Sigurdsson makes scoring return from injury

How do any of us know if he's been rushed back or otherwise?

It might or might not be 27 minutes or 27 days late or early. His health is more important than the date of his return.

Personally, I'd prefer him to be excused from the World Cup as I'm only interested in Everton.

I'm glad he's gone. He's an ambassador for Everton there. We need more players flying our flag there to raise “brand awareness”. I just hope he comes back fit and healthy and ready to work.

Besides, any manager or club official trying to prevent him from going would have an enraged Viking horde in his front garden before breakfast tomorrow. With big axes.

World Cups have, in the past, knocked the arse out of players who have already had a long hard season. They don't get much down time to recover before being expected to start the next season in prime condition.

I don't think this is the case with Sigurdsson: rather than go into the competition on the back of a hard season, he will need the games; if he comes back sharper, it will actually be to our benefit. It's a gamble either way.

Half an hour is a decent amount of time. They are showing a welcome responsibility. I do take your point though.

The question is: Will he be an automatic pick for Everton? We have all seen he has talent and he works very hard, but I don't think can cover the ground quickly enough for Silva's liking. I suspect once the new boss gets his own men in, our boy Siggy will be warming the bench... or gone!

But we have a good few weeks to hopefully see the whole picture and how individual pieces fit. This limits to some extent how we can judge individual players. Remember, Andy Gray & Peter Reid seemed madness.

The only thing that could be worse than the last two bosses is we discover that, all along, it is a Moshiri obsession. Brands and Silva go out and buy another 6 Number 10s because it is Farhad's lucky number!

I would like an attacking three in front of him to run on to his passes and play a ‘all for one, one for all' style – I am thinking Walcott, Tosun, Lookman taking up that role – our own version of Salah, Firmino and Mane.

Ísland fyrir bikarinn!!

Given that Gylfi is so important to them and they would want him available at (almost) all costs, we really can't be sure at all that they aren't rushing him back. He might be ready but, on the other hand, he might not. We just don't know... and, if he isn't, then it's only us who will pay the price.

The Number 10 doesn't need to be fast, he just needs to be mobile and to press. Gylfi can do that.

He won't. Silva will quite often go to a five at the back. It's difficult enough to press the opposition whilst doing that. You simply cannot have passengers or people closing down after the event. Your Number 10 has to take his responsibility too.

Nigeria's goal last night was a classic example of what happens when a pressing team get caught between two stools.

All the clichés in the world will not alter this situation. The ball may move faster than the players, but I'm yet to see it press.

Sigurdsson may survive until Silva can get in somebody more suitable to his plans... but he's not going to get quicker, he will not close down as quickly as Silva will want him to.

Get used to that bench, Siggy lad. This fella wants to counter his opponents with a speed that you or your brain don't possess.

Also, I doubt Brands is going to spend big bucks on a pacier #10, considering the success PSV have enjoyed with Van Ginkel – a strong, intelligent, imposing but slow #10.

One of Silva's strengths as a manager is supposed to be that he can adjust his scheme to fit his players. I suspect he'll do exactly that to keep a player of Siggy's quality on the pitch.

However, if you're right, Siggy might have a bit of a future as a TV host: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPb0O-YYJNA

Link

If he plays and scores in Russia, he will join an exclusive group of 3 other players who have scored at 4 different World Cup Finals: Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslave Klose.

Bergkamp.
Zidane.
Hagi.
Laudrup
Baggio.
Sneijder
De Bruyne
Totti
etc, etc

Not saying Sigurdsson is on a par with any of them.
Just to show pace is not a must to play the position.

How do we know whether Sigurdsson has been rushed back or not?

I don't quite understand?

His goal at Anfield, he was with Can, in the middle of the pitch, then he left him for dead, possibly because he possesses a real speed of thought?

Pressing, is a team effort, it's about hunting in packs, and more often than not, it usually fails because not everyone is on the same page.

Different positions but I often look at Firmino who is nowhere near the quickest runner, but the kid is so effective because he's got one of the quickest brains.

It was obvious that Sigurdsson was over-priced, but I still think he's one of the best footballers around, and he's definitely someone I will be expecting to do really well next season.

For me, Sigurdsson would start in this current squad. Last season, more often than not, he was out of position but his cunning and eye for a pass will, I hope, be seen by Silva as an asset to the team.

Interesting to note that playing for the "mighty Australia" he has a much superior record in World Cup Finals to Rooney who played for England of course!

Think about it, he shon at Swansea with bog standard forwards but with us he's seemed duff. I expect the new DoF/manager team to visibly transform our attacking capabilities, eventually perhaps (in months, not years though), and he will then show himself again to be the talented footballer I've long thought him to be.

I don't mean to disrespect anyone on TW, but it's always only about opinions, and never facts. It's just a discussion board, not a fact-based meeting room.

