Disagree with this fella on the possibility of making Europe, but a great article none the less - worth the massive read - with a few Moyesy quotes thrown in:
“That's why I’ve been a bit grumpy,” said David Moyes in the aftermath of his side’s dismantling of Manchester City on Saturday. “Because I think I’ve got a team far better than the position we’re in.”
Had Everton fielded anything even approaching a first team against BATE Borisov in the Europa League, they would in all likelihood be riding a ten-match unbeaten run. Given that this run has taken in games against Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Birmingham City (who themselves are unbeaten since time immemorial), Arsenal and Manchester City, it appears increasingly safe for Evertonians to consider that corner well and truly turned.
In each of the previous two campaigns, the Toffees have battled back gamely from poor starts to finish 5th by embarking upon the kind of prolonged run of form of which few other Premier League sides are capable. They will not finish 5th again this season; there are too many points to make up and too many genuine challengers to overhaul.
But Everton’s head of steam could quite conceivably be a thorn in the side of those clubs looking to capitalize on Liverpool’s slump and claim a place in the top four. What’s more, if any of them should happen to fall away quite as spectacularly as Aston Villa did last season, then Everton could even be on hand to nick an unlikely Europa League spot off them.
So, what has changed at Goodison Park? Well, arguably the most important factor behind the side’s rejuvenated form is the presence in round holes of suitably round pegs for the first time this season. Against Manchester City, there was no Tim Cahill on the wing. No Marouane Fellaini up front, no Tony Hibbert at centre-back and certainly no Seamus Coleman at left-back. Every player from one to eleven – if only players were still so numbered – was playing in a position in which they were comfortable.
Lo and behold, we see Cahill looking like Cahill once more. We see Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, ably assisted by Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar either side of him, looking like a proper Moyes-style wide midfielder; that is, productive at both ends of the pitch.
In Pienaar and the dominant Fellaini, Everton have gone from chasing shadows at Bolton Wanderers and Hull City to suddenly boasting a midfield that has the ability to give anyone a run for their money. Factor in the returning Mikel Arteta – who yesterday told the club’s official website that he expects to be back in full training this week – and it must be hard for Evertonians not to get a little bit ahead of themselves.
As they know only too well, things can go wrong. Players can get injured, form can go missing and ideas that work in theory do not always do so when put into practice. But, in the two or three months before the injury that has kept Arteta on the sidelines since last February, Everton possessed a midfielder whose presence set them apart from most other sides in the league. Granted, the competition appears to be greater this time around, but now David Moyes can boast three such midfielders. The Spaniard may take a while to get back into the swing of things, but it’s a mouth-watering prospect nonetheless.
Many have been surprised by the sudden blossoming of Fellaini into a near-complete defensive midfielder, but it should come as yet another ringing endorsement of Moyes’ long-sightedness.
“He has got much stronger and much quicker around the field,” said the Scot of his huge-haired record signing. “Because of that he has grown into his role.” Evertonians who only a few weeks ago were scratching their heads as to what Fellaini’s best position is now know that there was always one reserved for him until he was ready to fulfill it. And by gum is he looking ready.
Such have been Everton’s fluctuations of fortune over the last few years that it has been easy for supporters to get carried away, dreaming of another 1984/85 side when the going is good but wondering where the next win will come from when it’s bad. That’s life as a football fan. However, the reasons to be optimistic are beginning to stack up once again at Goodison.
Much of Everton’s relative success in recent years has owed itself to a togetherness and collective organization fostered by continuity, and that is an area in which the Toffees are streets ahead of Spurs and Man City. No so much Aston Villa, where Martin O’Neill is into his fourth season, but still ahead.
Continuity alone will not bring success, of course. What Evertonians could be forgiven for losing sight of during those grim opening four months to the season is that their squad contains many players who, when fit and firing, are at least as good as their counterparts at Man City, Spurs, Villa and even Liverpool.
Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong are certainly no mugs but they were made to look distinctly second rate by Fellaini and Pienaar on Saturday. The long-awaited return of Phil Jagielka and apparent recovery of Sylvan Distin gives a resilient complexion to a defense in which John Heitinga has been excelling of late, while full-backs Leighton Baines and Phil Neville are both massively important to the side for different reasons.
As long as at least one of Louis Saha, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Tim Cahill is bang on goalscoring form at any given time, then this would be the strongest Everton team in David Moyes’ seven-years-and-counting reign thus far. The personnel is strong, the players are close and the system is well-established: a recipe for success, especially as none of their perceived rivals could tick all three of those boxes with quite the same conviction.
Although the FA Cup and Europa League could get interesting for them, there is too much ground for Everton to make up in the league this season. Many a tome has been penned under the heading “Has David Moyes taken Everton as far as he can?” but, if he can get the current lot together for a proper pre-season next time out, then who knows what they are capable of?
http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Footbal...s_has_NOT_taken_Everton_as_far_as_he_can.aspx
“That's why I’ve been a bit grumpy,” said David Moyes in the aftermath of his side’s dismantling of Manchester City on Saturday. “Because I think I’ve got a team far better than the position we’re in.”
