Will Moyes `go three at the back`?
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With no replacement for Lee Carsley likely to be bedded in in time for the Blackburn game, what are the chances that David Moyes will `go three at the back`and use Neville and Baines as wing-backs?
Lescott seems to have stamped his feet about playing in the centre and both Yobo and Jagielka have never shown the same form when required to play anywhere else.
With our meagre resources all three are too good to be left out and I cannot see the manager thrusting one of the youngsters in at this stage.
Of course, if he does secure the transfer of Smithy from Man Utd via Newcastle, he will have the additional option to play him in midfield or up front with the Yak. I feel a definite case of FM coming on -but that`s healthier than` whining about Wyness`anytime!
Malcolm Maynard,
Bebington Posted 05/08/2008 at 16:46:06
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Your reasoning sounds good to me Malcolm. In fact I’m not sure why we don’t employ this system a bit more anyway. Yobo, Jags & Lescott are very strong defensive trio. Baines is good going forward but a bit vulnerable in the air but the presence of trio should cover that. Neville gets a lot of slagging off on this forum but to me he is a good defender, a good organiser and not bad going forward from RB. A bit average as a midfielder but that’s not his preferred spot.
Can’t see it myself. Moyes likes an organised 4 man defence and rightly so. That 3 man back line is asking for trouble from wide areas. England used it away to Croatia and look what happened there.
He won’t change a flat back 4.
I agree with your last sentence.
Smithy? Excellent! Now we can go back to being one of those REALLY toothless attacking clubs who are, nonetheless, "difficult to beat".
3 at the back won’t work in the Premiership. Just drop one of them like a manager would.
The whole reason we need a ball winning midfielder is that our remaining midfielder do not have the physical size to constantly win it themselves. Moving to 5 at the back does not help this at all - the result will be even less ball possession than 4-4-2 without a ball winner. Yes, we’d have the extra man in defence, but we’d be constantly on the back foot and defending deeper and deeper.
The formation isn’t really the issue - Everton need some size in the middle of the pitch to compensate for Arteta, Cahill, Pienaar, Osman and Baines.
It sounds good to me, a kinda 5-3/4-2/1 seems a good formation. However, I can't see Neville getting forward too often.
It wouldn’t work, I don’t think there’s ever been a a successful team in the Prem who play 3-5-2 or a variation of that formation.
Why not just drop either Yobo or Jags and get on with it? Lescott is a must at the back, Baines would give us another dimension and Neville is in there because he’s Neville. On form Jags should be in there but I do prefer Yobo. We’ll see what happens really, we’ve got healthy competition at centre back with three very good a reliable players.
We’ll definatly go 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 next season, the good thing is that where not one dimensional, we have the ability to adapt our formation to different games.
Smithy ?? His nickname is Smudger, get it right! Personally I wouldn?t object to him joining us but it?s not the calibre of signing we were expecting. I don?t see him as a striker though, more of a poor man?s Scholes isn?t he... wasn?t he?
Unless we get some new signings in and they can intergrate quickly enough into the team, then I can see us starting 4-5-1 with Neville in the middle and Joey moving to right back. Awful prospect, as I wouldn't favour either of these two in those positions.
Can?t see it any other way though as Moyes won?t leave an experienced pro on the bench and play a kid like Rodwell in the holding role.
Bad Times!
Not a chance! It would leave us too exposed as our wide midfielders aren?t defensive enough to play as wing backs. Pederson and whoever replaces Bentley would have a field day.
Yobo wont play right back wither.
Howard, Neville, Jags, Yobo, Lescott, Arteta, Cahill, Osman, Pienaar, Vaughan, Yakubu on the opening day for me.
Even if we do sign someone know they won't start ? remember opening day of last year?
We have got a reasonable start and will be looking to get 10-12 pts on the board before the derby before injuries and suspensions kick in.
Malcolm, I can see why you suggest it and given how short we are I guess it may be considered at some point.
My own feeling is that this sort of system needs alot of disipline, understanding & trust between the defenders for it to work.
