The next steps

[TheBigIguana]

Well, I would say "anyone currently at a different club but seen as having the raw material necessary to improve the strength of our squad" but I suspect that's an answer you already knew.

Everton, like every other Prem club, has a department staffed by people whose job it is to scout, analyse and evaluate players from every corner of the planet. I'd like to think they earn their keep, and would have shortlists for every conceivable player "type' the DOF might ask for.

If you're asking me to name players:

1) Kalvin Phillips. I get that he'd be pricey but he looks a worthwhile investment and he's younger than Allan and Doucouré.
2) Martin Ødegaard... maybe. I'd definitely keep an eye on how he performs for Arteta for the next 15 games.
3) Scott McTominay. Strikes me as industrious, reliable and consistent, which is why Utd would be nuts to let him go.

But we would be foolish to say that we cannot improve on what we currently have in the squad.

I hate McTominay so much but you're right he's a pretty solid player who would be good in our team. The other two I'm less sold on. With Phillips I just am unsure with Leeds system, but he does shield the backline well and wins the ball back a lot which we really need. At the right price that wouldn't be the worst idea I guess. Odegaard is a no for me. He's pretty invisible in these Arsenal games.

 

[Bluestar]

Well, I would say "anyone currently at a different club but seen as having the raw material necessary to improve the strength of our squad" but I suspect that's an answer you already knew.

Everton, like every other Prem club, has a department staffed by people whose job it is to scout, analyse and evaluate players from every corner of the planet. I'd like to think they earn their keep, and would have shortlists for every conceivable player "type' the DOF might ask for.

If you're asking me to name players:

1) Kalvin Phillips. I get that he'd be pricey but he looks a worthwhile investment and he's younger than Allan and Doucouré.
2) Martin Ødegaard... maybe. I'd definitely keep an eye on how he performs for Arteta for the next 15 games.
3) Scott McTominay. Strikes me as industrious, reliable and consistent, which is why Utd would be nuts to let him go.

But we would be foolish to say that we cannot improve on what we currently have in the squad.

They could all be great players but very difficult to land. McTominay gets games at UTD and Phillips is Leeds through and through.

Odegard is a possibility depending on where we finish.

We clearly need a right back to match Digne’s skills. We lack threat on the right hand side. An attacking fullback is a must.

For the home games against the likes of Southampton, I think we need to play further up the field. We didn’t play out from the back against Liverpool and I think it helped us with faster attacking play.. It takes so much effort to break the press and work the ball up field when passing out from the back.

 

[locko67]

They could all be great players but very difficult to land. McTominay gets games at UTD and Phillips is Leeds through and through.

Odegard is a possibility depending on where we finish.

We clearly need a right back to match Digne’s skills. We lack threat on the right hand side. An attacking fullback is a must.

For the home games against the likes of Southampton, I think we need to play further up the field. We didn’t play out from the back against Liverpool and I think it helped us with faster attacking play.. It takes so much effort to break the press and work the ball up field when passing out from the back.

They could all be great players but very difficult to land. McTominay gets games at UTD and Phillips is Leeds through and through.

Odegard is a possibility depending on where we finish.

We clearly need a right back to match Digne’s skills. We lack threat on the right hand side. An attacking fullback is a must.

For the home games against the likes of Southampton, I think we need to play further up the field. We didn’t play out from the back against Liverpool and I think it helped us with faster attacking play.. It takes so much effort to break the press and work the ball up field when passing out from the back.

How about Bissouma at Brighton. Always looks good when I've seen him. Only 24 has a goal in him and plays for a possession based team.

 

[WA Toffee]

Yesterdays result was fabulous. It’s finally broken a spell that has bound us for years. It was done through tenacious defending and purposeful counter attacking. It feels like it should be a springboard.

The next puzzle to solve is how to go into games like that with a less defensively minded mindset. We played two games this week against tough opposition. In both games we had less than thirty percent possession and in both games we went in set up to defend. It worked in one and failed in the other. It also failed against Leicester.

We also have a conundrum to solve against teams like Newcastle and Fulham where we are expected to do well, but didn’t.

