Season 2018-19 Opinion Talking Points
Tapped Up!
11 Comments
I've always wondered why Everton were so keen on Marco Silva... he took Hull City down and his Watford team self-destructed last season, so much so that he was sacked. I read in today's "Observer" that Everton could well face a six-figure fine and even a points deduction for trying to sign a manager who was contracted to a club who had refused Everton permission to approach him. Now all clubs tap up players, managers, backroom staff and perhaps Everton were unlucky in being caught.
No, the point I'm worried about is why Everton tapped up this manager who was a failure with his two previous English clubs? Yes, we needed a replacement for Allardyce, but why Silva? One of the things I want in a manager is tactical acumen and today proved once and for all that this man is clueless.
Let's start at the back. You don't play wing backs with a back two unless the back two are really quick or if you have two central defensive midfielders who are quick enough to drop back and support the central defenders. You need a back three. Our two central defenders were caught wide and exposed three times and three goals followed. It's so basic that no other Premier League team lines up with this formation. Mina and Keane need to be either side of Zouma, if you want to play with wing-backs.
In midfield, Gueye works ever so hard, but has anyone ever seen him make a forward pass that gets to an Everton frontman? He gets the ball and passes sideways or backwards, he makes Ray Wilkins look like Colin Harvey. Sigurdsson is one of the great players when you are three up but, when you want someone to take a game by the scruff of the neck and control the midfield, he doesn't cut the mustard. Almost £50 million for a man to take free kicks and corners strikes me as excessive. I know he scored a great header today, the third one of his career, but Dixie Dean, he ain't.
Up front, Tosun is slow and cumbersome, but I feel sorry for him, he is so isolated because the midfield is too slow to move up to give him any support and the widemen stay wide all the time. When a team attacks down the right, the left wide player moves inside to support the central striker and the wingback goes wide. And vice versa when it goes on the other wing. At Everton, the wide men stay wide. This isn't brain surgery or rocket science. Tosun might be good if he had a fast striker alongside him, think Roy Vernon or Tony Cottee; as he is, he is useless as a lone striker, with no support from midfield or from the wide strikers.
Yet this is the formation a manager we "tapped-up" for his ability (allegedly), put out against a team that were without a point prior to meeting us.
Yes, we had injuries and suspensions, but so many players are inadequate and the tactics were frankly rubbish.
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Reader Comments (11)
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2 Posted 16/09/2018 at 22:38:27
Silva is making a mess of this early doors but it's difficult to judge him too much with the injuries, late signings and two questionable red cards. If we don't beat Fulham, the knives will be out.
3 Posted 16/09/2018 at 22:43:39
Set up aside, many of them had a mare of a game. In my opinion, the only players who did well were Digne, who I thought had an excellent game, and Bernard. The rest were awful. It's like when one or two are having an off day, it spreads. Confidence I guess.
Richarlison will be back, hopefully along with Mina. And my word, a lot of hope will be resting on their shoulders.
Do you think Mosh has kept big Sam's number?
4 Posted 16/09/2018 at 23:25:42
I can only offer my long-held, oft-repeated cry of: What in Hell's name do they do at Finch Farm that holds any resemblance to Premier League football?
5 Posted 16/09/2018 at 00:07:55
But he was the only candidate for the job and Everton needed one. Given the tripe this season, according to Rooney, ‘honest ‘Big Sam would have inflicted on us had he been allowed to stay. Brands made it a condition of taking his jon, that both of them should be gone. Moshiri came up with that decision himself? Give me a break.
The defence shows no evidence of organisation or coaching, Two weeks at Finch Farm to iron out problems evident in previous games have come to nought. The midfield seems to have no idea of forward or offensive tactics and is clearly disjointed.
The forwards were a selection nightmare: Calvert-Lewin should never have been on the wing, Tosun cannot take a chance or take on and beat a marker, clearly evident from previous performances.
Lookman should have been on the wing and Calvert-Lewin in the centre-forward role.
Brands had difficulty convincing players that Everton was a career move, but has overcome the problem by engaging injured players who are prepared to take a risk. The effective looking Bernard is a shoo-in to replace Sigurdsson. Gomes and Mina should improve play. Richarlison hopefully has learnt that tackles can be verbal as well, and very effective in stopping him playing.
The big problem is Silva's ability. The problems where glaring from the first four matches – he hasn't addressed them.
West Ham did an Arsenal on us; next week Everton face the real Arsenal.
6 Posted 17/09/2018 at 01:21:37
I’m quite looking forward to seeing a team like the one below:
Pickford
Coleman - Mina - Zouma - Digne
Gueye - Gomes
Walcott - Bernard - Lookman
Richarlison
I think that would be a very different side to the current one.
7 Posted 17/09/2018 at 07:13:03
I do think your team selection is good; Silva's isn't.
8 Posted 17/09/2018 at 07:47:27
No quick answers on the immediate horizon.
9 Posted 17/09/2018 at 08:29:12
10 Posted 17/09/2018 at 09:42:06
We haven't had a functioning midfield unit since... well, since I don't know when, this century? And If I could remember it, it would be a few years ago and even then it wasn't very good... top 4 good.
We've had a few decent players: Gravesen, Arteta, Pienaar, Fernandes, Fellaini, etc. The last being Barry. But never a decent 3-, 4-, or 5-man unit.
Until this is addressed, nothing will change.
12 Posted 03/10/2018 at 19:23:47
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1 Posted 16/09/2018 at 21:44:46
If there was a bubble of optimism inflated over the summer today it has well and truly burst. Reality has bitten us on the ass. Back to square one.
If you want a bit of a lift Richarlison is back and Calvert-Lewin and Tosun will never play from the start together again. Digne has a touch of quality and Bernard will be an asset.
If you want to give Silva a bit of leeway you could say he is still learning about the players and their capabilities. Or should I say incapabilities?
But I agree too, the manager is far from being beyond justified criticism. I felt more than a bit concerned when I saw today's team sheet but it's very very early days... give him some time.