Jack Grealish’s brilliance being wasted by misfiring strikers

It must be energy-sapping when you see you're flogging a dead horse week after week as chance after chance goes begging.

A lot of these ‘chances' are cutbacks for the likes of Gana and Garner.

Easy to blame the strikers and neither have been great but the issue is we are not playing to their strengths and we're often creating chances for the wrong players.

Beto has been the main culprit.

Nevertheless, Grealish, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Garner, Gana, O'Brien, Mykolenko and Röhl never look like scoring either.

When you see Alcaraz and Armstrong play precision passes behind the defenders for Beto to use his speed and strength, you see the potential to score.

On the other hand, he is not good at hold-up play or ball control, so why does Pickford keep lumping long balls up the pitch for him to win and control?

One other point that has been my beef for years is that we constantly look for goals from our Number 9 because we don't buy or develop goalscoring midfield players. Even the likes of Tarkowski are no longer productive from set pieces.

However, as was discussed on Kieran's article, Moyes isn't doing himself any favors with static setups. We need to take some chances in the second half because teams have figured out how to soft double on Jack and get away with it.

We simply don't have enough smartly timed runs with players who are threats around the box. We need to get Ndiaye and Jack in adjacent positions at some point. Long enough so that the opponents have to make an adjustment, then maybe some of our clunky plays would produce opportunities.

How did the likes of Beto become a top-flight professional footballer, when he can't even accomplish the basics, and seemingly can't even score a goal?

All of the three players mentioned above have the ability to beat a man in a confined space. Is anyone else thinking of this possibility?

Ndiaye has been playing really well on the right; I would start Alcaraz at Number 10 ahead of Dewsbury-Hall, who I thought was very poor against Spurs.

Our real problem is the low block and a lack of pace. What can you do, there was a clamour for youth and we had a threadbare squad. it's going to take years to regularise.

Garner and Gana, despite multiple shooting opportunities created by Jack and Ili, have one apiece. And Tarkowski and Keane aren't finishing set pieces (although Jake did last weekend).

Only Ili is really cashing in consistently.

Ndiaye is a very effective presser so there will be no loss in that regard. Dale (5) makes a good point that we need to get Grealish and Ndiaye linking more.

Why not try something different with maybe Ndiaye up front with Alcaraz supporting him because the system Moyes has been playing isn't working. Let's face it, we have nothing to lose.

Sunderland have started the season well and will be up for it with a passionate crowd behind them but I feel, if we start positively, it's a game we should be getting something out of it. COYB

- low block and lack of pace is a big problem

- Grealish slows things down a bit too much and doesn't suit Beto's game

- we have sterile possession (excellent phrase, Dale) as a result of the lack of pace and movement and crap full-back play

- the strikers are not being provided with bags of chances

It's nice to have Grealish because he's skilful and famous etc but…

Maybe we just needed someone fast and direct rather than someone slow and technical?

I think we'd be more of a goal threat if the three behind Barry were Ndiaye, Alcaraz and Dibling.

Let's have it right: the strikers aren't being teed up with sitters. I'm no fan of Beto but his last two on target got pretty good saves from the keeper. Barry isn't getting any meaningful game time.

Grealish was poor first half against Spurs but had some exceptional dribbling, ball carrying in the second half, that all came to nought as he mostly cuts in-field and the next player does little to nothing with it.

I'd like to see Alcaraz in the middle rather than Dewsbury-Hall because I feel Alcaraz will get more shots of feed balls into the strikers than Dewsbury-Hall, who has been mentioned variously on here, doesn't afford much attacking intent. Alcaraz is all attacking intent.

Firstly, Dewsbury-Hall is an excellent player and links up well with Grealish and Ndiaye; dropping him would be a big mistake.

Alcaraz is a good option as striker in place of Beto or Barry; both are useless.

Gana is a weak link, painfully slow passing and recovery; he is well past it.

Garner is best placed instead of Gana at centre-midfield.

Mykolenko is another who needs replacing, every winger turns him inside out and he can't block crosses.

