COLUMNIST KEVIN SPARKE
The missing link of class
By
Kevin Sparke : 16/09/2007 :
Comments (9) :
In terms of quality football we matched Manchester United ? both teams produced very little.
It was a game, I feel, we should have won and the result could easily have been reversed if we'd have had the run of the ball and decisions (Yak getting penalised for what could only have been giving a dirty look to the defender he left sprawling in his wake through unbalancing him with strength and a clever turn).
One thing stood out in the what-are-we-lacking department. We need a quality central midfield player who can put his foot on the ball and slow things down when it's needed and can who play a decent through ball in attack. In short, we need a link between the forwards and wide positions and defence. I lost count of the times our attacks broke down without that killer final ball and I cannot remember a game when we troubled the opposition goalkeeper so little. We need a strong classy and clever midfield player to link good intentions with actions.
I'm not sure Gravesen or Cahill is this player; until we find a player with this ability, we're likely to end up mid-table fodder at best.
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Did I watch a different game? I dont think we matched them by any means. Their play was on the floor, ours was 80% route 1. I dont believe you can read too much into playing the current champions, we are still way behind.
As far as we have come in recent seasons, we are not top four material just yet.
The future is bright though.
I do believe that we played well in terms of commitment but in terms of feeding the strikers with any decent service it was zero..Our delivery from setplays was awful and apart from Yak or AJ overpowering Brown on a few occasions we never got behind them..After seeing the goal again on MOTD it begs the question agin as to why Tony Hibbert is considered so often to be right back..Im not sure what on earth he was trying to do to stop Vidic’s run..As Hansen said he was flat footed...I have lost count the number of times that Hibbert has been out jumped at either the near or far post..Anyone who needs evidence of this should watch a re-run of the 2003/04 season review...Hibberts reading of the game hasnt improved..What he need to be doing was running out towards Vidic and stop him in his path but he just jumped from a standing position..Anyway all said and done United were there for the taking and the fact we surrendered yet another sloppy goal is becoming frustrating..Its becoming a habit that we need to kick this season and fast..I hate to say it but we do miss Fernandes so badly in the midfield..We miss that drive and the something unexpected like the long range shots that for some reason no Everton midfielder wants to try anymore..Arteta had two or three fabulous opportunities to shoot from the edge of the box yet wouldnt, I dont know why a player with his talent would choose not to shoot..Remember his goal against Bolton?. Gravesen will have to go straight into the side when fit he has to be more than a squad player regardless of what Moyes said when he signed.
Don’t disagree but don’t you think we need a different system of play that doesn’t completely isolate the forwards? Oh f**k i’m not starting again, I’m leaving the house right now!!!
Ray your spot on about Hibbert,
getting off the deck his not one of his good points, I want to know
why Moyes changed the side that beat Bolton, Howard & Graverson apart, he brings back Hibbert & Osman, and Jagielka looked like a
fish out of water, one week right back the next centre mid.
And leaving McFadden so late in coming on did not help.
I can’t believe Moyes started Hibbert when he should of been rested for Thursday’s all important UEFA Cup clash!
what about Eidur Gudjohnsen? he can play just behind the forwards. he did pretty well when he was with bolton and chelsea and I don?t think he?s gona get many games at barcelona. he might come with pretty cheap price tag but his wages might be a problem.
playing with 2 defensive midfielders in the centre is good for trying to break up the opponents play but its so negative when attacking, unless we have 2 creative/attacking midfielders to complement them.
Nev and Baines as overlapping fullbacks would help alot as well. Moyes need to realise what we all know. Nev is a better right back than Hibbert and hes a better right back than he is a central midfielder.
I think Moyes knows this, and would have signed Fernandes to fill that position had the player not performed a late U-turn. I agree that Hibbert should now be dropped for Neville, improving RB and centre mid in one stroke. Just trying to imagine who we could sign in Jan who we could afford and who would not be cup-tied.
With Gravesen out..maybe it would of been a good idea to draft Arteta into centre mid, Nev into right back, Piennar at right mid and Hibbert left back on the bench. I know Arteta has done a brilliant job on the wing for us in the last couple of seasons but that was predominantly on the left. He hasn’t been performing up to his high standards on the right side so instead of waisting him there, it might of been a good idea to get him more involved by slotting him in the middle of the park.
"a quality central midfield player who can put his foot on the ball and slow things down when it’s needed and can who play a decent through ball in attack."
I’ve never heard a better description of Thomas Gravesen!
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1 Posted 16/09/2007 at 04:17:57
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As far as we have come in recent seasons, we are not top four material just yet.
The future is bright though.