Koeman on missing Gueye: “It's not about one player”

Lyndon Lloyd Friday, 4 November, 2016 23comments | Jump to most recent

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Ronald Koeman says that while losing Idrissa Gueye's energy because of his suspension this weekend is a blow, he is confident he has enough options in his squad to cope with the midfielder's absence.

Gueye collected his fifth booking in 10 games against West Ham last Sunday and serves a one-game ban during tomorrow's clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, robbing the Everton boss of one of his most effective defensive assets.

“Of course, it's always a miss because the boy really has a lot of energy and he wins a lot of balls in the midfield,” Koeman said yesterday in his pre-match press conference.

“But OK, it's not about one player, our squad is strong enough and we have enough choices to make about who will replace Gana at the weekend.”

Had the Senegalese been available, he would no doubt have been central to Koeman's preparations for coping with Chelsea's dynamic 3-4-3 formation that proved very successful last month when they won all of their games in the Premier League without conceding a goal.

The manager was asked about how he intends to combat that formation.

“It's not always about the system,” he replied. “I think their team is playing with really high intensity, [they're] aggressively starting every game. We need to deal with that.

“Of course, we know the system. They have the same system that West Ham did last weekend. OK, we need to prepare ourselves and get a good result.”

Everton's hopes of doing that will have been buoyed by last Sunday's win over the Hammers which ended a six-week search for a victory in the Premier League and kept the Toffees within four points of fourth place which is currently occupied by tomorrow's opponents.

Koeman was asked if the mood at Finch Farm had improved in the wake of that 2-0 win which was secured by goals from Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley.

“It's always a different atmosphere in the dressing room and in the club by winning or by losing and I think that's normal.

"Still, I have difficulties by myself accepting defeat and I expect the same mentality of my players. There are different ways to lose the game but, personally, I was really very disappointed after the Burnley game.

“The win makes it different but that's football. You enjoy a win for maybe one or two days or you can be disappointed for one or two days but them you have to prepare for the next one.

“After a defeat, you get another chance to win [a] game and if you win you like to continue winning but OK, we know that will be very difficult.”

Reader Comments (23)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

Keith Conchie
1 Posted 04/11/2016 at 07:29:12

Gueye will be a big miss tomorrow, there's no doubt about it.

Who will step in to replace him along Barry? Is Mcarthy fit? Can Cleverley go in? Or can we play with one defensive midfielder?

Many questions for the manager to ponder.

I'm confident if we get right at Chelsea from the whistle, we can get a result. They're strong in attack, but vulnerable in defence.

Phil Sammon
2 Posted 04/11/2016 at 07:50:07

McCarthy, Besic, Gibson...ok, where do we go from here?

Zahid Ibrahim
3 Posted 04/11/2016 at 07:58:39

What a waste! Would have been an epic contest between Kante and Gueye!

Dan McKie
4 Posted 04/11/2016 at 08:20:49

I'd like to see Barkley in there, but it's just too big a risk for a game like this. Chances are it could end up being like the Man City game and I am not confident that Ross has the levels of concentration required for that type of game.

With what we have, I reckon it will be Cleverley in there, just for his energy and work rate. More often than not, that is all you get from him, but hey.

Dermot Byrne
5 Posted 04/11/2016 at 09:39:33

I think Cleverley is the man and probably deserves it as he has played well when coming on as a sub.

Les Martin
6 Posted 04/11/2016 at 10:54:15

Cleverley is a much better player when deployed in the centre than on the left, so I think he can do a good job for us. He has a good engine, can tackle and pass, and this may just be his moment?

I really hope that Ross takes this game by the scruff of the neck and shows everyone that he can be boss. If we frustrate and keep Costa quiet (and I think Williams will take care of him) then we could get something from this game.

Brian Harrison
7 Posted 04/11/2016 at 11:05:31

There is no doubt we will miss Gueye tomorrow, but the whole point of having a 26-man squad is to cope with injuries and suspensions. Not forgetting that, come January, he will be missing when he plays in ACON tournament.

I would imagine Cleverley will take his place, not my favourite player but by-and-large he has done okay in games he has featured in this season. Pity that Tom Davies seems to have been left out of the squad lately as he looks to have the energy to get around the pitch and has a good eye for a pass.

But Tomorrow we still face the same dilemma: if Lukaku doesn't score, who will? Let's hope that, with Bolasie and Barkley scoring of late, they may go on a run, although their records suggest otherwise.

Don Alexander
9 Posted 04/11/2016 at 12:05:50

Les Martin, I mean no disrespect at all to Ashley Williams but Costa will work so hard to run into all sorts of channels that the entire defence will have to be 100% to stymie him and those in their midfield who exploit the space he creates.

That said, if Luiz and his mates are in the market for a second arsehole I hope Rom can provide them with what they're looking for. This is one ground where he shouldn't need any motivation.

