Carlo Ancelotti

[Bailey]

6 hours ago, London Blue said:

Tosun, Niasse to name two.

Problems are:

1) We have such a dearth of mediocre players that we have to ship those out before we can buy. 

2) Carlo has only had 1 Summer window and 2 winter windows, not enough to address all our squad problems.

3) We needed to boost midfield that was Carlo's priority and our midfield is much better, but not complete.

With some players leaving and other contracts ending we have room to manoeuvre now in the Transfer market. We desperately need a creative midfielder, and left and right wingers with pace to stretch opponents and offer a genuine attacking threat. Not to mention a right back.

We need a striker to compliment and offer competition to DCL so he can be rotated when he needs a rest or is out of form, same goes for Richy.

We are talking 5 players minimum probably 6/7, we could not of done that in the windows we had already.

 

 

 

 

 

Firstly both of these were under diffferent regimes but whilst I agree about Niasse, Tosun clearly wasnt and his signing worked for the manager at the time.

[London Blue]

11 minutes ago, Bailey said:

Firstly both of these were under diffferent regimes but whilst I agree about Niasse, Tosun clearly wasnt and his signing worked for the manager at the time.

Both were panic buys in our recent(ish) history Cenk was a Big Sam panic buy according to the gravy guzzler. 

Cant get much more panic than that.

[StevO]

34 minutes ago, London Blue said:

Both were panic buys in our recent(ish) history Cenk was a Big Sam panic buy according to the gravy guzzler. 

Cant get much more panic than that.

Sam himself was a panic buy, so Cenk was a panic buy from a panic buy. 

[StevO]

Just seen on Twitter that Carlo’s ex wife, Davide’s Mum, died yesterday. 
Horrible. 

[London Blue]

55 minutes ago, StevO said:

Just seen on Twitter that Carlo’s ex wife, Davide’s Mum, died yesterday. 
Horrible. 

So sad, heart goes out to them.

[Palfy]

10 hours ago, Bailey said:

Firstly both of these were under diffferent regimes but whilst I agree about Niasse, Tosun clearly wasnt and his signing worked for the manager at the time.

Tosun was a proven goal scorer for his club and country definitely not a panic buy, Delph and Iwobi would go down as last minute end of transfer market panic buys. And some of the others as poor decisions. 

[Bailey]

15 hours ago, London Blue said:

Both were panic buys in our recent(ish) history Cenk was a Big Sam panic buy according to the gravy guzzler. 

Cant get much more panic than that.

Tosun was signed on the 6th January. He had been linked with Allardyce in the past. Yes it may have been short-termism but when you sign Allardyce, you sign his players. He was bought for a reason, not just because no-one else was left!

(PS sorry for the tone of my previous response, I was rushing to get it sent - reading it back it looked unnecessarily aggressive!)

5 hours ago, Palfy said:

Tosun was a proven goal scorer for his club and country definitely not a panic buy, Delph and Iwobi would go down as last minute end of transfer market panic buys. And some of the others as poor decisions. 

Even Delph was signed in mid July. Iwobi feels a lot more like a panic buy but according to the club we were after him and Zaha. To me it feels like Iwobi was just next on the list and would have been scouted. Again though, he was a player who had done well the previous season for Arsenal. It is more of a bad fit, than panic.

[London Blue]

5 hours ago, Bailey said:

Tosun was signed on the 6th January. He had been linked with Allardyce in the past. Yes it may have been short-termism but when you sign Allardyce, you sign his players. He was bought for a reason, not just because no-one else was left!

(PS sorry for the tone of my previous response, I was rushing to get it sent - reading it back it looked unnecessarily aggressive!)

Even Delph was signed in mid July. Iwobi feels a lot more like a panic buy but according to the club we were after him and Zaha. To me it feels like Iwobi was just next on the list and would have been scouted. Again though, he was a player who had done well the previous season for Arsenal. It is more of a bad fit, than panic.

No worries mate, and I agree with Iwobi being a panic buy as well. 

