Everton v Valencia - Saturday 4th August - 3:00pm

[kramer0]

I'd like to see Silva try some lineups where Gana is the lone DM and Davies-Dowell or Davies-Sigurdsson play in front of him.

[kramer0]

Gana behind Davies-Siggy is by far my preferred alignment (based on what we have and can realistically expect to have this season).

Okay, but Sigurdsson has to show for the ball more and he has to try to do something positive with it more too.

If he's our playmaker, he can't be so passive/safe in open play.

[kramer0]

I fully agree with that.  Think it will take a bit of time for the partnership to find comfort, but Siggy always shows for the ball internationally.  Silva just has to convince him the opportunity is there, and to seize it.

I worry about extrapolating from his Iceland performances because they seem to mostly play without the ball.

[kramer0]

Prediction: That midfield won't be able to do anything with the ball and we'll get counterattacked to death.

[kramer0]

We're all Walcott and Richarlison.

Which is not a bad thing but it's not great either.

[kramer0]

Tosun contributes more to our build up play than Sigurdsson.

[kramer0]

Don't undersell how bad this midfield is.

Schneiderlin is a decent but safe passer who doesn't show for the ball enough and no longer offers anything defensively.

Sigurdsson runs a lot and is dangerous on the off chance that the ball falls to him in a great position but he is seriously uninvolved. Tosun does more in the build-up phase than he does.

Gana is good at pressuring the ball wherever he is but do we really want him receiving the ball in attacking situations?

Schneiderlin definitely needs to be dropped, Gana needs to sit deeper, and I'd seriously consider Sigurdsson's role in the team.

[kramer0]

Give me Davies-Dowell for Schneiderlin-Sigurdsson at half time.

I want to see what the difference is keeping the rest of the team around them the same.

[kramer0]

Okay, now do Dowell.

[kramer0]

Examples are early 2000’S Milan where Pirlo would be the furthest back with Gattuso pressing ahead; and Chelsea two years ago with Matic deeper and Kanye ahead.

That's all well and good if you have Pirlo or a back three with defenders like Luiz and Azpilicueta who take the passing burden off of the midfield.

We don't.

The only possibility Gana opens up for us when he plays further forward is that a chance we worked really hard to create will fall to his feet (not great, he's not a good finisher). His work higher up the pitch rarely ever results in the types of counterattacking opportunities we need him to create for him to have any value in that role.

He can use all of his skills -- pressuring and winning the ball, playing simple passes, dribbling away from trouble -- to great effect further back, cleaning up after our more attack-minded midfielders. Which is where his best performances here have been -- sitting alongside Barry when he first signed and mopping up for Davies and Rooney last season.

[kramer0]

We all know about these problems, but there's only so many things that can be solved, and fires that can be put out, in one condensed transfer window.

But we don't need the window to make it better. All Silva needs to do is drop Schneiderlin for Davies or Dowell.