Pre-season training under Benitez starts for Everton first-team

"Welcome back, I hope you have had a good summer, because for some of you winter is coming."

"On the wall is a list of players I will be working with, if your name is not there, you will find an appointment slip with Mr Brands to discuss your future outside of this club."

"Those of you with appointment slips will not be allocated a first-team locker nor will you be allowed to train with the first team. Because of international duty, some players are not available. Nonetheless those not required have been texted appointment slips with Mr Brands."

"That leaves training for this morning. The 5 of you can get changed and report to Duncan Ferguson on the field outside. I hope you have a wonderful day, thank you"

Can JP stay away from injury before the first game of the season is upon us?

James is in the building!!!

Delph looks a bit shifty in that photo, like he's been stealing something and hoping nobody notices his presence.

Steve @ 4, or injured himself picking up his appointment slip !

David @ 5, " Clean slate. That means everyone. You never know, Rafa might get a lot more out of a fit Delph, and erm.. Ya know, that lwobi."

Don't tell me you still believe in the tooth fairy too ! :-)

He probably doesn't care, because let's face it, wherever he goes he'll be warming the bench through injury. A good player back in the day but let's hope he's soon off. Would love to find him a new club, along with Iwobi.

Will Mason Holgate try harder under Rafa? something went wrong under Ancelotti but is there still a good player within. Not sure anymore…

Dave, I would be disappointed if Rafa didn't draw a line under the past and state that every player has to prove his worth, but I also think that there are more on the wrong side of that line than the other side.

Yes, tongue in cheek, but somehow I think that list has already been drawn up... Probables, Possibles, and crap.

Everyone looked a bit puzzled and put their hand up.

New manager then told three of them to put their hands down.

This of course is the escape route for our past mediocre performers and every new manager believes they are the guy who can “get a tune out of…” (insert one of Kenny, Delph, Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Gomes, Tosun, Kean, Bernard, Gordon).

The only way I'd regain some respect for Ancelotti would be if he had left a sealed letter addressed to “my successor” with a list of the above names with the simple phrase “vendi tutto subito”

My fear is we get on the merry go round again, team sheet v Southampton “Gomes, Sigurdsson, Iwobi” - at this point spontaneous combustion is a distinct possibility.

Please Rafa, don't fall for the same flannel from the usual suspects, from the pitch right up to the boardroom.

It was a strange but regulatory necessary signing by City at the time. He was never going to feature regularly for them as he was never that standard.

I just wonder if all that time on the sides and in the margins as a result made him casual in his approach to wanting to play?

I never like to question a player's desire and it works the other way when players are stupid and play through pain and injury. Admirable as it is, they shouldn't. Detrimental to the team and to their longer term career. Always a balance.

Obviously I don't know and I appreciate some players can genuinely be unfortunate with injury, but Delph gives me the impression of someone who has lost his passion and interest in the game. A bit of a Jamie Redknapp.

One more year left on his contract. Sad thing is he cost nothing but wages. The news seems to be on £120k per week.
So he will cost us £24m.

If he was on £20,000 per week and we had paid £20m for him he would get a lot less grief and yet he will have cost the club the same. And let us wind the clock back 3 years - - his ToffeeWeb profile says "exciting Brazilian attacking midfielder" and "Both Milan clubs, Napoli, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham and Chelsea were all said to have made contact". We thought Brands had done good. So glad everyone here has perfect hindsight. Perhaps you should offer it to the club.

Shifting him before next season will be a challenge - unless we pick up most of the wages.

He's not interested, doesn't try a leg and conveniently always injured when it comes to match day. He will still expect 60k into his bank account every week.

As mentioned above, its pointless even giving him a chance. He's had three years to take his chance and hasn't. Hopefully move him on, if not just tell him he's not in the first team squad, train with the others in the same boat (Bernard, siggy, gomes, iwobi etc) and don't come near Goodison ever again.

Put youngsters in their place, give them a chance and even if they are not up to it at least they will try.

Rant over!

Bernard would be classed as a bad signing whether he was free or cost £50 million. It's not hindsight, it's judging players by what they do on the pitch. If our DOF signs a good player, e.g. Digne, he gets praise. If he signs a duffer, like Gomes, he gets criticised for it. It's not rocket science, it's accountability!

Unfortunately, we've signed too many duffers under Walsh and Brands…

However, I have to admit - when I saw the picture of Delph - I truly didn't know who it was?
That really tells me a lot about his impact since he has been here.

Think I'll pass on this season...thanks.

Prepare for another season of mediocrity!

I really am worried for this season, we cannot have a good season with the same squad surely?