My point is that when we make panic / short term buys they usually end up costing us so much is wasted wages and effort. Better imo to wait for the right players to become available in the summer window, unless it is an emergency.

[MikeO]

I can't remember a discussion on here about our "deep" free kick defending tactic this season, all the pundits seem to pour scorn on it but I can't remember us conceding a lot from set pieces. I'm really no student of the technical side of the game like many on here so interested in what people think, the thought being triggered by the goal United conceded last night with a high line. To me the high line gives the attacking side more options to run into space with defenders running back towards goal, but the "experts" seem to think that's the way to go.

[Romey 1878]

26 minutes ago, MikeO said:

I can't remember a discussion on here about our "deep" free kick defending tactic this season, all the pundits seem to pour scorn on it but I can't remember us conceding a lot from set pieces. I'm really no student of the technical side of the game like many on here so interested in what people think, the thought being triggered by the goal United conceded last night with a high line. To me the high line gives the attacking side more options to run into space with defenders running back towards goal, but the "experts" seem to think that's the way to go.

It pisses me off every time the commentators mention it like it's the first time they've seen us doing it. They act all confused about why we do it, but the fact is that it works for us and that's all that matters.

[MikeO]

Just now, Romey 1878 said:

It pisses me off every time the commentators mention it like it's the first time they've seen us doing it. They act all confused about why we do it, but the fact is that it works for us and that's all that matters.

That's my take on it as well.

[Palfy]

It does seem to work for us but a nightmare for keepers, I don’t know if this is a tactic that Ancelotti uses at all clubs he’s managed, or just us because he feels we lack or have lacked the ability to defend with a higher line. 

[pete0]

7 hours ago, MikeO said:

I can't remember a discussion on here about our "deep" free kick defending tactic this season, all the pundits seem to pour scorn on it but I can't remember us conceding a lot from set pieces. I'm really no student of the technical side of the game like many on here so interested in what people think, the thought being triggered by the goal United conceded last night with a high line. To me the high line gives the attacking side more options to run into space with defenders running back towards goal, but the "experts" seem to think that's the way to go.

Can't remember any this season but last year their was at least two, the late equaliser against Newcastle and the one at the end of the Derby .

[Bailey]

On 27/05/2021 at 18:11, MikeO said:

I can't remember a discussion on here about our "deep" free kick defending tactic this season, all the pundits seem to pour scorn on it but I can't remember us conceding a lot from set pieces. I'm really no student of the technical side of the game like many on here so interested in what people think, the thought being triggered by the goal United conceded last night with a high line. To me the high line gives the attacking side more options to run into space with defenders running back towards goal, but the "experts" seem to think that's the way to go.

It is a weird one though. I don't like the look of it either and I expected to see more goals conceded from it if I am honest. Against City Stones had a free header deep in our box from one but generally speaking I don't remember a lot of chances coming from it either. 

If I was an opposition manager, I would be looking to take more shorter kicks to someome at a different angle so that the line has to move and then attack that ball into the box. I think it would cause that set-up absolute chaos. 

I would be intrigued to see if other teams take it up next season.

Fwiw I also think it was Davide that does the set pieces and I think they have been one of the few success stories this season.

[Shukes]

To play the deep defence game, you need to have a dominant goalkeeper.

The idea is cut out the space between the last defender and the goalkeeper. A dominant keeper will then just claim 99% of the balls into that area. This also relies on a solid defensive line able to block runs into the box.

[Bailey]

4 hours ago, Shukes said:

To play the deep defence game, you need to have a dominant goalkeeper.

The idea is cut out the space between the last defender and the goalkeeper. A dominant keeper will then just claim 99% of the balls into that area. This also relies on a solid defensive line able to block runs into the box.

Completely agree. I think its those "blockers" that make this system work. Without them doing that job you are giving the opposition first run on you. 

[Palfy]

5 hours ago, Shukes said:

To play the deep defence game, you need to have a dominant goalkeeper.