George Cumiskey
10 Posted 04/11/2016 at 12:41:42

"Cleverly is a much better player when deployed in the middle"???

He's not a good player when he's deployed anywhere!!!

Tom Bowers
11 Posted 04/11/2016 at 13:05:57

It would always be a big task at Chelski, no matter what team they put out. However, stranger things have happened in football. Look at the three Burnley results against Man Utd, Liverpool and Everton.

If Everton can play a big game defensively (minus the mistakes against Man City) they can get a good result.

Naturally there has to be good performances all around, especially the front three (Lukaku, Barkley and Bolasie) who have to do their share of closing down. Gueye will be a loss but it gives opportunity for Cleverley to play for a starting place.

Chelsea are a much more dangerous team now than they were when they played Liverpool so Williams and Co need to be at their best to snuff out Hazard and Nutter Costa.

Anthony Dwyer
12 Posted 04/11/2016 at 14:02:38

Chelsea away is a tough fixture regardless, even more so after there recent results.

I'd seriously consider matching them up system wise using our three at the back with Jagielka, Funes Mori and Williams, leaving Barry screening, using full backs as wing backs, and allowing the other four to counter attack.

Probably not everyone's view but hey, it's my preferred choice.

Dan Egerton
13 Posted 04/11/2016 at 14:25:44

In the last three games Gueye has been nowhere near as good as he was in his first bunch of games. He wont be missed.

Patrick Murphy
14 Posted 04/11/2016 at 14:57:22

Dan (13) I'll miss him even if you don't and I'll be surprised if his team-mates don't miss him too, the lad is a genuinely good footballer. Yes he may have caught a few out at the start of the season and perhaps other teams have made a note and are making it more difficult for him but to say he won't be missed is a tad harsh on the lad isn't it?
It's about time we got a victory at Stamford Bridge in a league match but I hope that the fans don't throw their dummy's out of the pram if it goes pear-shaped, because it's never been a kind venue for Everton at any time in our history (top of my head only seven wins there since the war) and we could have done without travelling there when they are bang in form.

Tom Bowers
15 Posted 04/11/2016 at 16:14:01

Dan, I have to agree, Gueye's form has dipped a little of late and maybe that's why Everton have been struggling to beat teams like Burnley. They need consistency throughout the side to stay in the top six or better.

Ian McDowell
16 Posted 04/11/2016 at 16:28:57

Tomorrow will be a good match to evaluate our progress under Koeman so far. If we have any ambitions in the future to qualify for the Champions League, we need to occasionally win an away game at grounds like this. It will be very tough tomorrow and I'll be delighted with a point.

Tony Twist
17 Posted 04/11/2016 at 17:21:58

He will be greatly missed. It is an ideal opportunity to play a youngster who will do all the running for Barry. Cleverley shouldn't get near the side.

Mark Morrissey
18 Posted 04/11/2016 at 20:43:13

Cleverley, the thinking man's Leon Osman.

George @ 10 – he's not a good player when he's deployed anywhere!! Too right, best deployed in another galaxy far, far away. My heart sinks when I see him come on – let alone when he's actually in the team.

Andy Crooks
19 Posted 04/11/2016 at 20:55:01

Cleverley is a good player. He will be fine tomorrow. He has a chance to work hard and show that he has more to his game than we have seen. Our season can turn on one player finding his role.

Jack Convery
20 Posted 04/11/2016 at 21:17:10

I reckon Ross will be a sub tomorrow. I expect the back four to have Jags back. The midfield will have Lennon in to support Oviedo and Cleverley in for Gueye. Lukaku to play up front with support from Bolasie.

Whatever the line-up, I expect this to be our toughest test so far this season as Chelsea are flying at present. An awful lot will depend on Lukaku and how he holds the ball up and whether he can continue his bullying of their back line as he did last season.

The only real surprise I can see Koeman coming up with, maybe to play Funes Mori at left back; other than that, I think the XI picks itself.

Ian Bennett
21 Posted 04/11/2016 at 21:26:11

Robles for me

Coleman
Jagielka
Williams
Funes Mori
Oviedo

Barry
Cleverley
Barkley

Bolasie
Lukaku

Neil Wood
22 Posted 04/11/2016 at 23:45:20

Stekelenburg
Coleman Williams Jagielka Oviedo
Barry McCarthy (if fit)
Deulofeu Barkley Bolasie
Lukaku

Mark Andersson
23 Posted 04/11/2016 at 23:48:25

I enjoyed last week so a point against Chelsea would be a good result but I fear a tonking.

Koman has to earn his bread and have the team fighting...

Steavey Buckley
24 Posted 06/11/2016 at 00:20:27

Koeman on missing Gueye: “It's not about one player.â€

Unfortunately, it is.

Add Your Comments

In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.

» Log in now

Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.

About these ads