Consequently we would need to be working on it in pre-season games to allow the players to be comfortable with it.
As others have already pointed out if you get it wrong this system can leave you all over the place at the back & horribly exposed.
I think Moyes will play Jags vrs Blackburn because Yobo has had a very difficult Summer without much rest
Team to play Blackburn
Howard
Rodwell/Gosling
Lescott
Jagielka
Baines
Peineer
Osman
Neville
Arteta
Cahill
Yakubu
Not a bad team with the exception of Neville in midfield
Neville in midfield? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Didn’t DM bring Joey on for Rodwell (holding midfielder) against Colorado Rapids? So that might be an option.
Moyes will have a problem though when Lescott does start stamping his feet about playing centre back. At the moment, even though he’s settled down defensively, Jags seems to panic on the ball and boot it as far as he can. If he can gain a bit of composure and play the easy pass, he’d make an excellent holding midfielder himself.
It appears though that Davey has Rodwell earmarked for the role, which is a bit of a concern given his age and the fact that, as a midfield enforcer, he looks like butter wouldn’t melt!
WHERE ARE THOSE DAMN SIGNINGS?
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1 Posted 06/08/2008 at 02:16:35
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2 Posted 06/08/2008 at 02:53:18
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He won’t change a flat back 4.
3 Posted 06/08/2008 at 04:43:41
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4 Posted 06/08/2008 at 04:55:15
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5 Posted 06/08/2008 at 07:38:04
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6 Posted 06/08/2008 at 07:39:19
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The formation isn’t really the issue - Everton need some size in the middle of the pitch to compensate for Arteta, Cahill, Pienaar, Osman and Baines.
7 Posted 06/08/2008 at 08:16:41
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8 Posted 06/08/2008 at 08:47:16
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Why not just drop either Yobo or Jags and get on with it? Lescott is a must at the back, Baines would give us another dimension and Neville is in there because he’s Neville. On form Jags should be in there but I do prefer Yobo. We’ll see what happens really, we’ve got healthy competition at centre back with three very good a reliable players.
We’ll definatly go 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 next season, the good thing is that where not one dimensional, we have the ability to adapt our formation to different games.
9 Posted 06/08/2008 at 09:30:24
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10 Posted 06/08/2008 at 09:29:55
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Can?t see it any other way though as Moyes won?t leave an experienced pro on the bench and play a kid like Rodwell in the holding role.
Bad Times!
11 Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:42:30
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Yobo wont play right back wither.
Howard, Neville, Jags, Yobo, Lescott, Arteta, Cahill, Osman, Pienaar, Vaughan, Yakubu on the opening day for me.
Even if we do sign someone know they won't start ? remember opening day of last year?
We have got a reasonable start and will be looking to get 10-12 pts on the board before the derby before injuries and suspensions kick in.
12 Posted 06/08/2008 at 11:19:04
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My own feeling is that this sort of system needs alot of disipline, understanding & trust between the defenders for it to work.
Consequently we would need to be working on it in pre-season games to allow the players to be comfortable with it.
As others have already pointed out if you get it wrong this system can leave you all over the place at the back & horribly exposed.
13 Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:08:34
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Team to play Blackburn
Howard
Rodwell/Gosling
Lescott
Jagielka
Baines
Peineer
Osman
Neville
Arteta
Cahill
Yakubu
Not a bad team with the exception of Neville in midfield
14 Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:38:49
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15 Posted 06/08/2008 at 13:09:38
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Moyes will have a problem though when Lescott does start stamping his feet about playing centre back. At the moment, even though he’s settled down defensively, Jags seems to panic on the ball and boot it as far as he can. If he can gain a bit of composure and play the easy pass, he’d make an excellent holding midfielder himself.
It appears though that Davey has Rodwell earmarked for the role, which is a bit of a concern given his age and the fact that, as a midfield enforcer, he looks like butter wouldn’t melt!
16 Posted 06/08/2008 at 13:26:20
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