Silva praises Blues after important cup win

It's early doors and, though I admit to being really gutted with our start to this season, let's get behind the team and manager on Saturday and see how things go. COYBs!!!

Why worry about them, why not do what Norwich did and try and shock them by taking proceedings to them?

I can't see the benefits in having Schneiderlin sitting next to Delph and whilst much clamour has been here for Davies, he's another really who moves too slowly and seems to do everything in slow motion.

I'd be bold, partner Kean next to Calvert-Lewin and play Iwobi behind them.

Bernard and Richarlison coming in from wide area's and, if Gomes is fit, use him next to Delph or sit Sigurdsson next to Delph as he can pass a ball and is always savvy for a long-range howitzer against the big teams.

Might even be so bold to say to Coleman “Do you know what, mate, we love you but you've got serious competition now” and start Djibril Sidibe.

Anyway, let's hope for courage and a bit of style on Saturday.

I’d go with

Pickford
Sidibe
Mina
Keane
Digne
Delph
Sigurdsson
Iwobi
Bernard
Kean
DCL

I’d bring Richarlion in if needed, he’s not been looking that at it at times and looks petulant and moody, a more useful impact from the bench than Bernard however?

Even if we flood the middle with Schneiderlin, Davies and Delph it still won’t be enough to repel City, as none of the three are particularly quick or athletic players.

As for City, they see so much of the ball that they’d wear us down eventually anyway.

I say give them something to worry about.

I agree. If we play our usual line up we will have a midfield of spectators watching City tear us apart. Monte Carlo or bust we can’t contain city and hope for a clean sheet

This is going to be a game where the midfield unit of 4 (Richarlison and Bernard included here) stays compact and forces mistakes, while Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin press them into mistakes. This plays to both Schniederlin and Sigurdssons strengths.

We proved last season that this works against the better sides, the reason the aforementioned look shite this season is because it doesn’t work against poorer defensive sides.

Richarlison Calvert-Lewin
Delph Iwobi Davies
Schniederlin
Digne Mina Keane sidibe
Pickford

Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin are instructed to run wide and create space for Iwobi to come into. He’s better doing this than the slower Sigurdsson. Schneiderlin is the only pure holding midfielder we have. Davies has more energy than an unfit Gomes. Mina and Keane would be fine as we’d defend deep. Therefore we would need two attacking fullbacks to get forwards on the counter. Which makes Schneiderlins involvement essential.

Pickford

Holgate Kean Mina

Sidibe Davies/(Siggy) Delph Iwobi Digne

Richy DCL

What seems clear is that we do not presently have the personnel available to make 4-2-3-1 work well.

Dave, you wouldn't really rather see him in there than Sidibe?

I was just wondering why these two players are still on the books and not being utilised in any way.

I’ve a good idea why Martina is still here, it’s his last season with the club and he has been offered to other clubs but him and his agent ( if he’s got one) have realised they will not get an offer that is anywhere near the money he is getting at Everton.

I think it was you Mike who told me he was on £30,000 per week. Mike, the great train robbers of the early sixties got thirty years jail sentences for a lot less ( each) than Martina has robbed off Everton since Koeman sneaked him into the club.

However, I'm going to disagree with your characterization of Cuco. He hasn't robbed anybody. He accepted an offer to resurrect his derailed career and play for a manager he respected at a wonderful salary. Obviously the offer was idiotic (and many of us thought so at the time), but that's not Cuco's fault.

All you can expect of a player in exchange for his salary is that every minute of every game he gives his absolute 100% best. Cuco did that, mostly playing out of position. He's not very good, but he put it all out there. And sometimes it was good enough -- he had some decent games.

I also got a look at his character this summer at the Gold Cup when he was an inspirational captain for Curacao and led them to their finest international performance ever, reaching the quarterfinals before losing just 1-0 to the US.

Martina may be vastly overpaid for his talents, but he is no robber.

The opposite is someone like Drenthe or Van Der Meyde. Moyes was right to gamble on the pair (first was only a loan anyway) as they could have rediscovered their best form and resurrected their careers and at the time we had to gamble on such players. However, neither were 100% committed and so you can complain about them stealing a living.

Steve (35), you can’t complain too much about Martina? Leave him to me Steve, I’ll do it for you, no charge, to be honest Martina always puts me in a good mood and makes me smile, just thinking about the throw ins he took.

Put the blame where it belongs, my friend, on Koeman not Cuco. As Steve points out, we've paid a lot more to a lot worse.

Sigurdsson proved last year how vital he is against teams who look to attack us, him and Calvert-Lewin do a lot of work instigating a highly press which is backed up by the midfield. I would start him against the better teams, but leave him out against crap teams.

Many people think we already have such a player in our ranks but I'm not convinced, these type of players, creative playmakers who can score a few goals, cost a fortune unless you get lucky and unearth a diamond like Arteta.