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njligernj
Player Valuation: £15m
If we could drop Mirallas anywhere on the pitch it would help. Put him in goal at least it means he's healthy again.
If your argument is that last year we scored more goals when Fellaini was deep then that is incorrect. If Executioner's Bong site search was working I'd post the article he wrote; it wasn't working so you'll have to take my word for it: our goals scored per game was significantly higher with Fellaini in the hole behind the forward then with him deep.
If you want to argue that Mirallas (or someone else new) would be even better in that position then that's a valid hypothetical. Or that maybe we'd score less goals but be more solid defensively so we'd be net ahead ... also valid. However if we are solely looking at last year then we'd conclude putting him in the forward position was the right move.
People who dislike it when we score goals?
Summerskin
Player Valuation: £35m
Samps
Player Valuation: £500k
This. Especially at home.
bobafro
Player Valuation: £8m
toffeejack
Player Valuation: £100m
we have various options so can look at different options if the game isn't going right from the start. It's only in the last few games without coleman and mirallas where we have been less attacking and thus creating less chances for jelavic. He still had a decent goals/game ratio before those two got injured and we were creating enough chances to kill off two games, it wasn't felli's fault we weren't taking them. I'm sure it's just because we've faced better opposition recently that we haven't created as much chances.
I agree his best position is further back and didn't want him in ACM, because i said he couldn't finish with his feet well enough or get enough assists around the area - he's proved me so wrong though. Think he's scored his last 5 or something with his feet and set up jelavic vs sland gloriously (even if he was suppose to be playing deeper at that point i think). overall, he's playing the best stuff i've ever seen in my evertonian lifetime - better than arteta at his peak and it's not making us a one-man team, just means we're using his strengths to bully others. once we get our 1st choice right side back we'll be creating chances galore again, just need jelavic to find his form again and start slotting them
I agree his best position is further back and didn't want him in ACM, because i said he couldn't finish with his feet well enough or get enough assists around the area - he's proved me so wrong though. Think he's scored his last 5 or something with his feet and set up jelavic vs sland gloriously (even if he was suppose to be playing deeper at that point i think). overall, he's playing the best stuff i've ever seen in my evertonian lifetime - better than arteta at his peak and it's not making us a one-man team, just means we're using his strengths to bully others. once we get our 1st choice right side back we'll be creating chances galore again, just need jelavic to find his form again and start slotting them
pfim
Player Valuation: £50m
I'm not sure there's a good answer to this yet, but I still don't understand the angst with him playing behind the striker. Look at the results.
If we're playing the best football we have for a while and Jelavic is not scoring because of Fellaini (which I don't believe for a second) then it's on him to change, not the squad.
Ideally you'd have someone that could both play alongside Gibson and play the CAM role, so that adjusting to the other team's tactics could be done on the fly. The only players who have done that in the past that I can remember are Osman and Pienaar, though again you're weakening the team by moving Pienaar.
And I love Fellaini's play, but he switches off way too much play a defensive role.
Seems like a change for the sake of change, to me.
If we're playing the best football we have for a while and Jelavic is not scoring because of Fellaini (which I don't believe for a second) then it's on him to change, not the squad.
Ideally you'd have someone that could both play alongside Gibson and play the CAM role, so that adjusting to the other team's tactics could be done on the fly. The only players who have done that in the past that I can remember are Osman and Pienaar, though again you're weakening the team by moving Pienaar.
And I love Fellaini's play, but he switches off way too much play a defensive role.
Seems like a change for the sake of change, to me.
Samps
Player Valuation: £500k
Ideally I'd like Osman or Barkley there, with Mirallas on the right and Pienaar on the left (although swapping periodically to give markers the run around).
That said, every odd occasion Naismith plays behind Jela it becomes apparent they've played together and scored together. They just haven't been given a good enough stab at rekindling that understanding imho.
Against teams we would realistically expect to give a good shoeing at home to, I don't see why we can't use these opportunities to get the best out of players in their original positions. Hell, I'd rather even see Osman on the right and Naismith in the hole, at least Ossie and Hibbo/Coleman know each others' habits as players. Naismith on the other hand is still learning how individuals in our team like to play, so why play him out of position? At least give him a chance in his natural role?
Goals get points its simple and easy.
toffeejack
Player Valuation: £100m
the reason jela isn't scoring as well is because he's stuck out on the wing half the ****ing time instead of standing purely in the box ala javier hernandez and just slotting 1st touches. don't want to criticise him like others do but it really does seem moyes does this to every fricking goalscorer he ever gets
Summerskin
Player Valuation: £35m
That's why i'd question him working with a huge budget and the egos that come with it.
"Ruud, just run the channels for us pal".
Samps
Player Valuation: £500k
Because he's a striker who isn't the target for final balls. That man being? Fellaini as of late. He runs out of pitch to push into, so rather than just stand still a la the Yaks/Berbatovs of this world, he presents an option for the wingers and overlapping full backs. Hence why our play in the final third ends up being so disjointed. We need to play it to him earlier. To do that, we need to drop Felli back so that Jela doesn't find himself overshadowed by the big man the whole time.
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