The idea is cut out the space between the last defender and the goalkeeper. A dominant keeper will then just claim 99% of the balls into that area. This also relies on a solid defensive line able to block runs into the box.

Do you think we have a dominant keeper, not just you but the biggest criticism of Pickford was his inability to deal with balls in his area?

[Palfy]

Personally (and I’m no keeper) I have always been led to believe keepers don’t like to have their area crowded, it pushes them back towards the goal line which makes the goal bigger because they can’t cut the angles down, also they don’t like coming for the ball with players impeding their path and thirdly they have less time to react to shot or header on target from close range than if from distance. 
That could be the main reason we don’t see that defending on regular basis, keepers strongly oppose it to protect themselves.

But it’s a very interesting debate I’ve looked but I can’t find anything from Ancelotti explaining why he advocates it, maybe someone else has something on record of Ancelotti discussing it. 

[MikeO]

30 minutes ago, Palfy said:

Personally (and I’m no keeper) I have always been led to believe keepers don’t like to have their area crowded, it pushes them back towards the goal line which makes the goal bigger because they can’t cut the angles down, also they don’t like coming for the ball with players impeding their path and thirdly they have less time to react to shot or header on target from close range than if from distance. 
That could be the main reason we don’t see that defending on regular basis, keepers strongly oppose it to protect themselves.

But it’s a very interesting debate I’ve looked but I can’t find anything from Ancelotti explaining why he advocates it, maybe someone else has something on record of Ancelotti discussing it. 

From Feb article.

https://theathletic.co.uk/2408775/2021/02/25/everton-set-pieces-davide-ancelotti/

It has left some supporters scratching their heads and become one of the talking points on TV coverage.

For commentators, it is a regular source of befuddlement. 

In the last couple of months, Everton’s deep defensive line has been the subject of much debate. 

It is an outlier, a unique system that seems to swim against modern trends and has not been without its critics either.  

But how effective is it? And why have Carlo Ancelotti and his team chosen to adopt such an approach? 

The Athletic takes an in-depth look with the help of a set-piece expert. 

“From free kicks, Everton drop very deep, which makes a lot of sense considering the personnel — Jordan Pickford isn’t known for his aerial ability so protecting him is a priority,” says Stuart Reid, a freelance set-piece consultant working with top clubs across Europe. 

“There’s not much of a gap between the defensive line and Pickford, which really limits him coming out and gives him the responsibility of just saving shots. 

“Everton also don’t always have the most mobile centre-backs, which would make them potentially vulnerable to runs in behind. Dropping the line deeper plays to Everton’s strengths — giving the aerially dominant Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Dominic Calvert-Lewin space to attack and win the ball.”

From wide free kicks and corners, Everton use a predominantly zonal system featuring two banks of defenders. The deepest block consists of the side’s most aerially dominant players, such as Keane, Mina and Calvert-Lewin. If the ball comes into their area, the six-yard-box, they are expected to clear, leaving Pickford on his line to respond should they fail to do so.

The theory advanced by Reid and others in the game contacted by The Athletic is that Everton have broadly found a system that plays to their strengths. “In theory, it protects the goalkeeper, takes away the ‘target’ area for the taker and maximises the height in the team,” says another source.

Not so long ago, under Marco Silva, set pieces were an area of weakness. Opponents realised they could exploit flaws in the Portuguese’s largely zonal set-up, particularly at the back post. 

Things have improved since Ancelotti’s arrival in December 2019. Son and assistant manager Davide has been tasked with working on set pieces and other team drills during training. At 31, Ancelotti Jr is seen as a rising star in the game, with a glittering CV that includes Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. A popular member of staff with the players, his methods have been apparent since the start of the season.  

“It is something we don’t see very often,” says Reid. “Because it’s so unique, there’s not really any tried and tested best practice. Also, the usual tactics that teams deploy wouldn’t be too effective in this situation. Runs behind are limited in this set-up. In terms of defending crosses, it does look very strong.”