I'll always back players to play in a World Cup, and wish them every success – I was only ever good enough to play amateur football and go on the occasional tour, but I would have loved the buzz of playing in a World Cup. People who claim Everton is more important are entirely missing the point (again, with respect) about being a footballer – you play for your country for very different reasons, and none of us have the right to deny that, in my view.

So somebody puts up a list of players who are better and faster than Sigurdsson and who have never and will never play for Silva in their careers...

Can somebody please explain why a Number 10 with pace is an absolute necessity in a Silva system?

At Estoril, the 10 was Evandro
At Sporting, he played 4-3-3
At Olympiacos, it was Fortounis (very fast)
At Hull, it should have been Evandro again
At Watford, it was Cleverley.

The front 4 at Olympaicos were rapid though. Breaking at pace is unstoppable with technically competent players. But Gylfi can do it if the ball goes wide and buys him time to get into position. It means we need speed on the flanks though, and a deep midfielder to smash it long quickly and no reliance on Sigurdsson to initiate the counter.

He has come out with too many gems and, although Cleverley is the guy who Steve repeatedly tells us was brilliant for Watford ("Zindane"), I saw an average player play slightly better than decent games in a system and surroundings that suited him. He could probably give Sigurdsson 5 yards and still do him over 50, so that point is moot.

Steve makes an awful lot of points about Silva. Frankly he has said so much, he has began to contradict himself. He has claimed that he will definitely play a pacey back three... including Keane as his main man. I'm afraid the innocence of a lot of his posts will be exposed as the season goes on.

We are talking about how Silva will set up and what he wants from his Number 10. At no point did anyone claim it was "absolutely necessary" for a Number 10 to have pace, However, the question was asked – legitimately in the context of Silva's preferred system. This is just another case of a certain poster distorting the question in a desperate attempt to make a moot answer fit. Introducing world class players who played in different systems to this debate is as moot a point as anybody could raise. We don't have any.

"I find it amazing that people who claim they know all about Silva think he will overlook Sigurdsson's lack of pace."

"Sigurdsson may survive until Silva can get in somebody more suitable to his plans... but he's not going to get quicker, he will not close down as quickly as Silva will want him to."

Do you reckon Isco would get in the Everton side?

Keane in a fast back three. Again not me. Silva rarely used a back three. I think all of the games were in charge of Watford too. 4-2-3-1 is his preferred formation 4-3-3 second and 4-3-1-2 third.

I did say Keane could play a part thinking of how Silva likes big lumbering centre-halves like Vitoria and Ranocchia, the latter is a decent Italian ball playing centre-half. Keane can do that. However, I think he will play a higher line and try to press with Everton, which is why I said he might go with Holgate instead.

zIf it isn't you who has repeatedly mentioned Cleverley's performances even going as far to call him their "Zinadine Zidane", I apologise.

And if you didn't say that Keane would be Silva's "John Terry" I apologise for that too.

Look Steve. I believe many of your points about Silva will be exposed as being one-eyed and innocent. I would love to believe they were all credible, but they're not and in your desire to promote Silva, you have contradicted yourself.

As proof of my desire to see you proved right about Silva (in most of your predictions), I will donate 20 quid to a charity of your choice if Sigurdsson starts 20 Premier League games.

I would love to see young James Maddison come in as he really is a player with huge potential and plays like a kid in the park with his mates. Just loves playing and believes in himself. He plays with speed and directness and is everything Sigurdsson is not. He takes players on and will get you off your feet.

I like Sig and would have him in the team, but couldn't he be an effective no. 8? Wouldn't sitting deeper suit him as he'd have more time to pick a pass? I would also much rather see him on the left of a front 3 than Bolasie.

In one position or another I expect him to start most games next season.

Any chance you could donate say £100 to the Brian Williams benevolent fund if he starts say three games? Please?

With Sigurdsson, I cannot envisage how we have appointed a coach and that said coach will not be instructed to work with our most expensive player. Now I don't mean interfering in Silva's work, but I envisage Moshiri hiring Silva on the basis of his coaching ability, and getting from Silva promises over using what he has now, and the minimal need for transfer funds over the new few windows. Silva must have told Moshiri he sees how to use Sigurdsson to good effect, otherwise he wouldn't have the job.

Moshiri has spent over £200m. This squad has been bought for over £250m. Moshiri is entitled to think if these players were so expensive, so highly rated at one stage, then why can't we get a top coach in to bring out the best in them and find a team within the squad. I do believe Silva would have told Moshiri he can do it.

If you check back, I was against Sigurdsson coming in. Very much against it. I wanted to retain Barkley, and thought £40+m was a ridiculous fee. I also thought Barkley had more to offer. It appears that I was wrong about Barkley as he has sunk without trace at Chelsea. But now we have Sigurdsson we have to use him.

