Good post mate, lots of good points.
I'm not saying Lescott is any lesser of a player to last year but he has struggled through this poor patch. For the last three games he's been alot better but he's not up to scratch at the moment. He's not even playing to half of his level, at times yesterday he looked weak and even RVP outpaced him a few times. He'll come good, I think we all know that.
I still feel Jagielka is needed in there, if there is anyone who does communicate and does lead by example it's him. He's also a nononsence gritty defender. Yobo and Lescott are quiet and neither are defenders who are going to put there body on the line, they just don't have that mentality and it's needed. You look at Carvalho and Terry for example, a good mixture of composure and steel. Jagielka is the only one who offers us that steel.
On Arteta, I'm worried about him to be honest. I've only seen one what I'd call all round performance from him all season and that was against Standard Liege when he played on the left.
We are playing him on the right at the moment and it isn't working. He sticks to the byline, he's double marked and he can't cut inside and influence the game. If we want to improve I think it's vital that we find a role that suits him and makes him get involved.
It's on the left or in the middle for me, I think we should atleast give him a go in the middle and see how he goes. He's our only player who can keep the ball under pressure and i'd also say he's our best passer. Obviously all this would have to be in a 4-5-1, I think it would really suit him given a run of games. At the moment we are getting nothing from him. He's not influencing games.
I disagree big time on Osman, if we buy a player like Moutinho then fair enough, there's no doubting he'd make way then. At the moment though he is a must in the team and he's proven he can compete in the middle of the park against the bigger boys. I remember him playing centrally against Portsmouth last season, he and Cahill where superb and that was against big powerful athletes. As far as I'm concerened he's a must in the current team.
I like Fellaini, I also think he is going to be a good player for us but where do you fit him in at the moment? He's not a defensive midfielder and he isn't creative enough to play in the middle. Osman is certainly the better option in there, Osman scores goals and links well with Pienaar and Arteta.
Do we play him in Cahill's position? I thought he looked very good in that role against Arsenal. He was holding the ball up well and linking, he was winning headers and he was making himself a nuisense. I just don't know where he fits in at the moment, sooner or later Moyes is going to have to decide. Is he going to be our ball winner, our central midfielder or play in the Cahill role. He can't keep changing him.
I think we both agree on Lescott mate he will come good. The Jags Yobo debate theres very little in it. I appreciate Jags i really do and i agree hes one of the few charicters we have in the team presently. Hes an old school waggy defender no messing around last ditch challenges, defend the goal at all costs, row z style. However whats the impact of this? yes its effective but it has an impact on our style of play, while it also gives the ball straight bact to the opposition. I would describe Lescott as a composed player he can very easily pass the ball to the midfield, winger etc under pressure he has a football brain. Jags for me although effective sets a tone of anxiety and last ditchness when there doesnt really need to be, the safety first option is effective, but it creates anxiety in the defensive unit and a tone of get it awy at all costs when there doesnt need to be giving possecion straight back to the opposition. So on the right we have neville/hibbert jags lashing the ball away at all costs which results in giving possecion straight back to the opposition and coming under the cosh again. While on the left we have Lescott or Baines trying to play the ball away to find a man or out of defence. In that sense the distribution from the back is eneven. Im a big Yobo fan, i know he has some flaws his concentration being one, but hes a great defender we sometimes dont see that because we have learned to expect from him rather then appreciate him, as hes been here so long. But he and Lescott give a better balance to our defence in terms of finding men, and building form the back, rather then giving possession back to the opposition. Yobo should be more of a leader as he is probably our longest serving player and the fact he is his countrys captain he should be doing more, but in terms of ball retention and ability to form a foundation of attack and find a man from the back he and lescott are the better options IMO.
Lets be honest about Arteta hes been found out. His best season for us was two yers ago, but taking that in to context he was a good player for us before that, but not the great player he was that season. In many ways in that year he was an known entity his role surprised teams and he suddenly became Evertons primary danger man, in many ways other teams werent prepared at that time, but they are now. They know he can send in a ball, they know he will cut inside, they know hes Evertons sole creative force and as such they stick two men on him and snuff him out of a game, from his persepctive he has to beat a right winger and a full back to be effective, and its become more challengeing. I would be prepared to play him maybe in the hole behind the front two just to change how we are playing as we are to predictable. We need to be more of a threat centrally, but then who do you play on the flanks, please dont say who i think you will say. If he was given a free role in behind the strikers i think he could spray balls either left or right to full backs/wingers, play the stirkers in, or try and carry the bal into the box. I dont seee him in the engine room though.
Ive made my points about Ossie mate, i like him hes a good player and certainly my comments are a crituqe rather then a critism, hel always be a good player but not a great player and the only reason for this is his stature, he compensates so much for it with heart, vision., techniuqe and battleing but his size will always stop him form being a great player and i want great players in the team. I know theres no alternative presently but his is one postion i would be targeting. I disagree i dont think he can competete with the big boys hel try but its not effective and thats the point of it at the end of the day. Ive lost count of the many times down through the years of when hes been muscled of the ball or lost and ive shouted ref, sometimes there given sometimes there not, im sorry his stature is just to small for where he wants to play, its a huge shame because like i say only for it, hes the best player in the country, but its a fact none the less.
Fellini for me is and will and should be the pace maker of the side the man who keeps things ticking over, we need to get out on the mindset of DM and AM he should cover the ground from box to box, accept the ball in situations around either box and use it to find players and keep the game flowing, he needs to be the linch between whoever playes the midfild advanced role and the midfeild defnsive role, while also being competive, arriving in the box and generally having a go, i see him as being almost our fly half in the team he should be the one who turns over our play he has it in him but theres room for imporvement. Our midfiled is woefully unbalanced, unorgnaised and not playing as a unit either attacking or defensively so while i think we can all see his attributes, hes not playing with in a system, nore is anyone in the midfiled and thats why we are all saying, whats his best poistion.
Personaly i would play a five man midfiled with an anchor protecting the defence, and two advanced midfilders and two wingers. Like
----------------DM
Winger----Fellini-----MF-----Winger
Which should change and adapt during a game depending on how its going to say.
----------------Dm
Winger----------Fellini-----------Winger
----------------Midfilder
Like i say the front four should have the ability to rotate positions either by the wings switching or Fellini switching with the advanced midfilder.
I think we need another four midfilders. We need a DM midfilder no messing around drop 15 mill on it and have done with it, we need that second midfilder wheather it be Mouthino or whoever again drop 15 mill on it. We also need to convential wingers, i like Downing, Obinna, Kightly, Jarviis, Barnes et al but we need two to offer options to the sqaud, Pienaar and Arteta are being found out, we need different creative sources and options. They would also allow us to maybe think of useing Arteta and Pienarr more centrally.
Anyhow thats just my thoughts like i say unless theres a drastic improvement in midfiled and im not so sure there will be, im expecting a midtable season.[/quote]
