Atalanta vs Everton

Bearing in mind that these are a Seri A side, they should not be under-estimated, but having said that, they only recorded their first win over Sassuolo this weekend gone. So, tempting fate, it could be a good time to face them, and again I emphasise team selection and attitude.

Reading some of the post-match comments, after the demoralizing and embarrassing collapse at home to Spurs, I think the players realise there were a lot of sub-par performances, and I sincerely hope too, that Martina, who can't defend, never plays for us again. Kenny or Holgate a must at right-back.

COYB

Ronald Koeman says he is taking the Europa League "very seriously," as Everton begin their campaign with an away tie against Atalanta on Thursday.

James McCarthy, Ross Barkley, Ramiro Funes Mori, Yannick Bolasie and Seamus Coleman are injured, whilst Aaron Lennon has also not travelled to Italy.

Koeman has indicated he may make some changes to the team.

"We have more than 11 players available, so we can make some rotations," he said.

"But, like always, we will start with a strong team,"

Cypriot side Apollon Limassol and France's Lyon are the other two sides in Group E.

I would go with:

Pickford
Kenny Keane Jagielka Baines
Gueye Klaassen
Lookman Sigurdsson Calvert-Lewin
Sandro

Subs: Stekelenburg, Martina, Holgate, Williams, Davies, Schneiderlin, Rooney.

I'd be looking at giving Klaassen a chance box-to-box. Seems like a clever footballer. It is not that I don't rate Schneiderlin, I just don't think he gets forward at all. Let Gueye do the mopping up and free Klaassen up to float into pockets of space in midfield and be the link up player.

To be honest, as long as we don't have a performance like Saturday, I will be happy.

What's made it even worse some bigger idiot has given him a three year contract.

Let's hope we put the last two debacles behind us, and start to play, as a team, with joined up thinking and passing, and last but not least, a big of pace and urgency, no sideways or backward short passing.

COYB

For what it's worth (absolutely nothing) we might be better with a little less reliance on Rooney right now. Let the other new signings take center stage.

Despite his goals getting us our only points, I see a 31-year-old who should be a strong complimentary player/leader on this team being made the complete focal point because of who he is/was. And it's not to our advantage, nor his. Oh well.

Pickford
Kenny Keane Holgate Baines
Gueye
Klaassen Sigurdsson Lookman
Calvert-Lewin Rooney

Would have put Lennon in for Klaassen but read somewhere he didn't travel?

The key (again but not yet tried by Koeman) is a combination of playing players in their right positions (except maybe Klaassen) and to play our most expensive and possible most gifted player in his most suited No 10 role.

Besic must be disappointed, he's about the only fit central midfielder we have that isn't playing every game!

Pickford
Kenny, Holgate, Keane, Baines
Lookman, Gana, Davies, Vlasic
Sigurdsson
Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Stekelenburg, Jagielka, Schneiderlin, Klaassen, Sandro, Rooney, Mirallas

However, I do not for one minute think this will be the team. Expect to see Klassen, Rooney and Sigurdsson crammed into an ineffective formation again...with similar results

Worse still, if they are well beaten as I fear will happen, my passion has been diminished to the extent that I probably will speak to my wife after, and I won't kick the cat.

Best I can hope for is that they will bore Atalanta into submission and a goalless draw will be lauded as a great result.

I'm not his biggest fan but I would have took Bony on loan for 1 year as a stop gap until next summer.

It's such a shame we are now going to be depending on a youngster who, 10 months ago, we all thought, Who?????

Might not be the walk up to the old lady but still match chills!

UTFT!

I would say our best ball crossing players are Sigurdsson, Ross and Coleman. Other than that I think we are very thin in that respect, even Bolasie is not very good at it, Mirallas always cuts inside to shoot, Lennon never did have that 'final ball'. Lookman looks to me to be another who likes to generally cut inside. Kenny looks like he can cross a ball but he seems to have shat in Koeman's hot tub.

22 Stekelenburg
30 Holgate
6 Jagielka
4 Keane
3 Baines
21 Besic
2 Schneiderlin
27 Vlasic
10 Rooney
18 Sigurdsson
29 Calvert-Lewin

Martina on the bench is a good call... but there instead on Kenny... not a good call at all.

As for Barkley, one of the most overrated players for a long time, and that goes for his crosses too. Time and time again, he would put too much pace on it and it would go out the opposite side for a throw in. Or he would try to curl each cross and it would go bend out behind the goal for a goal kick, garbage.

I don't miss Barkley's gormless face running in a straight line up the pitch, which always resulted in one of three likelihoods. Either he would stop and think for 5 seconds before passing it right back to Jagielka. He would either standing looking gormless for 5 seconds, by which time the rest of the opposition had got back into position. Or, he would simply run into a player and fall down, sometimes dramatically, sometimes not. So so predictable. I would snap any teams hand off willing to pay 㾶m in January.

With Davies and Klaassen employed as attacking half backs it would allow flexibility up front, provided by a combination of Rooney / Calvert-Lewin / Sandro, with Sigurdsson acting as the pivot.

With Davies and Klaassen covering the gaps left by attacking full backs, the jigsaw is complete.

I think this formation suits our squad much better & gives us the width we have been crying out for.

Stekelenburg
Holgate Keane Williams Baines
Besic Schneiderlin
Rooney Sigurdsson Vlasic
Calvert-Lewin

Looking at our full strength squad:

4-2-3-1 - with Bolasie & Sandro playing as RF & LF and then dropping back.

Pickford
Coleman(c) Keane Williams Baines
Idrissa Schneiderlin
Bolasie Sigurdsson Sandro
Rooney

Stekelenburg, Jagielka, Holgate, Davies, Klaassen, Vlasic, Calvert-Lewin.

As a team it would easy to replace players for certain games, in order to gain advantage, without disrupting the formation.

Klaassen & Davies add something different than Idrissa & Schneiderlin.

Calvert-Lewin gives us a target forward & Rooney can drop to LF/RF or even CAM if needed.

Lookman & Vlasic add youth and pace.
While Mirallas & Lennon add experience (don't think they'll be here for too long though).

Then the likes of Onyekuru will slot perfectly into the system when he is back next year, and it can also easily be changed to a back 3, by shifting one player - into a 3-4-3.

Plus, the addition of a ST (Dolberg, Dembele or Batshuayi), a CB (De Vrij, Blind, Tah or Romagnoli) & a backup LB for Bainesy, who will eventually take his place (Bertrand or Chilwell) will smoothly slide right into the formation.

I trust Koeman & cant wait for this season... it's only just starting lads, let's have some patience.

I hope Davies, Sandro, Calvert-Lewin and Lookman get a chance to prove that pace and determination are more effective than old age and experience.