Had Everton fielded anything even approaching a first team against BATE Borisov in the Europa League, they would in all likelihood be riding a ten-match unbeaten run. Given that this run has taken in games against Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Birmingham City (who themselves are unbeaten since time immemorial), Arsenal and Manchester City, it appears increasingly safe for Evertonians to consider that corner well and truly turned.
In each of the previous two campaigns, the Toffees have battled back gamely from poor starts to finish 5th by embarking upon the kind of prolonged run of form of which few other Premier League sides are capable. They will not finish 5th again this season; there are too many points to make up and too many genuine challengers to overhaul.
But Everton’s head of steam could quite conceivably be a thorn in the side of those clubs looking to capitalize on Liverpool’s slump and claim a place in the top four. What’s more, if any of them should happen to fall away quite as spectacularly as Aston Villa did last season, then Everton could even be on hand to nick an unlikely Europa League spot off them.
So, what has changed at Goodison Park? Well, arguably the most important factor behind the side’s rejuvenated form is the presence in round holes of suitably round pegs for the first time this season. Against Manchester City, there was no Tim Cahill on the wing. No Marouane Fellaini up front, no Tony Hibbert at centre-back and certainly no Seamus Coleman at left-back. Every player from one to eleven – if only players were still so numbered – was playing in a position in which they were comfortable.
Lo and behold, we see Cahill looking like Cahill once more. We see Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, ably assisted by Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar either side of him, looking like a proper Moyes-style wide midfielder; that is, productive at both ends of the pitch.
In Pienaar and the dominant Fellaini, Everton have gone from chasing shadows at Bolton Wanderers and Hull City to suddenly boasting a midfield that has the ability to give anyone a run for their money. Factor in the returning Mikel Arteta – who yesterday told the club’s official website that he expects to be back in full training this week – and it must be hard for Evertonians not to get a little bit ahead of themselves.
As they know only too well, things can go wrong. Players can get injured, form can go missing and ideas that work in theory do not always do so when put into practice. But, in the two or three months before the injury that has kept Arteta on the sidelines since last February, Everton possessed a midfielder whose presence set them apart from most other sides in the league. Granted, the competition appears to be greater this time around, but now David Moyes can boast three such midfielders. The Spaniard may take a while to get back into the swing of things, but it’s a mouth-watering prospect nonetheless.
Many have been surprised by the sudden blossoming of Fellaini into a near-complete defensive midfielder, but it should come as yet another ringing endorsement of Moyes’ long-sightedness.
“He has got much stronger and much quicker around the field,” said the Scot of his huge-haired record signing. “Because of that he has grown into his role.” Evertonians who only a few weeks ago were scratching their heads as to what Fellaini’s best position is now know that there was always one reserved for him until he was ready to fulfill it. And by gum is he looking ready.
Such have been Everton’s fluctuations of fortune over the last few years that it has been easy for supporters to get carried away, dreaming of another 1984/85 side when the going is good but wondering where the next win will come from when it’s bad. That’s life as a football fan. However, the reasons to be optimistic are beginning to stack up once again at Goodison.
Much of Everton’s relative success in recent years has owed itself to a togetherness and collective organization fostered by continuity, and that is an area in which the Toffees are streets ahead of Spurs and Man City. No so much Aston Villa, where Martin O’Neill is into his fourth season, but still ahead.
Continuity alone will not bring success, of course. What Evertonians could be forgiven for losing sight of during those grim opening four months to the season is that their squad contains many players who, when fit and firing, are at least as good as their counterparts at Man City, Spurs, Villa and even Liverpool.
Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong are certainly no mugs but they were made to look distinctly second rate by Fellaini and Pienaar on Saturday. The long-awaited return of Phil Jagielka and apparent recovery of Sylvan Distin gives a resilient complexion to a defense in which John Heitinga has been excelling of late, while full-backs Leighton Baines and Phil Neville are both massively important to the side for different reasons.
As long as at least one of Louis Saha, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Tim Cahill is bang on goalscoring form at any given time, then this would be the strongest Everton team in David Moyes’ seven-years-and-counting reign thus far. The personnel is strong, the players are close and the system is well-established: a recipe for success, especially as none of their perceived rivals could tick all three of those boxes with quite the same conviction.
Although the FA Cup and Europa League could get interesting for them, there is too much ground for Everton to make up in the league this season. Many a tome has been penned under the heading “Has David Moyes taken Everton as far as he can?” but, if he can get the current lot together for a proper pre-season next time out, then who knows what they are capable of?
http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Footbal...s_has_NOT_taken_Everton_as_far_as_he_can.aspx
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