Yet, of late, the set-up has come under increasing focus. Against Manchester United, Everton conceded twice from crosses — including one from a wide free kick. In the thrilling FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, Davinson Sanchez scored twice from corners into the six-yard box. In the 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United, Callum Wilson stole a march at the near post to head home. So far this season, Everton have conceded five times from corners in Premier League games (the average is 4.6) and once from a free kick. Combining the two, they are middling among their peers. 

For a team packed with players such as Keane and Mina, it feels like that is underperformance.

The recent spike in goals conceded from set-piece situations also poses a question: have sides found weaknesses they can exploit?

“My problem with defending so deep is that if you lose the header then it’s so close to the goal,” Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports this month. “Whereas, when I watch teams defend high, when they do lose the first header, they might be on the edge of the box. I don’t particularly like it but it doesn’t mean it is wrong.”

Carragher was referring specifically to the goal Everton conceded to Scott McTominay at Old Trafford but he could equally have been discussing a range of other incidents. 

“The area exploited by Man Utd and Newcastle is a useful tactic against zonal marking systems,” says Reid. “Zonal marking requires most of your players defending the six-yard area, which can leave players free. With all of the height and aerial ability defending this area, opponents can win the ball further away and either strike at goal or redirect it for a better chance. This is something I recommend quite a lot against zonal systems.”

It has not been the only area exploited against Everton since the turn of the year. Sanchez’s double, from much closer proximity, hinted at other weaknesses with the set-up.  

“For the first, you’re basically watching the ball and you can’t look at two things at once,” says Reid. “It’s quite easy to blindside zonal markers. Sanchez came from behind and pinched the header (ahead of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin). It’s hard to combat and there’s no real fix to it.

“For the third, it’s a big problem for zonal systems. Tottenham have packed the six-yard box. If teams put the ball on the goalkeeper, it becomes a weakness. There’s a mismatch in terms of aerial prowess, so why not swap players?”

Ancelotti’s response to the Tottenham game was telling. “Usually, we were solid and strong on set pieces. We have to adjust some positions,” he said. 

Reid poses a number of solutions of his own, including using smaller players as “blockers” and adding another zonal marker around the near post area. 

“If you’ve got good height for the players that aren’t marking zonally, you can use them as man markers,” he says. “But if those players are really small, like Bernard, they could act as blockers. Their job would be to stop the opponent from getting to the ball and the six-yard box.”

It appears Ancelotti and his staff agree. Since the cup win over Tottenham, Everton have not conceded from a set piece in their three league games. Against Fulham, Everton defended long free kicks with a slightly higher line. 

They also added another man to the near-post area for corners, Ben Godfrey and Andre Gomes tasked with clearing the ball should it be missed by Richarlison as the first point of contact.

It is a small sample size so it remains to be seen if the small tweaks will pay off in the longer term. As ever, the focus for some will be on the failings or otherwise of a largely zonal system. It is a recurrent debate for football fans that seems to spark up every time a goal is conceded by a team using zonal marking, but Reid does not believe it is any more inherently flawed than the old-fashioned man-to-man approach.  

“It’s something I’ve looked into,” he says. “Someone asked me recently to look at defensive stats for man-marking and zonal systems in the Premier League and I found there was real no difference. It’s about trying to find the system that best suits the players you have. 

“It always happens that you start well but as the season goes on, a bigger picture emerges for all the other teams in terms of how to approach things. I look a lot at where teams concede shots. Teams put an emphasis on these things, there are more set-piece analysts in the Premier League now (four or five) and these things are getting picked up quicker.” 

If Everton are middling by Premier League standards when it comes to defending set pieces, in an attacking sense, they are elite. 

Only Chelsea (nine) and West Ham (eight) have scored more goals from corners than Ancelotti’s team — and they have played a game extra. According to Reid, Everton’s conversion rates from attempts from corners is around seven per cent, comfortably higher than the league average of three. They have scored four from free kicks, one fewer than West Ham and Aston Villa, division leaders in this field. 

