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Where will Landon Donovan fit in at Everton FC?
Comments (15) : Everton's current attacking options are Louis Saha,Yakubu, Jo, Victor Anichebe, and James Vaughan:
Yakubu is currently out of form after returning from an eleven-month layoff. He has not scored yet this season; however, he definitely has the potential to do so, having scored 72 Premier League goals. Jo, the on-loan striker, has also struggled this season with only three goals.
Anichebe and Vaughan are both still out with long-term injuries, therefore Everton's attacking options are limited.
However, Everton manager David Moyes tends to favour a 4-5-1 formation, or a 4-4-1-1 formation with Tim Cahill as the man behind the lone striker. Currently, Moyes favours Louis Saha when fit as his main striker. Saha has been Everton's best-performing player this season having already scored eleven goals.
One has to wonder what position Donovan would play at Goodison Park. Having looked at Everton's favoured formation, it is difficult to see where he would fit in. When playing a lone striker it is difficult to see Donovan usurping Saha. Moyes's faith in Tim Cahill behind the striker would mean Donovan is probably a backup in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
However, when Everton play 4-4-2 at home versus weaker opposition, Donovan is more likely to fit in up front.
One other option for Moyes is to utilise Donovan's creativity on the wing. Since the injury to Mikel Arteta, Everton's star and most creative player, the role of Steven Pienaar has become even more important. If Moyes were to play Donovan in Arteta's role it would remove some of the pressure from Pienaar and Bilyaletdinov.
David Moyes is looking to bring a talented experienced attacking player to Goodison to help end the current struggles in a similar manner to the 2002 loan-signing of Brian McBride, who scored four goals in eight Premier League matches.
Everton's current injury crisis means the addition of a man with as much international experience as Donovan can only be good thing for Everton. Also, it would be good for the US National Team for Donovan to continue to play competitive football ahead of South Africa.
Reader Comments
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1) Striker, I think he plays better with someone else up front but he should be able to play in Moyes’ system.
2) Attacking mid, Cahill’s position.
3) Winger, either left or right.
Ok, so that’s really 4 positions if left and right wing are 2 seperate positions. We have one good striker (Saha) with a history of injuries. 2 good wingers (Pienaar & Billy) you could say 3 with Gosling. And Cahill as attacking mid. We are obviously pretty thin in all 4 of those areas and Donovan could, at the worst, make a quality sub. He’s much better than Jo. Yakubu isn’t fully fit yet. He has more experience than Gosling. He is a true attacking mid as opposed to Fellaini. He’ll fit in, no doubt about that, it’s just a question of where Moyes wants to play him.
I also think this will be an absolutely inspired signing if we can pull it off. Sure, he may not have set the world alight in his previous moves abroad but he is one of the US’s absolute star players (alongside Howard).
Not only does this further raise our profile in the US (widely predicted to be an exploding market for football in the US — read more fans, tours, potential players and even investors?), but it also provides us with a much needed injection of that American never-say-die winners mentality.
I also genuinely think the Premier League is a better fit for the US game (based more on fitness and competitiveness than pure skill, unlike some of the European leagues) and I genuinely think Landon could add a much needed boost to the team and some more options when we’re faced with the major opportunities for some success this season (i.e. Europa and FA Cup — let’s face it, the league challenge is pretty much dead in the water).
Now if we can also line up a midfield hardman and/or a playmaker and probably another bit of defensive cover whilst we await Jags and lose Yobo to the AFCON, we might just be able to put this season back on track.
We therefore need any striker we can get and Donovan will get plenty of opportunities to play up front for us.
He’s a good player and he has what we’ve been lacking... real pace.
I know only what people have been writing as to his past performances in the US; it seems to me that on the basis of those, he may be just the man we want in a number of positions.
With an injury list as long as your arm I would suggest that your "preferred eleven" has not to date turned out this season.
If this is, in fact, the situation, how a seasoned international, rated as probably the best player in US, could not make, and improve, the present team is beyond me.
Without a doubt he will give us a lot more attacking ability... especially with the Yak and Pienaar out for the AFCON, this signing could not have come at a better time. Can’t wait to see him in a blue shirt to be honest. He has always been a player that I would have liked to have seen at Everton...
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1 Posted 12/12/2009 at 01:36:58
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