We desperately need two full-backs; Jake O'Brien is doing his best but is out of position.

The jury's out on the rest of them.

I think it's £50M isn't it? ... but could probably be negotiated down to, say, £35M.

I'm not sure.

We had someone fast and direct, name of Doucoure. If you'd rather have him than Jack, I'm ordering up some testing for you. Involves a cup.

Pete #17, painfully, I believe you may be right about Gana. The league's leading tackler last season is now a distant third in his own club, behind even Ndiaye, and his passing isn't getting any better.

I would drop Dewsbury-Hall into the spot next to Garner and, as Jon and others have suggested, give Charly Alcaraz the starting job at Number 10 for a while. He knows how to release Beto through the backline.

For all his ability, Grealish hasn't yet proved to be a big difference maker for us -- and probably isn't as effective for us as Ndiaye on the right wing.

Might we look better as a side with someone in the style of Schade, Ouattara, Sarr or Semenyo who is more of a wing forward than a wide playmaker? Emphasis "in the style of" -- not suggesting we actually buy these players.

It's possibly too early to judge -- but you can probably see where I am going with the question.

Whatever the case, Doucoure isn't the right comparison to Grealish -- different position and role in the team. There's an interesting comparison with Dewsbury-Hall (who gives us more overall) but we can save that for another article..

No wonder we find it hard to score goals.

It's easy to pick holes in players once the results don't go your way. It's worth remembering that last season we had Harrison and Lindstrom on the flanks. He's a massive improvement on that.

It is true we look to have become predictable. The strikers are limited and the defence drops too deep. It's up to Moyes to solve these problems. I'm not sure leaving out our best and most impactful player would help.

As for signing him at the end of his loan? Mixed feelings. He's reaching the latter years of his career and it might be more sensible to invest in younger players. But I would love to see him with better players around him. Especially a full-back who wasn't afraid of the ball.

The full-backs play a more inverted role in Moyes's system. They are not told to overlap.

But if you'd been watching, I think you'd have seen him on the pitch for a few more than 2 matches.

In fact, the senior side has had a total of 11 games in league and cup so far. I won't spoil it for you by telling you how many of those he's been involved in.

In fact, why don't you tell us which of those 11 games he hasn't had any involvement in?

A top quality player. Him and Ndiaye are a class apart and we're lucky to have them.

I‘d beg to differ over Grealish being our best player this season.

I'd say Ndiaye with his three goals in the three wins v Brighton, Wolves and Crystal Palace helping us to 9 points out of the 11 we have gained.

He hasn't been that bad creating chances in a lot of those games with an assist v Liverpool and doing a lot of defensive work as well.

Gana was awesome last season but perhaps is finally fading (could Rohl play there?).

As for Alcaraz, he fades in and out of games, but while he certainly looks best through the middle, I'm not sure he'll turn Beto's form round all that dramatically. Would rather we drop Beto.

Yes, Coleman and Baines did overlap, but Moyes seems to have continued as Dyche had in his system of inverted wingers with no overlapping full-back. I agree, overlapping full-backs would help as you suggest.

Dave #30,

Ndiaye does seem to be more effective. He is new to that position and seems to be putting a lot of work into it.

What matters is how well the team is working together. Not how good the individuals in the team are. Right now, we seem to be less than the sum of our parts.

We still have a decent player on our hands -- but, are we Mr Moyes, by overusing him (and having him always stuck out on the wing) getting the best out of him?

Grealish (and Ndiaye) can fire in good balls all day, but -- with a couple of interchangeable under-achieving galoots in the middle -- what's the point? Both have to come inside more, get into the box and create a bit of panic.

"Well, shake it up, baby, now (shake it up, baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it all out)"

I think our full-backs are unable to make overlapping runs because they are rubbish -- not because of any tactical instruction. We have really awful full-backs -- probably the worst pair in the Premier League from an attacking point of view.

Sam, you're right, we are playing like less than the sum of our parts. I think that's because the parts don't fit together well.

They are the opposite of what we need with two wingers who like to cut in and leave space for the full-backs to overlap.