How do we take the next step as a club to dominating against lower opposition and matching better teams. What are the missing ingredients?

Pretty simple - better players. The teams with the best players will, 99% of the time, win the league

 

[Tree13]

I hate McTominay so much but you're right he's a pretty solid player who would be good in our team. The other two I'm less sold on. With Phillips I just am unsure with Leeds system, but he does shield the backline well and wins the ball back a lot which we really need. At the right price that wouldn't be the worst idea I guess. Odegaard is a no for me. He's pretty invisible in these Arsenal games.

IMHO if you were to put either of McTominay or Phillips alongside Davies as the two in a 4-2-3-1 you'd be doing ok. Phillips is 25, McTominay is 24: both good ages to come in as starting XI players. Neither is really the ball-carrying, move-play-up-the-pitch type, but they would both be able to sit as a 6 in a three-man midfield, allowing Allan and Doucouré to be played as box-to-box types. It's this player profile we need to recruit: younger, able to start in our best XI, able to enhance the performance of our existing players... Phillips and McTominay are examples, but the scouting department needs to unearth similar in other leagues that can be had for more modest sums.

With Ødegaard, I'm pretty sure most people would want to reserve judgement until he's played 15 to 20 games in the prem. I am not as confident in my judgement of players as you are, so I'm reluctant to dismiss him on the basis of three starts and two appearances off the bench, totalling 270 minutes so far.

The point is, we need to recruit CMs if we want to build on our successes this season. We've trodden water using Doucouré and Davies (Tom is noticeably improving under Carlo's supervision) with a third body alongside them, but this just proves we lack depth. We don't have anyone else who can do what Allan and Doucouré can, so the minute we lose either one of them to injury or suspension we cannot impose our tactics upon the opposition.

 

[Bluestar]

Pretty simple - better players. The teams with the best players will, 99% of the time, win the league

Certainly true, but getting better than we have whilst managing outs is the trick.

Also, to some degree, determining who is better is quite subjective. They need to suit whatever our system will be transitioning to.

 

[barneygumble]

If i'm going to be negative about it, and I am..

Newcastle - No wins in 10 come to goodison... and Win
Fulham - No wins in 10 come to Goodison... and Win
Southampton - No Wins in 8 come to Goodison... and?

Seriously, Monday's game against Southampton is huge for lots of reasons. Ancelotti and the players need to step up and end the bad run. We know we're capable, but we need to control the game, and actually go at them. I watched them against Chelsea and they sit back and soak up the pressure.

Getting in Europe is achievable this season if we sort the home form, which we really need to. Yes we've been great away this year, but we still have Chelsea, Arsenal (where we always struggle) and City to go, plus huge games at direct rivals West Ham and Villa. By contrast Southampton, Burnley, Palace, Spurs, Villa, Sheffield United and Wolves is a really good stretch of home games, and we've got to do what we can.

I've seen enough from the club that the transfer policy is turning the corner. Get CL football we push our targets forward by a year, get EL we can push forward. Players want to play for Carlo, players will want to play with James. Just get in Europe everton.

 

[degsy]

Yesterdays result was fabulous. It’s finally broken a spell that has bound us for years. It was done through tenacious defending and purposeful counter attacking. It feels like it should be a springboard.

The next puzzle to solve is how to go into games like that with a less defensively minded mindset. We played two games this week against tough opposition. In both games we had less than thirty percent possession and in both games we went in set up to defend. It worked in one and failed in the other. It also failed against Leicester.

We also have a conundrum to solve against teams like Newcastle and Fulham where we are expected to do well, but didn’t.

How do we take the next step as a club to dominating against lower opposition and matching better teams. What are the missing ingredients?

Where do we go from here?
First off we do the same to Southampton...or do we? We need to look at those 12 pts lost at home.
Q1) How would GOT have reacted to 4 full on Italian Job they shall not pass 0-0s.
A) Off the fume scale probably...there'd maybe a queue of taxis for Ancelotti.
But
Q2) How would the league table look today with 4 extra points...factor in 2 pts off W Hams total too.