Key to their success is Ancelotti Jr’s simplified approach that privileges the delivery of James Rodriguez, Lucas Digne and Sigurdsson as well as the aerial prowess of Calvert-Lewin, Keane and co.

Below are Everton’s attacking corners from both sides of the pitch over the past 10 games. Note the large concentration of dots (contact points) in central areas close to goal. The focus is on getting key threats such as Mina (13) and Godfrey (22) across the near post to direct efforts at goal or send flicks across to the lingering Calvert-Lewin (No 9) on the far side of the six-yard box.

“On the surface, it doesn’t look like they’re doing anything too different, but it is effective, well-drilled — you can see all players know their roles,” says Reid. “The delivery really stood out. If you can rely on the ball going into an exact area, you don’t need to do much else. 

“Everton are good at providing coverage across the box. You don’t want to focus all your players on just one main area because second balls are huge.

“The sweet spot, which is targeted quite a lot, is around the six-yard line at the front post. That’s an area where they get a lot of joy, either in scoring directly or in where the first contact was initiated. 

“They’re doing the basics so well that they don’t really need to do anything else. Adding different levels of complexity would only confuse things.”

Strong at one end of the pitch and still slightly susceptible at the other, if Everton can improve their defending from set pieces, then they really are in business this season.

[Cornish Steve]

I'm much more comfortable with doing really well away from home and poorly at home than vice versa. Home supporters returning to the stadium will turn around our home form. We can blame the pandemic for that one.

The players we brought in recently are excellent. Allan is just what we needed, and Doucoure complements him well. Godfrey at the back has been player of the season. James brings a level of quality that's desperately needed, despite the injuries.

The real issues, to my mind, are that neither Sigurdsson nor Gomes match the style of play Carlo is seeking. The pace of our play in the first game of the season was impressive, but S&G undermine that. Also, we simply have no squad depth, which is the biggest difference between top six teams and the rest.

As for Carlo as manager, no-one in the world is better for the long-term task of building a lasting legacy than he is. It takes time. We'll know we've made progress when the term 'deadwood' no longer appears in our discussions.

[Palfy]

2 hours ago, MikeO said:

From Feb article.

https://theathletic.co.uk/2408775/2021/02/25/everton-set-pieces-davide-ancelotti/

It has left some supporters scratching their heads and become one of the talking points on TV coverage.

For commentators, it is a regular source of befuddlement. 

In the last couple of months, Everton’s deep defensive line has been the subject of much debate. 

It is an outlier, a unique system that seems to swim against modern trends and has not been without its critics either.  

But how effective is it? And why have Carlo Ancelotti and his team chosen to adopt such an approach? 

The Athletic takes an in-depth look with the help of a set-piece expert. 

“From free kicks, Everton drop very deep, which makes a lot of sense considering the personnel — Jordan Pickford isn’t known for his aerial ability so protecting him is a priority,” says Stuart Reid, a freelance set-piece consultant working with top clubs across Europe. 

“There’s not much of a gap between the defensive line and Pickford, which really limits him coming out and gives him the responsibility of just saving shots. 

“Everton also don’t always have the most mobile centre-backs, which would make them potentially vulnerable to runs in behind. Dropping the line deeper plays to Everton’s strengths — giving the aerially dominant Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Dominic Calvert-Lewin space to attack and win the ball.”

From wide free kicks and corners, Everton use a predominantly zonal system featuring two banks of defenders. The deepest block consists of the side’s most aerially dominant players, such as Keane, Mina and Calvert-Lewin. If the ball comes into their area, the six-yard-box, they are expected to clear, leaving Pickford on his line to respond should they fail to do so.

The theory advanced by Reid and others in the game contacted by The Athletic is that Everton have broadly found a system that plays to their strengths. “In theory, it protects the goalkeeper, takes away the ‘target’ area for the taker and maximises the height in the team,” says another source.

