A Tale of Two Systems

I was relatively happy with 5th place and a bit of decent football last season. I would have preferred 4th and consistently nice football but I was happy with what we achieved. But even I, who thinks he sees blue overflowing flavoured milk in every empty glass, remain convinced that Everton lacks an understanding of how it wants to play and what players it needs to make this mysterious system work.

David Moyes has built a team with a reasonable level of individual skill in the attacking half of the pitch. In doing this, he has leaned toward players of slight stature in the midfield who really need the ball on the deck to prosper. In EPL terms they are not quick, so need the ball to feet and to use their quick wits to move the ball around.

They are also not a quick counter-attacking bunch ? being more concerned with preventing the counter-counter attack than the benefits of countering quickly themselves. They are supported by a centre forward (The Yak) who needs ball to feet, back to goal, to really show his worth. He is best on the turn, using his strength and power in the space he is facing.

Yakubu is not a stereotypical ?targetman? who meets the ball delivered from wide. He is supported by a couple of players who are quick, but who are not naturally good in the air (except Tim Cahill) and who also benefit from the ball on the deck. While they are willing to chase long balls to the corner flag, this is not where their individual football attributes are best displayed.

To make these players play to their strengths, clearly Everton need the ball from the back to come with quality and on the deck. And? this is where the system fails. Because, all of our fellas at the back, including the keeper, seem afraid to do other than punt the ball long to a contest, where they appear to expect Bob Latchford to win the ball and knock it to an inside forward to score against an old-style slow and static defence. The problem is that modern defenders are strong, smart and really quick.

I?m not sure if Moyes has explained to the guys at the back what the system is supposed to be. I do know that I would be very frustrated playing in front of these fellas. They are very good defensively, and particularly so when screened by a deep lying midfielder. They know how to go for Row Z and none of us mind when it is appropriate.

But? they need to get with the system being used in the forward half of the pitch or we need to amend that system to reflect what they are trying to do. Right now we have two systems in different parts of the park and they clearly don?t compliment each other. I know that most of us watching prefer the ball on the deck that the forward half of the team is built to achieve.

Question: Why is it that our guys at the back feel the need to lump it all the time? Why does Tim Howard feel the need to belt it to a contest when he could roll or pass it to a defender in space? Why is it that the fullbacks don?t naturally look for the ball from the keeper and then attack from the back?

If I thought that they couldn?t do it, I could probably live with it, but I don?t think this is it. They look to me to lack the confidence to have a go, too afraid of the ramifications of making a mistake than of success. Does this reflect poorly upon them, DM or us? Or, do all of us lack the culture that we aspire to and refer to as our School of Science ? including the forgiveness required when it goes awry?

What I do know is that in an improving team there is little future in continuing to have a mixed football ideology in the two halves of the field. DM needs to determine how he wants them to play and make the buggers conform. If they cannot then they need to move aside and let someone who is prepared to have a go. Baines anyone?

And so I wonder who and what David Moyes is targeting in the transfer market. Will he seek to get skilled players who compliment what we are trying to do in the forward half of the field (as we all hope), with the risk being that we can only lump it to them and prevent them from doing what they are good at? Or, will he seek to find a couple of defenders who can play it on the deck and trust what he has in the forward part of the field? Or, will he seek to rehabilitate the defence?s approach to football and sprinkle whatever quality he can afford across the park?

My suggestion? Lay the law down to the defence (particularly to Jags) about the long punt ? play it clever or get benched. Remind the fullbacks that the halfway line is not electrified and tell them that part of their task is to pick the ball up deep and stay wide when we have the ball. Encourage Joey and Joleon to trust their talent and keep it shorter and anchored to the park. Get it through to Tim Howard that the high ball to a contest is not in the team?s interests as the ball just comes straight back. And finally, get hold of a deep lying midfielder (or two) who is genuinely comfy on the ball and set him (them) the task of coming to the defence to pick up the ball and play it through the small but skilled midfield. Oh, and a couple of genuinely quick fells who can play the ball around and who have the School of Science ethos we all crave would be nice.

I don?t know whether I?m looking forward to 08-09 or not. I?m probably the archetypal Everton fan in that I fear to dream. I do know that another season of mixed systems will see us outside the top six because the rate of improvement in 08-09 will be significant. Spurs, Villa and Portsmouth all play decent football and just need to tweak a couple of players to make their systems work successfully. I?m not sure we know what our system is and we need to solve this philosophical dilemma over the summer and well before we spend our limited and hard earned readies.

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