We know there's a problem breaking down teams at home where they just sit back...but I'm not sure that Fulham or W. Ham did totally sit back, more like we messed up the team selection and many players didnt turn up, as well as them playing very well.

So where do we go from here...United, Spurs (& the rs obvs) were great, but Vs United we left it late and conceded 3
Spurs, we conceded 4...
Consistency thats where we go

 

[Thomasc]

Where do we go from here?
First off we do the same to Southampton...or do we? We need to look at those 12 pts lost at home.
Q1) How would GOT have reacted to 4 full on Italian Job they shall not pass 0-0s.
A) Off the fume scale probably...there'd maybe a queue of taxis for Ancelotti.
But
Q2) How would the league table look today with 4 extra points...factor in 2 pts off W Hams total too.

We know there's a problem breaking down teams at home where they just sit back...but I'm not sure that Fulham or W. Ham did totally sit back, more like we messed up the team selection and many players didnt turn up, as well as them playing very well.

So where do we go from here...United, Spurs (& the rs obvs) were great, but Vs United we left it late and conceded 3
Spurs, we conceded 4...
Consistency thats where we go

Every team could do that though. “What ifs” don’t really matter.
Pretty sure 9 seasons out of 10 the cryarses across the park beat Brighton, WBA and Burnley at home.

 

[matty1878]

Playing better football.Right now it isnt football. Its Big sam style.

LOL I don’t see is getting bummed 5-0 and stuff mate

 

[degsy]

Every team could do that though. “What ifs” don’t really matter.
Pretty sure 9 seasons out of 10 the cryarses across the park beat Brighton, WBA and Burnley at home.

But this isn't any other season...its This season and we're Not beating them...Right Now because of how we've sometimes been set up and how we (didn't) perform.

We treat away games as home bankers - maybe we need to treat home games in a less adventurous manner and not play into the hands of the bus parkers...oh and pick the right 11 and get them to turn up

 

[jazzy]

The next 6 leagues games are huge.

With the exception of Chelsea away they are all relatively easy games - but you know how we have performed against that level team so far this season.

If we are to qualify for Europe I think we will need to win 5 of the next 6 , which is a really tall order.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Playing better football.Right now it isnt football. Its Big sam style.

Ha. Just think of some of our last few games. The first two goals against United. Nearly every goal against Spurs, both goals against Liverpool, even the goal against City. They all involve passing moves the length of the pitch, through balls, fullbacks getting high up the pitch etc. That is a world away from Allardyce’s set piece based percentage long ball game with Calvert Lewin running the channels for flick ons. There’s a huge difference between counterattacking and aimless hoof ball. Ancelotti is nothing like Allardyce. Silva and Koeman were far more similar to him, even Moyes was. Even in the games we’ve played badly under Ancelotti we haven’t seen centrebacks just lashing punts up the pitch, we’ve kept trying to play on the deck even if we’ve done it badly at times.

 

[Bluestar]

But this isn't any other season...its This season and we're Not beating them...Right Now because of how we've sometimes been set up and how we (didn't) perform.

We treat away games as home bankers - maybe we need to treat home games in a less adventurous manner and not play into the hands of the bus parkers...oh and pick the right 11 and get them to turn up

I think we need to reduce the playing out from the back. Every team puts us under pressure with that. We cut it out against City and Liverpool and did better against them both.

I think the variation is what is important though. If you always go long, you‘ll be found out. We need to be pragmatic and if passing Out isn’t working, then mis it up and go for some rapid long ball counter attacks.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Id say our next 6 games are critical. We need 4 or 5 wins from them if were going for top 4.

Then wed have to win 1 every 2 games of the remaining fixtures which is achievable.

Playing City last when Pep is likely to be tinkering is a huge advantage. It probably becomes a totally free game if someone is kind enough to punt them from the CL.

Ugly thought, but: we probably need ten from fourteen to feel good about it. 70 gets it done. Anything less and it's a dice roll. Sweeping our direct rivals lets us get away with one win less. We haven't drawn much, but that obviously can shave a win as well.