But, I thought part of the problem v Spurs was that Gana and Garner played too deep. They were sat in front of the defence playing a low block for most of the game. One of them needs to get forward.

As for our attackers, let's be kind and say the football is not their friend...

That said, each one of the players listed @10 has been more important for us so far this season than Beto and Barry with their pitiful one goal between them.

But don't worry, it's all about service — not the quality of said misfiring duo. They will bang them in with better service.

Michael #27, Barry has played 247 league minutes. That's the equivalent of 2.8 matches. Add in another 106 in Cup ties and he's been on the pitch for less than four games. That you and others are so eager to write him off as "useless" after that ridiculously short period of time just blows my mind.

We seem allergic to players with quality -- Grealish, Gordon, James, Richarlison, even Kanchelskis. Lord knows there have been precious few, but all questioned despite being head and shoulders about the rest of the team.

Yet we love the talentless players like Beto, Niasse, Stracqualursi, Harrison and Doucoure (I could name a hundred others) simply because they have a good attitude, love the club, run about a lot, and track back?

Of course they loved the club. They were all crap and could not believe their luck to be playing for a club this size.

How has this tendency played out for us over the last 30 years? I think it is the successful outcome of Kenwright's long-term indoctrination plan to dumb down expectations.

We have strikers who can play a certain way. They had a few chances which they should have taken but overall we are not playing to their strengths.

We are overly dependent on Grealish and Ndiaye. Grealish slows the game down. We are not using McNeil, Alcaraz and Dibling enough.

I don't get the obsession of using Dewsbury-Hall for large parts of the game. He works hard and contributes defensively but very average from an attacking point of view.

Moyes isn't changing his approach and is not making proactive substitutions. We have a good squad but Moyes is not getting the best out. He has to try something different.

We are lucky to have him.

This often yielded up chances from the loose ball. We have had very little of those type of chances this season.

I like Grealish but he does need to take more risks by shooting or putting the ball in quicker. Holding onto the ball out on the left, drawing 2 defenders and then passing it infield to Dewsbury-Hall who I have yet to see take a shot at goal is a waste.

I like Dewsbury-Hall work rate but he also needs to shoot. If the inside pass is to Garner, then there is some chance of a shot.

As said already, with the exception of Ndiaye, none of the other midfielders can score.

Jack Grealish's brilliance being wasted by mediocre manager

He said the main frustration with Grealish is that any attacking momentum on the break is lost the minute he gets the ball.

Guardiola used to do his nut in on the sideline when City attacked on the break and Grealish would put the handbrake on the minute he got the ball. Guardiola would shout "Jack, faster! Jack, faster!" every time he got the ball.

When Grealish gets the ball, he instinctively slows down, the ball sticks to him like glue, and he draws players to him, which is why he gets fouled so much.

The only issue is when he gets the ball, he allows the opposition to collectively reset its formation. Which effectively means our forward line gets marked out of the game.

It was an issue at Man City with Jesus and Haaland up front, but they had De Bruyne, Silva and Foden to break teams down. This is compounded and made worse for us with the fact we have Beto and Barry and a weaker team collectively to break through a static well-drilled defence.

He's a good player but, despite his stats, I can't help but feel if he's hurting us more than he's helping.

I don't know what the solution is unless we somehow change the way he plays… and something tells me that is just not going to happen.

However, one thing is certain: we will not be playing Dyche football, and we will have some clever, entertaining players on the pitch.

Remember, we are work in progress, and still a long way from being a guaranteed top-half team. It's frustrating but it's going to take time; meanwhile, I hope we can get sufficient points to keep us out of trouble.

Apart from our inability to score goals the last two games have illustrated that we also have defensive issues and I expect that other teams will try to expose this.

I hope the Manager will tweak the side and we will see changes to make the forwards more effective and the defence more dominant. Easily done?

When Grealish signed for Man City, he went missing for 12 months and hardly started. This was apparently because Guardiola was trying to recoach and remould Jack to get him faster in the transition.

Guardiola micro-manages every player in his team when in possession of the ball and the only word Guardiola would ever shout when Jack got the ball was "Faster, faster, faster."