There is no pace in the side, on the wings or in midfield. No backup to DCL or even Richarlison.

Do you really think we are going to do well with Delph, Gomes, Davies, Rodriguez (who I guarantee will be injured within the first few games as well as Allan)

We have Iwobi, Bernard who have had their chances and not good enough.

That's 7 players!

Hard working players improve, and that's what we need right now, especially if they've also got pace.

The problem is that the players have all the power these days not the manager. So if Benitez tells a few they are not in his plans they will just say thats fine I will still pick up my 60/70,000 per week till my contracts up in 2/3 years time. Once a player signs on the dotted line if he turns out to be useless as many of our players are then the problem is the clubs not theirs. So whether Benitez rates them or not that's what he has to work with for the foreseeable future, in fact some of the deadwood will be here after Benitez has left, how long has Iwobi got left on his contract?

I will start to believe lessons have been learned if we see the arrival of fewer established names on big money and an intake of hungry, ambitious players with something to prove. This is not a route to overnight success.

It really gets me mad that James, who is on a contract at Everton FC, if true, is being offered to other clubs by his agent come lawyer.

As Brian states, many of the supposed deadwood are for sale but refuse to sign contracts with other clubs as they will lose too much money per week than what they receive at Everton, so the only thing you can do is run their contracts down and suffer the loss. Bolasie is an example.

Rodriguez and Benitez have a history, and it ain't good:

The history of the Rafa Benitez - James Rodriguez feud

Sigurdsson should stay for tbe reasons Ed makes - but maybe as a quality reinforcement rather than as a regular first teamer. It's his last season before end of contract anyway so we'd get peanuts if sold.

Much as we despair, it's not out of the question that pace on the flanks and up front + a clear and stable role helps reintegrate Gomes and Iwobi too. Hope so anyway because I doubt they'll be sold.

No reason for too much doom and gloom but probably best wait to see if the likes of Bailey, Neres or Diaby turn up before expecting any excitement.

Agreed, the other reason might be father time has called time on his legs, but last season he used his experience to be in the right positions, it was the crap around him that held him back.

EFC has been spectacularly successful lately at handing out big juicy contracts to players who fall in the 'sponger' category.

Agreed.

We are NOT at the top table so throwing money at it like City, Chelsea and others is not an option. Greater imagination resulting in the likes of the Godfrey acquisition is where it's at. Hunger and ability coupled with decent guidance is the way for this club to form a competitive outfit we just need to be doing most of the work now.

Good call Tony Abrahams

I said that on one of the other threads. I'm bouncing around so much there is inevitable repetition.

Viewed through one lens, we finished 10th and were off the mark.

Through another, we were literally one game away from qualifying for European football. We'll never know, but would that have retained Ancelotti??

Yes, it was all of our own making, and it should never have come down to relying on the last game, but we were not as far away as some would have us think. Especially with a few additions to the squad in the areas we have all extensively spoken about on these pages.

Tony - absolutely correct on player recruitment - can you report to Mr Brands office in the morning please to assist him

Forget who's here now, what's important is the incoming players.

Bring in the missing quality asap and help turn this unhappy fan into a believer in a brighter future.

Don't worry, the board made the same mistake.

We should have got Bruce!

Taxi on the way..

From the top - Pickford, Mina, Godfrey, Digne, Allan, Doucouré, Rodriguez? Gbamin?, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.

Yes, of course we need to add quality and pace to supplement the squad but talk of relegation is just nonsense. We were 3 points off 6th for goodness sake and we lost our way in what should have been a stroll into Europe.

I'm no fan of Rafa (yet) but I don't think that would have happened on his watch. If he can get these key players to achieve consistency and fulfill their potential we're in with an excellent chance of the top 6.
Less of the doom and gloom ( until at least November ) please.

Sod this fannying around with 3-5-2, 4-5-1, 4-3-3 and have the players be 'adaptable'... set out our style of play, preferred formation and buy the best (affordable with resale value) player for that position. Then say to the opposition, "Go on then, come and beat us!"

When an upgrade is available, sell to buy.

Seriously though, it does show how unadventurous we were last season, if Iwobi topped the dribbling charts, and yet the team played some really good stuff early on in the campaign.

I remember how good we were in the first half at Fulham, running forwards with and without the ball, and yet we were still lucky to get the three points in the end though, because our team just couldn't play on the front foot for long periods.

Football is like life, the more energy you've got, the more you want to do, and this more than anything else, is what Evertonians need to see from our team next season, imo.

