The Mail Bag
Welcome back Mikel
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Well lads a good point against the second best team in Europe last night and I would have taken it before the game. However, I want to comment on how great Arteta played in that deep lying playmaker role. He was superb, when Jagielka got ball he was running deep to get the ball and then giving good pass to the wingers and he also got stuck in when needed.
Moyes has to persist with Arteta in this position as he's made for it and he know his set plays need working on but honeslty Arteta showed great ability last night against a strong midfield. Hopefully in January we can sign a pacy winger (Obinna, Pennant) and a striker (Benjani, Bellamy, Jo) to help out the team. Keep it up Mikel , after all you are the best little Spanaird we know!
Tom Campbell, Posted 23/12/2008 at 10:42:33
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In the second half Arteta dictated the game, everything came through him. He was dropping deep, giving the defence an outball and linking everthing together.
Good performance from him but I expected it, he’s a top class central midfielder. He’s been good in every game he’s played there so far and I expect that to continue.
Every team needs a link between defense and attack, we’ve lacked it for years. Fernandes could do it but we didn’t see enough of him and Mikel coming in has been a breath of fresh air.
It went against the commonly held belief in England the your deepest midfielder must have the least skill.
Milan have showed with the use of Pirlo and Gattuso that this is not the case.
What you do need is people who understand their roles and we seem to have that at the moment.
I think putting Arteta in the middle has not only re-ignited his spark but is also doesn’t allow him the opportunities to hide like he can do when out wide.
Also with having someone who can pass in the middle it allows Ossie to play better out wide. He always gets in good positions but can often be ignored by people who don’t have the skill or bottle to try and find him. With Arteta there I believe we will see Ossie pop up with more assists and goals simply because someone will give him the ball early enough.
All Mikel has to do now is remember that he can shoot from long distance and work on playing through balls and we will have a very effective central midfielder.
We are in desperate need of new forwards - I believe that Vaughan and Anichebe are letting us down bigtime.
Vaughan is a disaster waiting to happen and Anichebe just hasnt got the heart and commitment to get on the pitch and grab the opportunity.
He’s out of contract, stalling on a new one and would be relatively cheap> Moyes fancied him a few seasons ago but failed a medical before joining Pompey
Why on earth would we suddenly want to "free him up"
Toms article is spot on. it’s taken DM an eternity to play him there but our play is now consistantly more intelligent than the opppositions - including the two richest clubs on earth, Villa and Spurs
I’m with Tom, Arteta has to stay there
Everton are improving and have been for weeks, only the very miserable cant/wont see that .
I always suspected that Moyes meant to sign him and instead got Simon Davies by accident as they were playing for the same team and have very similar names... an easy mistake to make.
Anyway, the team are now looking a lot more focused and playing with the skill and determination they are known for and for that we have David Moyes to thank if for no other reason than he is starting to play lads like Arteta and Osman in their best positions. Here?s hoping he can keep up the good work.
But seriously I think Gudjonsson would be a great signing on loan. With Obinna on the right, we would then only have to fill the left wing spot. In the current climate, I think Etherington would be the candidate, not ideal but hey ho, if it's an initial loan then nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Nick, I totally agree, Peanuts was great on the ball but his distribution was woeful. Against teams like Chelski, even with 10 men, you can?t give the ball away, they have players who can punish sloppiness like that. I remember when we played them at Goodison and they beat us with 3 goal-of-the-season candidates ? all individual efforts.
Arteta has been so short of form left on the wings for too long of a time now. His crosses can?t beat the first man and he has never (at any of his clubs) had the pace to take the ball past a man. He is starting to become the player that I feel we NEED in our side. Someone who turns to the centre backs and looks for the ball then creates something. Since Moyes has moved him in the centre has anyone linked the fact that hoofball has almost disappeared?
If there is now one area that Moyes and Round need to work on (both are defensively minded coaches) it is his tackleing. He started at Barca in this position and whilst when he was at PSG he played the deep midfield role. It was Rangers that turned him into a winger.
Still looking for that striker!!!!
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1 Posted 23/12/2008 at 15:01:55
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Bellamy; another sick note
Jo (a rich man's Ade Akiniyi); ??!!! No thanks
Benjani is crap also!!!
But agree with everything else you say :)
Obinna
Lennon
Richardson
Krancjar
Michael Johnson
I feel these can improve us but doubt we will get any of them.