Eventually, Guardiola just got fed up of him and dropped him. He couldn't change him.

Our problem is that Moyes got Grealish to come to Everton by stroking his ego and making sure he knew he would start every match and all play would go through him. In the World Cup year, it would all be about Jack.

As a result, the Moyes tactical masterplan has been sussed: double up on Grealish and our play grinds to a halt, our strikers are statues marked out of the game.

Ndiaye aside, how can you expect a team fighting relegation for the last 6 years to suddenly play possession football and slowly pick teams apart with intricate skill and flair?

If you played Ndiaye on the left, we'd be faced with a similar issue of double-marking him.

The issue isn't those two talented players, it's the speed the ball comes to them, and the lack of decent runners off them.

When the ball can be played out quick, it's 3 or 4 touches, and the time and space is closed. The full back is too deep and the opposition know he's not good enough on the ball when he does receive it.

Does Dewesbury-Hall offer enough support to Jack? I'd say Garner offers more, which is odd.

I do admire the patience of many Evertonians. Our neighbours win every major trophy there is with some regularity, and we have to keep waiting season after season.

I'm 56 and I'm now wondering if I will see Everton win anything again. Not winning anything, or seeing goals and attacking football has now become accepted learned behaviour.

I hope our owners look at younger positive managers (very soon). We need a boost.

Grealish is slowing the play down and the problem is now that, in front of a static defence, he's laying the ball off to Mykolenko, Beto, Gueye and Gardner. Whereas previously it was Haaland, Walker, De Bruyne and Foden.

We can't break a static defence down we don't have the quality.

Opposition teams got that used to it, they didn't bother to challenge in midfield, just made sure they were back in formation to retrieve the ball and counter-attack.

I am baffled by the lack of Everton's set-piece preparation, both attacking and defending. I would have thought it a must.

And I don't see Moyes changing the way we're set up either (and in truth he doesn't have a lot of options in that respect either).

Who is more likely to be here next season: Moyes or Grealish?

You said Grealish has been a massive difference maker in all kinds of ways but you never elaborated those “All kinds of ways”!

Why is it wrong to point out the faults of Grealish? He has them and more praise him or over hype him than criticise him.

Gordon always had the potential he is showing now at Newcastle — he flattered to deceive more times than he glowed while with us.

James was adored by plenty of Everton fans and I liked him a lot when he showed those moments but he was a flop just as often in many games.

Richarlison had his moments and had more supporters than critics I'd say.

And being honest, did Kanchelskis have any critics?

I would only add that Garner understands what is possible due to his tenure here. I believe Dewsbury-Hall is a thinking footballer who can figure it out with time.

I think he'd be more effective in the middle.

He's on loan; do they decide to make the deal permanent or do they pass on that option, bearing in mind the club will also have to possibly identify the next manager as I don't see Moyes staying beyond his contract.

Signing Grealish long term may not be in the plans of the next manager. Just thinking ahead.

Grealish and Ndiaye have managed to wriggle through but usually provide cut-backs for oncoming midfielders whilst the play is generally ponderous as both wingers don't get to the byline quickly and the defence is allowed to reset.

Beto can sore goals if the ball is threaded through a gap for him to run onto but this is not happening.

He'd look even better if we had a better left-back and a proper striker. The suggestion we are missing Doucoure is hilarious. And while I agree with some of what Steve Brown says, I don't remember Harrison getting much love. Or indeed any.

Dave #54, I see three ways that Jack has made a difference:

1. His obvious ability to set others up with scoring opportunities, which is proven by the statistic Anjishnu quotes.

2. The fact that he attracts so much attention from the opposition, creating more space in the attacking end for his teammates -- the shooting lanes for Garner's shots being an excellent example (we need to take better advantage of this).

3. Ball retention and lack of turnovers. He is our least likely player to lose the ball in a key area and trigger a counterattack for the opponent (Dewsbury-Hall and Gana are often culpable for this).

Sure, I too would like to see him shoot more and not slow the ball down so much when he receives it at his feet. Some one- and two-touch work might make him even more dangerous. But I still think he's really, really good.