Delph is on £80k/90k per week, that's what you call stealing a living, and he'll definitely see out his contract this season, because no-one will offer him anything near it.

Hope the rumours about the Saudi's looking for Sigurdsson are true, he's past his best, and no one is going to match our wages of £100k+ per week.

I looked around for some that actually showed pre-season training but all that I could find was asinine pictures in the Echo of players each behind the wheel of their blinged-out rigs, snapped by the Echo paparazzi, who appear to have been kept outside the gates of Finch Farm.

The shot of Delph was the only one that looked a little more approachable but I should have known the fact that he is doing what we all do with our smartphones would be too much for our comedic base to resist.

Day One of Pre-season

If you specifically want to see them training, you'll be disappointed. The footage is typical of day one back at school – testing and gauging the players indoors to see who has behaved themselves or binged in the off-season.

Could have been slightly worse if Mo Besic had been snapped arriving (I know his contract expired, but I half expected him to turn up anyway).

For the good of the club!?

And has anyone seen Moise Kean?

Anyway
The best thing would be for these players to give 2 fingers up to Ancelotti, get their heads down and support the new manager and Everton.

That would include Allan and James.

I want to see our best players run out at Goodison in 40 days time, along a few top class addititions.

And yes, l do still believe in the tooth fairy. Trouble is we have 6 centre midfielders. But lets give them a chance.

If as likely they are returning from Brazil which is a restricted country and because they are not on the UK govt's CV-19 green list (as Richarlison probably will be as a competing athlete at the Copa America), but on an amber or red list, they possibly fall under more restrictive quarantine rules and may have to isolate for 10-14 days on arrival in the UK.

All very disruptive. Or...their absence is an indication of being sold..?

Let's hope that Marcel had some targets and has done his due diligence and that Rafa also has got his own ideas, and both have some consensus of whom they jointly want to bring in.

If both have different views there won't be too much time to get plays in who will be ready to go in 5 weeks.

I sense Englands success in the Europa could inflate the average transfer fee, and potentially makes off loading the likes of many - Delph, Iwobi, Bernard etc very difficult.

But let's see as the Danes will battle all the way.

I'm hoping Italy can over come Spain, it should be some game.mm

Hopefully, now that the 'Project Reset' button has been pressed for what..? The fifth time (Koeman, Allardyce, Silva, Carlo and now Rafa), hopefully we'll get some joined up thinking, and instead of buying 'for a position', buy a player that has the attributes you want, E.g. height, pace, passing range whatever; but, is also multi-positional. It is the way football has been moving to slowly for a good few years now.

Personally, I'd love EFC to hire several two-footed players with pace, and with the ability to play either side, or the middle.

Then regards formation, it becomes much easier, and much more effective to be flexible.

A huge yes to sell to buy when upgrades become available. Plus another advantage is you can reduce the squad size by a couple and save on the wage and benefits bill.

However, let's hope that there is a plan, and whoever runs out versus Soton on the 14th, get behind them.

I'm personally going to give Rafa time, and as much as I'm interested in the 1st teams comings and goings; I'm just as interested to see what happens with the coaching staff, academy, and executive/board comings and goings. Or even, more pronouncements from Mr. Moshiri...

Just on a note about the pre-season fitness assessments, I can't believe we are still using skin-fold and calipers for body fat measurements.!? This club is operating about 12-15 years in the past.!?

In order to be the best, you have to have the best and use the best!

NSNO my arse in that video. Just shows how much needs to change in the club.

Jay #67, good points. I noticed Moise wasn't there, and someone in the comments seems to think he is self-isolating; so, I presume that is the same for Bernard and Allan.

As long as they are in the country and can start start their fitness training, it should be OK I guess.?

As for sales, I think Brands has been touting Bernard according to another Toffee website (Sorry!) but, Allan has committed himself to EFC (I presume if Rafa wants him)?

BTW Jay, are you and your wife keeping safe and well in Brazil just now?

Good wishes all

Apparently its been on the table for a while and is such an obvious marketing choice because of our growing south American partnerships and our astute owner is such a big mug!

It turns out my taxi was actually an ambulance.

"Our team just couldn't play on the front foot for long periods."

I wouldn't be expecting any front foot playing under FSW.

I wouldn't worry about getting a fee for Sigurdsson, I would give him away if we could find a club stupid enough to take him on.

And fancy going on your holidays so that Day 1 reporting back you go into quarantine for 14 days, nowt like professionalism eh? And now that bloke Kean doesn't seem to have turned up while one with no legs has.

I'm going back to bed as soon as I've taken these tablets.