Same goes for Keane. Although at just over £20m, it's a bit more palatable to have the lad sat on the bench.

If Sigurdsson comes back from the World Cup fit, and doesn't start 3 (or more) of the first 5 games, I'll happily pay £20 to your charity. Mine is Pancreatic Cancer UK.

I didn't make my statement to lure you into making a similar one. Sigurdsson's fitness is far from certain at this moment and I won't hold you to your commitment.

Apart from being reminded by my Mrs that I don't contribute anywhere near enough to charity, the main reason for me making my statement is simple: I don't hold with the popular belief that our boy is a Number 10 at all.

Sigurdsson has some outstanding talents he has a thunderous shot on him, he strikes a very mean dead ball, and his ability to put crosses into that zone (between defender and goalie) is second to none... but Number 10? When?

How often have you seen him thread a ball through the centre of defence? Or spot and pick out a ball that has lead to a goal? He doesn't have pace to go past people. He doesn't see the pictures a real Number 10 sees. He doesn't have a quick enough brain. These shortcomings prevent him being a top Number 10 and make him meat and drink to the like of Kante.

Sigurdsson has played under several club managers, but here he is, nearing his 30s and he still hasn't been able to make the Number 10 shirt his own under any of them. They none of them have known quite what to do with him. Most of them have eventually decided he is more use out wide.

I said he would not start 20 games, what I really meant was he won't start 20 games at Number 10, (that is the point of this debate), Silva will get a close look at that fantastic technic when striking a ball, so he will utilise him... but not at Number 10? No, not for long anyway. Sooner or later, he will find out what all those other managers have found out.

BTW, Steve, You may want to check out post #55 of Lyndon's Article entitled "Allardyce heading for the exit" dated 14 May 2018.

Regards Sigurdsson being a Number 10, I think the last of the great real Number 10s retired with Riquelmhe and Veron. Neither of whom were blessed with pace, though Veron was known to beat a man. They could thread a pass though.

Silva likes his teams to burst forward at Speed. There's three main passes his teams immediately look for: the ball to the left flank, the right flank, and the ball over the top. The latter relies on the pace of the striker rather than the pace of the number 10. Sigurdsson is far more likely to play centrally as Silva would lose pace on the flanks. The middle is congested and so the counter-attacking out ball needs to be hit into space. Which rules out the spot where Sigurdsson will be. Meaning he has time to get forwards. I don't think he is as slow as you make out.

A trick that Silva teams often utilised was to pour forwards down the flanks. Coleman could gallop down the right, lay it inside to Sigurdsson who then completes a triangle by releasing Walcott who races down the right wing, before smashing a low cross to the left wing spot where the Left Winger (Lookman / Bolasie / New Player?) arrives unmarked to tap in.

Or Coleman and Walcott play a one-two down the right, Sigurdsson has come over to offer support, he picks it up, and quickly turns and switches play to the Left Winger who races into the box unmarked. Silva has used the tactic of overusing and overcrowding the flank and getting the number 10 (or is it better to just call him a central attacking midfielder?) to hit a pre-rehearsed pass to the other flank.

Football is all about using space, creating space, finding gaps, and creating overloads, in order to increase the chances of scoring. This is something Silva clearly gives a lot of thought to, and does a lot of work with his players on.

You don't need to be a world-class passer to simply hit a ball to a man in space, Tom Cleverley was doing it well for Watford. You just need to be competent and for everyone to learn and make the runs and passes. I think Sigurdsson is more than competent and so should do this for us.

Silva is not predictable though. He has different ways of playing, and he might decide on a completely different tactic to get the best out of this squad.

He is a main man player and he and Rooney cannot play together. There is a monumental task for Silva to fit his luxury players in. Lookman, Dowell, Bolasie, Sigurdsson and, perhaps, Rooney. Also, Walcott might fit in there too. Add Vlasic and we can see that our new management team have a job on their hands.

As for the holding role, it us even more populated. Then there is Klaassen, Besic etc. We have too many players and, because of poor management, we have not a clue who is best.

Players need a run in the side to show how good they are. We have 20 players who need a run in the side. It is all down to luck, balance and a coach who will decide what he wants, pick the players and give them a chance. Alf Ramsey?
We need, more than anything, luck. We are not used to it.

I lost my dad 20 years ago, I still miss him at times, but the grieving process is past. Huge strides have been made since then. Fingers and everything else crossed for your dad.

Steve, I also echo what Darren, has just written, and hope for the best for your father, mate.

Sigurdsson can pass, has great awareness and makes himself available, can link up well with team-mates, works his socks off. And he can shoot & score, as we saw last season.

So why not use that, instead of focusing on what he isn't? Like many of our more attacking players, I suspect he'll look even better in an energetic team that looks interested in getting in the other team's penalty box.