Not so long ago, under Marco Silva, set pieces were an area of weakness. Opponents realised they could exploit flaws in the Portuguese’s largely zonal set-up, particularly at the back post. 

Things have improved since Ancelotti’s arrival in December 2019. Son and assistant manager Davide has been tasked with working on set pieces and other team drills during training. At 31, Ancelotti Jr is seen as a rising star in the game, with a glittering CV that includes Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. A popular member of staff with the players, his methods have been apparent since the start of the season.  

“It is something we don’t see very often,” says Reid. “Because it’s so unique, there’s not really any tried and tested best practice. Also, the usual tactics that teams deploy wouldn’t be too effective in this situation. Runs behind are limited in this set-up. In terms of defending crosses, it does look very strong.”

Yet, of late, the set-up has come under increasing focus. Against Manchester United, Everton conceded twice from crosses — including one from a wide free kick. In the thrilling FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, Davinson Sanchez scored twice from corners into the six-yard box. In the 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United, Callum Wilson stole a march at the near post to head home. So far this season, Everton have conceded five times from corners in Premier League games (the average is 4.6) and once from a free kick. Combining the two, they are middling among their peers. 

For a team packed with players such as Keane and Mina, it feels like that is underperformance.

The recent spike in goals conceded from set-piece situations also poses a question: have sides found weaknesses they can exploit?

“My problem with defending so deep is that if you lose the header then it’s so close to the goal,” Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports this month. “Whereas, when I watch teams defend high, when they do lose the first header, they might be on the edge of the box. I don’t particularly like it but it doesn’t mean it is wrong.”

Carragher was referring specifically to the goal Everton conceded to Scott McTominay at Old Trafford but he could equally have been discussing a range of other incidents. 

“The area exploited by Man Utd and Newcastle is a useful tactic against zonal marking systems,” says Reid. “Zonal marking requires most of your players defending the six-yard area, which can leave players free. With all of the height and aerial ability defending this area, opponents can win the ball further away and either strike at goal or redirect it for a better chance. This is something I recommend quite a lot against zonal systems.”

It has not been the only area exploited against Everton since the turn of the year. Sanchez’s double, from much closer proximity, hinted at other weaknesses with the set-up.  

“For the first, you’re basically watching the ball and you can’t look at two things at once,” says Reid. “It’s quite easy to blindside zonal markers. Sanchez came from behind and pinched the header (ahead of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin). It’s hard to combat and there’s no real fix to it.

“For the third, it’s a big problem for zonal systems. Tottenham have packed the six-yard box. If teams put the ball on the goalkeeper, it becomes a weakness. There’s a mismatch in terms of aerial prowess, so why not swap players?”

Ancelotti’s response to the Tottenham game was telling. “Usually, we were solid and strong on set pieces. We have to adjust some positions,” he said. 

Reid poses a number of solutions of his own, including using smaller players as “blockers” and adding another zonal marker around the near post area. 

“If you’ve got good height for the players that aren’t marking zonally, you can use them as man markers,” he says. “But if those players are really small, like Bernard, they could act as blockers. Their job would be to stop the opponent from getting to the ball and the six-yard box.”

It appears Ancelotti and his staff agree. Since the cup win over Tottenham, Everton have not conceded from a set piece in their three league games. Against Fulham, Everton defended long free kicks with a slightly higher line. 

They also added another man to the near-post area for corners, Ben Godfrey and Andre Gomes tasked with clearing the ball should it be missed by Richarlison as the first point of contact.

It is a small sample size so it remains to be seen if the small tweaks will pay off in the longer term. As ever, the focus for some will be on the failings or otherwise of a largely zonal system. It is a recurrent debate for football fans that seems to spark up every time a goal is conceded by a team using zonal marking, but Reid does not believe it is any more inherently flawed than the old-fashioned man-to-man approach.  

“It’s something I’ve looked into,” he says. “Someone asked me recently to look at defensive stats for man-marking and zonal systems in the Premier League and I found there was real no difference. It’s about trying to find the system that best suits the players you have. 