Godfrey looks like he could be very good, but he's inexperienced and so I've still got my reservations, until he gets a real leader who plays on that very important “front foot”. Sammy Hypia, did a great job for Benitez, so maybe Rafa, can get a bit more out of Michael Keane?

I'm prepared for defensive minded football, and actually don't see anything wrong with it if every player is drilled properly into the system. I think that, if Ancelotti would have played the same system every week, then there might even be an argument that Everton could have gained quite a few more points last season. But yesterday's gone, and the same argument still stands imo, we need some quicker and better players.

The interesting part of the season is going to be what Moshiri does on the transfer front. He's tried buying expensive near-top-class players with decent pedigrees but that has not been as successful as hoped for.

I think, if I was in his shoes, I'd be scratching my head real hard.

The key thing with either approach is having a good quality RB / RWB and having someone like Bailey, Neres, Neto or Diaby in the RW (ish) position so that we've got pace, quality and numbers involved in our counter attacks.

The plan (as it was under Ancelotti) seems to be to sign such players - along with probably Romero as reserve GK and Mattheus Nunes as a centre mid player with some pace and drive to help carry the ball forward in counter attacks (albeit he probably drops out in a 5-2-2-1 formation).

If there's any money left then hopefully we can buy one or two more forward (striker / winger) options as we're desperately short in that area.

As for a leader, I think Benitez has to start demanding that of the likes of Godfrey and Holgate as he did successfully with Carragher. There's a limit as to what we can buy-in.

Apart from the obvious gossip about James leaving and the odd splutter about Calvert-Lewin going to Man Utd, not much mention of us but I hope that will change once Rafa takes a look at what he has inherited.

I don't want anybody to think I look through the gossip columns of course!

Friendlies are definitely not pointless; players usually need a few games to get them up to speed, and the more experienced a player becomes, then the more they should become aware of what works for them. That's the whole point really, and this is why it's always important to get a good pre-season under their belts imo, because it stops them having to play catch-up.

Bruce brought Saint-Maximin to Newcastle, I think, not Benitez. Benitez brought in Almiron, Muto, Lejeune, Schar, Merino, Fernandez, Dubravka, Manquillo, Murphy, Atsu and Joselu.

Which is another reason I'm hoping that Brands runs the recruitment without interference.

Don't forget though he was under massive budget constraints.

How long ago did that gypsy -sorry, traveller- cast his spell ?

Not surprised really,as the original one screamed of...we're gonna come forth in Florida!

One observation is that he seems to buy-in a lot of players. I can't see that he goes for a particular profile - it's a mix. Although he does like to bring in players he's worked with before (eg a trio from Real). Although interestingly (and this is not unique to Benitez) the biggest success at Napoli was more modestly priced players like Koulibaly, Mertens and Jorginho, who he gave a step up to.

£300 million in debt with the bank looking to foreclose. 69 players in the squad, he bought 23 in 1 summer!

As Robert says #91, he uses a shotgun approach to buying, let's hope Brands can rein him in like Ashley did.

But.

If Christine way back at #1 is correct, and he flushes the shite down the drain, I'll be on board.

I want change. I honestly don't care what that change is, I want change.

I want younger kids played. I want over paid shithouses to never see the pitch.

Hell, if Rafa is brave and move Bernard into midfield to pull all the strings, I'll be fine with it.

Something, anything, to signal a turn from the ordinary. Bravery, come what will, is what I crave now.

Gbamin has been on my mind. I think this lad has been through hell and at 25 I am sure that he would much rather be playing than just picking up his money every week. I am hoping for the very best for him this season.

Like many I went through a period of desperation over Sigurddson but I thought he was really putting in a shift at the back end of last season.

I am with Colin over Iwobi – I am not going to go in for the reasons why though.

Jamie @ 93 – “Hell, if Rafa is brave and move Bernard into midfield to pull all the strings, I'll be fine with it.” You might just see that.

I think Rafa will play players in their true positions and I believe that the only place Richarlison should play is on the left wing where he can drift inside onto his right foot. Similarly, Calvert-Lewin shouldn't be drifting out to the wings.

I also believe that you don't need to have pace in midfield. Ball control, craft, tenacity, and vision are the qualities I hope for in that area of the pitch. But they also need movement in front of them.

I keep banging on about this (I even tried to submit a talking points article on it but it never got published) but I believe that the acquisition of a right-back of the same quality as Digne, and a right winger with true pace, would completely transform this squad into a very good outfit. My choice of winger would be Traore purely for his strength and pace.

If James stays, I would put him just behind Calvert-Lewin. Only play Sigurddson in that position, and only play Bernard in that position when James is tired or injured.

