[Archived] Everton v Rovers Preview

[Colt Seavers]

The general shape of the team in the last few weeks (including yesterday) has felt about right. Petrovic and Nzonzi are playing well together and we are stronger for removing Pederson from the centre.

A fit Dunny has a role for us playing in the hole and we are stronger with Olsson at left back. In fact I would say that his presence in the last couple of games together with the emergence of Petrovic (he was superb for most of yesterday- particularly first half)has done so much to address our previously chronic defending.

Vuckevic would do a better job than Pederson on the right side but I can see why Kean wants him there- better protection for Lowe, work rate, set pieces, experience etc.

Givet must remain at centre half and personally, I would prefer to see Hanley there- a Colin Hendry in the making, rather than Dann.

If Modeste looks any bit like in training next week he is a must for the lone striker role, Goodwillie is a squad player with a nuisance factor late on.

All in all, we have a decent chance and I don't feel we have much to fear against Newcastle.

[miqaayil]

I do not know of other fans but my opinion is dunn can't play the role he played yesterday .... we need speedier guys ... dunn will be good on the role played by MGP yesterday ... sitting in middle of petrovic and nzonzi and spraying passes ...

hoilett , modeste , goodwillie , or other strikers must have the aspect of tracking back or atleast make defenders uncomfortable to build play from defense ... i saw modeste doing it and goodwillie trying to before that ...they must be supported by other 2 fwds ...

i also do not agree 442 being outdated ... just not the type of personal available ...

[RoyRover]

Happy with yesterday's point. Well deserved.

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

Parsonblue's match report is now available on the front page here.

[Waggy76]

a good point yesterday , more than I thought we would get ...Just a pity Bolton won !!!!

Looking like 3 from 4 .Wigan , in my opinion will go down , Wolves , Bolton and Rovers for the the other places but i am too convinced about Swansea ..maybe they are enough points in front but time will tell...Teams who play like Swansea get found out later in the season plus they don't score many goals..

QPR played a wicked hand getting sparky whilst everyone else were wondering if they can afford him ..Speculate to accumulate should have been the motto ....

[USABlue]

a good point yesterday , more than I thought we would get ...Just a pity Bolton won !!!!

Looking like 3 from 4 .Wigan , in my opinion will go down , Wolves , Bolton and Rovers for the the other places but i am too convinced about Swansea ..maybe they are enough points in front but time will tell...Teams who play like Swansea get found out later in the season plus they don't score many goals..

QPR played a wicked hand getting sparky whilst everyone else were wondering if they can afford him ..Speculate to accumulate should have been the motto ....

I think there will be one or two late additions, there usually are. Wolves and QPR I feel will gain some ground. Us, well I fear the worst, even when we play decent our luck (our goal yesterday had a large slice of it though) seems to leave us, we really could have had Everton buried by HT yesterday.

[LeChuck]

i also do not agree 442 being outdated ... just not the type of personal available ...

The history of football formations is a very interesting read (Inverting the Pyramid is a good book if you're interested) - what you quickly learn when you get into it is that, once a formation has become outdated and superseded by one with less flaws, it is dead and buried and will never return to popular use.

A well drilled 4-3-3/4-5-1 has less disadvantages than 4-4-2, especially when pitted against each other. We need to stick with the kind of formation we have at the moment.

[joey_big_nose]

The history of football formations is a very interesting read (Inverting the Pyramid is a good book if you're interested) - what you quickly learn when you get into it is that, once a formation has become outdated and superseded by one with less flaws, it is dead and buried and will never return to popular use.

A well drilled 4-3-3/4-5-1 has less disadvantages than 4-4-2, especially when pitted against each other. We need to stick with the kind of formation we have at the moment.

I think part of it is ever increasing fitness and pace. It is now not unreasonable to expect wide players to get frequently into the box when you have possession, but also to tuck in and defend in your own half when you don't have the ball. The need to have a second striker is therefore less as the single striker will still be supported. Im not sure that would be do-able with 90s levels of fitness and personnel.

Also the greater spread of 451/433 does make ball retention easier - it naturally forms the passing triangles. Rovers have begun to really exploit that in the last few games.More passing options than 442.

[waggy]

we played bloody well on sat,lets hope the departures don,t rock the boat to much,coyb

[Howler]

Very good point on saturday, one more than expected. We've clearly improved in recent weeks and we may well have a respectable second half of the season, sadly I fear it will be too little too late.

[speeeeeeedie]

Rovers kept up their remarkable record at Goodison; if someone is on a goal drought you can guarantee that they will break it against us. The lukcy recipient this time; Tim Cahill. Nothing for over a year then a shinner against us.

Keep it up Rovers, well done.

[K-Hod]

Regarding the 4-4-2 debate, there's only Man United and Newcastle I can think of that plays that system in the PL.

Couldn't actually believe fans were chanting for it at Goodison, same mugs who were asking for it under Allardyce in the BBE no doubt!

[LeChuck]

I'd say Man Utd's is more of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1. Rooney plays a roaming role and Nani/Young/Valencia push far up but do drift around from their starting positions.

Newcastle are a definite 4-4-2 side, but they've got the players to do it. All their midfielders have great engines and can do work at both ends of the pitch. They have strikers who are tall and good in the air (Ba, Ameobi, Best) and play a traditional, direct style of getting plenty of crosses into the box to make the most of having two players up there.

They've had to sacrifice Hatem Ben Arfa to play that style (Ryan Taylor gets ahead of him on the wing) as he just doesn't fit into a 4-4-2 system...like most of our midfield players wouldn't (Hoilett, Rochina, Formica, Vukcevic etc).