Gravesen: The Maniac in Midfield

The Boxing Day fixture against Bolton Wanderers was a showcase for every side of the multi-faceted Thomas Gravesen. The mercurial midfielder flaunted the good, the bad and the downright ugly in the 80 minutes he was on the pitch, but do we really want to see him line-up against Arsenal?

Gravesen is the antithesis of the contemporary Premiership footballer because he is a character. In pubs all over the country, men from past generations are often heard to complain that the modern game is devoid of personalities. They may reference George Best or Paul Gascoigne as flawed geniuses, smiling affectionately at memories of them finding time to interact with fans somewhere between nut-megging a bemused defender and scoring a 30-yard screamer.

The BBC?s reluctance to show more than 30 seconds of Everton?s matches has seemingly denied these men of the opportunity to witness the fist-waving, face-screwing lunatic who has appeared at Goodison Park on several occasions over the past decade.

In the 6 months before he left us for the Galacticos, Gravesen was nothing short of inspirational. Moyes had devised a system to get the best of him and in that system, Gravesen looked world class. Carsley was performing the same role that he does in the current system, just in front of the back four to break up the opposition?s attacks. We had industrious players on the left and right in Kilbane and Watson or Osman and Cahill in a central midfield role, but with a license to get forward. Bent provided us with a very willing runner up front to work the channels and chase balls into corners, stretching defences. This provided Gravesen with an almost free role and acres of space in which he was rarely required to perform defensive duties. It suited him and benefited the team. He stood out as a player with good technical ability in a team otherwise lacking in craft and guile and when he didn?t play, we struggled to create a goal-scoring opportunity.

In previous seasons, Gravesen was inconsistent to say the least. He would have 1 great game in 5 or 6. More often than not he would keep hold of the ball for too long, turn into trouble and fall over flailing like an idiot. His likeable, if a little peculiar personality though, always maintained his special bond with the Goodison faithful, particularly the Gwladys Street crowd.

In the current squad, Gravesen is no longer the only player with genuine class and ability. Arteta is the magician, Pienaar is capable of unlocking defences and works incredibly hard, Osman has developed into a consistent Premiership performer and then there is the talismanic figure of Cahill.

Against Bolton Gravesen started poorly just as he did against AZ Alkmaar in Holland. He didn?t seem to know what his role was in the team — something that is paramount to being a success in a Moyes side. He wasn?t finding space to receive the ball often enough and when he did receive it he gave it straight back to whoever had passed it to him. He looked like a player low on confidence, lacking match practice and out of his depth.

He still possesses a sublime touch and this was demonstrated in the first half even though he didn?t play well. He has the ability to kill a ball dead with a deftness of touch more akin to a Brazilian than a burly Dane. One first-time volley from 35 yards looked to be headed straight for the top corner until it hit a Bolton defender on the way. However, his tricks against Bolton in the first half were just not effective, he was caught in possession too often and the crowd became increasingly infuriated.

Even in his prime, I always thought Gravesen was better in the second half and the Bolton game was an example of why this is often the case. As the game progressed and the opposition tired, Gravesen had more time on the ball, he wasn?t closed down as quickly and became more involved in the game. He looked to be at his nonchalant best, stroking the ball around for a 15-minute period before he was substituted.

Any game that includes the overweight Kevin Nolan, inexperienced Danny Guthrie and ageing Ivan Campo is likely to open up sooner rather than later and that is exactly what happened. As soon as the whistle blew for the second half we stepped it up a gear and Bolton looked clueless and fatigued. This was Gravesen?s cue to stamp his authority on the game and he took it graciously.

Arsenal on the other hand will be a very different game. Their midfield boasts some of the world?s best, fittest and most athletic midfielders and we will be lucky if the game opens up before the 85th minute. My primary concern is that Gravesen will be made to look like a boy against men. They will no doubt take the ball from him with ease as he is taking his usual minute and a half to shape his body into the perfect pose for playing a pass.

Incidentally, this is something that irritates me beyond belief with professional footballers and even amateur ones who I play against or alongside. David Beckham has a lot to answer for if you ask me. There seems to be an increasing amount of players with more style than substance and an obsession with positioning the left arm at an exact 45-degree angle to stroke the ball with such precision when playing a 5-yard pass. Gravesen is Everton?s biggest culprit of this self-indulgent trait and I am sure Arsenal will capitalise on it.

I can see it now — Flamini, Diaby, Fabregas, Gilberto frequently brushing the bald Dane aside as he dilly-dallies on the ball. I suspect this will result in a frustrated Gravesen acting erratically even by his own standards, unless he is of course sent off.

The only way Gravesen could be a success in our current side and system is if he refrains from running around like a headless chicken, rarely moves from the centre circle and keeps things ticking over nicely. He could control the pace of the game from this position, which would also present him with an opportunity to display his attributes and mask his limitations. Jan Molby made a career out of it and the highly classy, if a little immobile Campo has done a decent job of impersonating the former for the past 5 years at Bolton.

I would rather see us line-up to face Arsenal without Gravesen in the starting 11, but I accept that Moyes may have his hand forced by injuries and the lack of midfielders with first team experience in our squad.

What are the alternatives to playing Gravesen?

• Neville in midfield with Hibbert at right back- this would represent a step backwards surely.
• Jagielka in midfield and Valente at left back with Lescott moved inside- tried and failed earlier in the season.
• McFadden out wide and Arteta or Pienaar in the middle- there?s a good chance we will not see McFadden in an Everton shirt again.
• We could even revert to 4-4-2 and play Johnson, but I do not think Moyes is at all convinced by Cahill in midfield 4.

The only other option would be to play one of the fringe players like Anderson who has returned from Barnsley or a youngster like Vidarsson, but there is no way Moyes will experiment with fringe players in game this big.

I think we have the players and resources to beat Arsenal, but it will all depend on the system we implement. If we play the same team and system that we did against Bolton then I am sure our midfield lunatic?s shortcomings will be exposed and punished by a ruthless Arsenal side.

We have moved on as a team and a club since Gravesen left and while he might have been ahead of us back then, I suspect we may have passed the regressing Dane in his fall from grace and our recent ascent. I think the best we can hope for from the midfielder is a swansong and a few laughs. I am praying it is the swansong we see on Saturday and not the antics of the Goodison court jester.

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