“It always happens that you start well but as the season goes on, a bigger picture emerges for all the other teams in terms of how to approach things. I look a lot at where teams concede shots. Teams put an emphasis on these things, there are more set-piece analysts in the Premier League now (four or five) and these things are getting picked up quicker.” 

If Everton are middling by Premier League standards when it comes to defending set pieces, in an attacking sense, they are elite. 

Only Chelsea (nine) and West Ham (eight) have scored more goals from corners than Ancelotti’s team — and they have played a game extra. According to Reid, Everton’s conversion rates from attempts from corners is around seven per cent, comfortably higher than the league average of three. They have scored four from free kicks, one fewer than West Ham and Aston Villa, division leaders in this field. 

Key to their success is Ancelotti Jr’s simplified approach that privileges the delivery of James Rodriguez, Lucas Digne and Sigurdsson as well as the aerial prowess of Calvert-Lewin, Keane and co.

Below are Everton’s attacking corners from both sides of the pitch over the past 10 games. Note the large concentration of dots (contact points) in central areas close to goal. The focus is on getting key threats such as Mina (13) and Godfrey (22) across the near post to direct efforts at goal or send flicks across to the lingering Calvert-Lewin (No 9) on the far side of the six-yard box.

“On the surface, it doesn’t look like they’re doing anything too different, but it is effective, well-drilled — you can see all players know their roles,” says Reid. “The delivery really stood out. If you can rely on the ball going into an exact area, you don’t need to do much else. 

“Everton are good at providing coverage across the box. You don’t want to focus all your players on just one main area because second balls are huge.

“The sweet spot, which is targeted quite a lot, is around the six-yard line at the front post. That’s an area where they get a lot of joy, either in scoring directly or in where the first contact was initiated. 

“They’re doing the basics so well that they don’t really need to do anything else. Adding different levels of complexity would only confuse things.”

Strong at one end of the pitch and still slightly susceptible at the other, if Everton can improve their defending from set pieces, then they really are in business this season.

Thanks for that Mike, as I suspected and said we are playing that system because we don’t have the ability to play a high line due to slow CDs and a suspect keeper, but as I said the biggest problem is that if the opponents make contact that close in it generally results in a goal.  

[Shukes]

13 hours ago, Palfy said:

Do you think we have a dominant keeper, not just you but the biggest criticism of Pickford was his inability to deal with balls in his area?

No I don’t. It’s a terrible idea for us to play this way.

[Shukes]

Pickford is a great shot stopper. He is pretty weak when it comes to Ariel ability and catching. He punches like a daisy.

[barryj]

2 hours ago, Shukes said:

Pickford is a great shot stopper. He is pretty weak when it comes to Ariel ability and catching. He punches like a daisy.

For me there’s nothing better than a goalie who actually comes out and catches a ball. So many punch these days. If you can get two hands on it you can catch it. It just relieves all the pressure.

[Palfy]

10 hours ago, Shukes said:

No I don’t. It’s a terrible idea for us to play this way.

I agree we could be the architects of our own downfall next season, if we don’t get pace in CD and Pickford doesn’t start commanding the crosses in his area. As the article posted by Mike eluded to we started of well using a deep line, then we started conceding and became very average at defending set pieces, possibly proof that it doesn’t take long for decent coaches to work out how to play against a shall we say an unorthodox system. 

[dunlopp9987]

https://www.calciomercato.it/2021/05/31/calciomercato-ancelotti-real-madrid-perez-conte-galtier-pochettino/

Google translate did an awful job, but he's being linked with Real and apparently "talks have begun." 

Hogwash.

[Romey 1878]

Nah.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9639021/Real-Madrid-eyeing-Everton-boss-Carlo-Ancelotti-make-sensational-RETURN.html

[c1982]

Pinch of salt!

[StevO]

I honestly don’t think he’ll go, but I’m absolutely terrified that he might.