So it's 4-4-1-1 for me.

I have gotten over the turmoil of the last 5 or 6 weeks and am looking forward to the transfer speculation and signing of our new right back and right winger.

If that happens I will look forward to the start of the new season full of hope.

One last thing – I hope the Goodison crowd give Rafa a fair go – if he does alright the past will soon be forgotten.

They seem more likely to have roles as highly paid supersubs. This is probably their last season at the club anyway, if they make it past the summer window. He's not the guy to give youth a chance either (especially homegrown youth).

Seems much more likely he'll start with a 4-2-3-1 / 4-5-1 formation – and revert to a back 5 to make us more solid if (when?) results tail off.

Basically, this is Ancelotti Mark II with an inferior resume. Sounds bleak but probably means – with the additions Laurie #94 rightly describes – we'll be in with a very good shout of the Europa League places.

I doubt Traore will be a target due to inflated price tag for someone with electric pace but few goal contributions (Neto would be a better fit). As is almost always the case, there are much better cheaper options playing overseas – Diaby, Bailey, Neres etc all highly experienced, young, good goal contributions and probably cheaper than Traore.

You have a point; maybe I am just impatient to want to see us playing our best 11 and that's including additions. Let's hope we can find those players we need to give us all a shot of adrenalin that we deserve.

I doubt a head coach has ever controlled the finances. How involved a manager may be in influencing both the quantity and the specifics of the recruits is something none of us really know.

I strongly suspect, however, that the manager will be one of the factors that persuades / dissuades players to sign; in the case of Benítez at Everton, the likelihood of a strained relationship with those on the terraces will be a(nother) mark in the debits column.

I had thought, especially if the head coach is so insignificant in recruitment, that we would already be seeing some incomings by now, considering how obvious some of the flaws in the current squad are.

The RedShite didn't have a DoF when Benitez was manager.

He is capable of real touches of class but I don't think he can sustain his quality in the Premier League. The game is too fast and physical for him unless he has discovered stamina, pace and commitment to go with his great touch.

I hope he is moved on.

I do remember him taking a few turns of the transfer windows (as we would call it now), with lots of failed experiments and chopping and changing before he found his magic formula.

Mention of Alan Ball being sold. You have just woken my Dad from his grave. He still can't accept it, and he's been with the great Evertonian in the sky since 2008!!

I don't like the Director of Football role as what's the point of appointing a manager if another person is going to buy the players? Since we have adopted this idea, we have spent fortunes to go backwards.

If you read a biography on Harry Catterick, there quite a few people from inside the club who were not surprised when Harry sold Ball. Alan had been ranting and raving for a few weeks about the way the club was going, including having a go at his teammates during a training session. “How do expect me to perform with players like this around me?” he yelled, amongst many other outbursts before and after games.

I doubt if John Moores wasn't told about the sale and after Catterick got twice as much for Alan than he had paid for him after six good years. I think John Moores would have approved of the sale.

Did Alan Ball play better for any other club than he had played for Everton? He was still a good player obviously but I think we got the best of him, sad though it was, at the time, to see him go.

You see a lot of the continental clubs who do it and for those who get it right, it almost (within reason) becomes irrelevant who the head coach is. And that's the key; you're no longer seeking a manager, you are looking for a coach. Subtle difference.

Even despite the foreign influence, English football has largely not been able to fully embrace or implement the Director of Football concept. We've mainly half-baked it.

Like anything, not just football, it's the initial implementation of a concept or capability that is the biggest challenge. Once it's in and working and you iron out the inevitable teething problems, it should run smoothly and as planned.

I agree with your sentiment on Moyes. A very traditional British style of manager who likes to control activities from transfers to coaching.

When it came to transfers, we called him dithering Davey. Possibly, but in the modern game, by being too much of a traditional British manager, was he giving himself too much to think about and spinning too many plates?

When you do that, you can't afford as much time to everything. You become good at lots of things but don't excel in any particular area.

That's where the Director of Football and Head Coach concept comes into its own. Let the Head Coach focus on the first team. Work with the academy coaches who focus on the academy and ensure it is aligned to the first-team structure. Let the Director of Football go out and find the players that fit the coach's and academy strategy. But there we go again. You need a vision, a plan and a strategy throughout the club.

He's a good athlete, no more. AND an accident waiting to happen.

There's a reason Chelsea, an attacking side, played him less and less over the last two seasons; especially once Tuchel got there. Any attacking opponent went past old Kurt kept right on going on goal.

Pace? Distin he's not. AND an accident waiting to happen.