Grealish and Ndiaye try their hearts out with Inadequate help from their full-backs. If we have a proper elite left-back and right-back, we would see the best of our wide players. Until then it's tough to judge them…

Keane Lewis-Potter from Brentford gets my vote.

I don't love Mykolenko or any crap player we've signed over the last 10 years.

On other occasions, he stops just outside the corner of the penalty area and plays a shortish pass inside to Garner or Gana to shoot.

I'd like to see further options given to him, say Ndiaye moving into the centre to occupy the central defenders while Beto, or even O'Brien from out wide on the right start a run towards the far post while Grealish cuts back and fires a long, high ball towards that run.

In other words, more options may not only help Grealish but also give the opposition more to think about. As I've said before, Grealish should be the icing on the cake, not the only flavour.

In our previous great teams, there has always been more options, the most obvious Harvey, Ball, Kendall and Morrisey. Anyone remember who played wide right or did Jimmy Husband just come in on the back post when Joe Royle had taken the defence with him, and vice versa?

Yes, I know, rather an unfair comparison.

Was he a problem? No, the issues we faced were not buying more players of that ilk, rather the host of labourers that followed.

One tip for Moyes is probably put the better players nearer to Grealish. Players on his wavelength.

If you want a class team, it needs class players in it.

I'm glad you mentioned Johnny Morrissey — he was a real winger who did his job up and down that wing attacking and defending, scored a few and put plenty of assists on to the head of Joe Royle.

He accepted the responsibility he was given, like the penalty v Leeds in the semi final of the cup, and before anyone mentions he had better players around him, Shankly knew of his vast potential in Liverpool reserves and the games he played in the first team. He went berserk when Liverpool directors sold him behind his back to Everton.

Morrissey was one of my favourite players from that or any era. Talented as you say and hard as nails.

I remember him putting so-called hard man Jack Charlton in his place, and Charlton, and other pseudo hard men didn't want to know afterwards. Cracking player!

A tough little nut who could give it and take it if anyone tried it on with him.

Tommy Smith knew the score with Johnny and never got into any trouble with him!

A wonderful player and it reminds me of Brian Labone's tongue-in-cheek remark about 1970 being the only time three men won the league.

Morrissey went over and appeared to be seeing if Charlton was okay, but actually said “Put that in your fuckin black book” and trotted off.

Apparently, Charlton refused to mention Morrissey when asked about Morrissey and his hardest opponents.

Paul Reaney said both Everton and Johnny Morrissey were their toughest opponents.

Unfortunately later became known as the player's player and the Embassy man, but a cracking winger.

I just watched the most prolific goal scorer in the Premier League get his usual 2 goals for Man City. What is most interesting is that both were counter-attacks where he had loads of space and ended one-on-one directly in front of the keeper.

Why? Because there is quick ball to him poaching on the half -way line. If our strikers had that luxury, maybe they may get more goals. Instead, the nearest they get is a long punt from Pickford.

Not saying they would be as prolific as Haaland but I'm sure they would convert some of the chances if they become available.

Instead, we have a Plan A which is pass the ball to Grealish but this often slows down play and our strikers have only half-chances to convert.

I pay little attention to stats and Grealish is “a chance making machine” really ridiculous. He attracts so much attention from the opposition, he'd attract a lot more if he moved around a lot more and found some space in better positions to receive the ball.

He still loses the ball quite a bit to a tackle or a wrong pass and if you think he has been “a really really good player” in his seven and a bit games for Everton, then I have a different opinion to that — which doesn't make me right, of course.

On your last paragraph, I hope he does change his play and do a lot more tonight at Sunderland and start to change my opinion of him. Tonight is one of those occasions when a really good player makes a big impression on the game and result.

It'll be Moyes saying whether he wants to keep him or not and the rest of the team working out the finances and contract if so.

One of the reasons Joe Royle scored so many goals in that 1969-70 side.

https://www.followfollow.com/forum/threads/chermiti.312084/

and Thelwell with him.