to face jags johny and distin ?
or opposition midfeild facing gibbo felli and johny (jh can come forward as dm and leave a still balanced back 4.
and would and rb fancy baines and pienaar running at them freely ?
or a lb with coleman and mirallas ?
and would any cb pairing like to be picking up jelavic miralles and pienaar , with felli making runs in too from deep.

in my head it works but in reality ........ hmm

 

[MACCA75]

Howard
Coleman Jags Distin Baines
Fellaini Gibson
Miralles Osman Pienaar
Anichebe/Jela (depending on who is scoring)

It's this isnt it, i mean it's not even a debate. Unfortunately when you play the same team every week - as we pretty much do, fatigue and lack of form come into play later in the season. Martin O'Neil finds that out as his teams are always spent by April because he runs them into the ground. Ossie is looking very jaded to me lately.

 

[sheedsrightfoot]

Howard
Neville Jags Distin Baines
Gibson
Mirallas Osman Pienaar
Fellaini
Jelavic

Neville may not be the best right back we have at the club at the moment, but I think he is solid and reliable and he leadership and determination brings more to the side.

 

[PeterMeter]

Neville may not be the best right back we have at the club at the moment, but I think he is solid and reliable and he leadership and determination brings more to the side.

I don't know if it's because he's been played in the middle for awhile but his legs are quite clearly past it. If we are struck on the counter, as we have been several times this season against weaker teams, then he has either had to give away a needless foul or been left several yards behind. Jags and Coleman have been excellent at getting back, both have the pace to cover back when we're hit. Neville just doesn't. And Hibbo, hero he may be, seldom moves into the opposition half if there's a risk of them hitting us back.

Neville had a great few games in central midfield last year because he is very positionally aware and can screen the back four, but with Gibson in there hasn't really been a need for it in the same way. And Neville's legs are clearly gone in here as well.

 

[noddy78]

Howard
Coleman Jags Distin Baines
Fellaini Gibson
Miralles Osman Pienaar
Anichebe/Jela (depending on who is scoring)

For today please....

Howard
Neville Jags Distin Baines
Fellaini Gibson
Miralles Osman Pienaar
Anichebe

 

[ToffeeMike]

Howard
Coleman Jags Distin Baines

Mirallas Gibson Osman Pienaar
Fellaini
Jelavic

Subs -
Mucha
Naismith
Heitinga
Oviedo
Neville
Stones
Anichebe