Everton - Opposition Views

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Shogun has again been sharing some pearls of wisdom with us ahead of the match against Everton. Here are his answers to a few questions I've asked him:

-Your start of the season has been rather disappointing. You've been solid at the back and dominating possession, but just not doing enough going forward. What have you made of your start in the PL and what do you think has been missing?

I don't think disappointing is the word, I'd have predicted 5 points from our first three games before the start of the season but you do have to take into account we are playing a different style of football that is more possession based and it'll take time to adjust. Besides, should we have had a competent referee then we'd have won at Cardiff but every team has to cope with those problems. Our defence has been solid, though none of Norwich, West Brom or Cardiff have really brought the game to us which is why we have struggled to break teams down and of course, a lack of a clinical striker will always be a hinderance.

-New manager is not something you're very used to at Everton. What is you opinion about Martinez and the changes he's been trying to implement? Do you like his "philosophy" or do you prefer Moyes' "traditional British" style of football?

Roberto Martinez wasn't my choice or a lot of fan's choice in truth but I'd say he's probably won the majority around already. In truth, possession football is fairly mundane and if the West Brom game is anything to go by then Martinez will have tough time convincing the Goodison Park crowd it's the right way to go but hopefully Lukaku will complete the team. Moyes' football wasn't anywhere near as bad as some people like to make out. As our team improved, so did our style of play and we played some lovely direct football and scored some great team goals last season. Will I be happy I don't have to watch Jagielka smash the ball to Fellaini so often? Yes; Will I be happy passing the ball just for the sake of it? no. Both styles can be effective and Martinez' probably holds more potential but Moyes' brand of percentage football is more effective.

-You've lost Fellaini who was a big a player for you. How much of a miss do you think he'll be and do you agree with the decision to let him go?

I think Fellaini was more important in Moyes' era. Fellaini when he played behind the striker was more effective, but we played worse as a team. Under Martinez and the majority of Moyes' time apart from last season he played in centre midfield. Unfortunately, Gibson is injury prone and his partnership with Osman was abysmal so it was the right decision to sell and we got a good price for him too. He didn't play that big of a part in the team this season so I don't think he will be that much of a miss despite his talent.

-One of the main issues you've had so far this season has been chance conversion, and Martinez went out and got our own Romelu Lukaku on loan for the season. What do you expect of him? Do you think he will fit in well with the team? And is he the answer to your problems?

Well, I think your lot would be best judged to answer on him!

I fully expect Lukaku to be our number one striker for the season, providing he doesn't start poorly of course. I expect him to score somewhere in the region of 15-20 league goals and to be honest, that's all he needs to do. We need him to do this because we are playing well enough and creating a lot of chances, there's just nobody to convert them at the moment. However, he is only 20 years old so it'll be interesting to see how he performs under the pressure. There's a few who are hoping we might be able to sign him at the end of the season but most are aware that is a zero possibility.

-Besides Lukaku, you also managed to get both of Gareth Barry and James McCarthy on a very busy deadline day. What do they bring to the team and how important do you think they will be to implementing Roberto's systems?

James McCarthy will be the most important of all our signings I think, including Lukaku. He cost £13m which makes him our 2nd most expensive signing of all time behind Fellaini. From what I've seen, he isn't anything special on the ball but he moves the ball quickly. Under Martinez' style of play we need someone who doesn't fall into a slumber on the ball and lethargic in midfield and I think McCarthy is perfect for keeping the play ticking, which is a very underrated skill in the game.

Barry isn't the most appealing signing but he must do be doing something right that Manchester City fans are disappointed to see him go considering their talent in that area. He will probably be a starter seeing as Gibson is frustratingly injured quite often despite him being such a lynchpin in our side. Also, Leon Osman simply isn't good enough to play in that position, if anything he needs to be back up for the attacking midfield position that Barkley currently occupies.

-Chelsea were themselves been busy in the transfer market. Give us a quick idea of what you think about Chelsea's signing this summer.

I think intelligent would be the word. Similar to Everton, you haven't made any big money (by Chelsea standards) world class signings but you've improved your depth which was the problem for both sides last season.

Mark Schwarzer is a massive improvement on Turnbull/Hilario and is reliable and experienced should Cech get an injury whilst Courtois can continue developing over in Spain. Van Ginkel is a promising centre midfielder and considering Lampard is approaching the end of his career then he might play an important role in years to come. Willian is a good player but probably wasn't needed because of De Bruyne returning from his loan with Werder Bremen and the signing of Schurrle who I'm sure will do well, but I guess getting one over on Spurs was probably a big enough reason to sign him. As for Eto'o I think he's past his sell by date, but I'm sure he'll offer a fair amount of goals still and he's played for some of the best teams across Europe, I imagine he's been brought in to show Torres how it's done. A very good transfer window overall for Chelsea.

-But arguably our best signing of the summer has been the return of Jose Mourinho. What do you think of the special one in general, and his return to Stamford Bridge in particular?

You're probably correct in saying he's been your best bit of business this summer. He' done it at Porto, Chelsea and Inter in the past and even won the league at Real Madrid ahead of what has been proclaimed as one of the best teams of all time in Barcelona. Is his lack of European success at Real Madrid considered a failure? probably so, but they haven't won the champions league since Vincent Del Bosque managed them at the start of the millennium so it's nothing to be ashamed of. The biggest thing about Mourinho is his work in the dressing room, from listening to previous interviews from former players like Ibrahimovic and Lampard in the past along with the way some players have reacted to him leaving then it's clear he plays a father-like role and he's incredible at motivating players. It's probably good that Chelsea fans have a manager they respect and vice versa. Whether Mourinho is set for the long term is obviously yet to be determined, Chelsea quite clearly have the best manager in the premier league though.

-Baines has been very influential for you, as always, this season but Coleman has also stood out. Who do you think has been your best player so far? And tell us a bit about Ross Barkley who looks like a fantastic prospect.

The top 3 performers, in no particular order have probably been Barkley, Coleman and Distin.

Seamus Coleman must be one of the best right-backs in the league in this calendar year, both offensively and defensively. It's great that he's grounded and doesn't let it go to head as well, but I guess that's what you get from a £60k transfer fee from Sligo Rovers. We did buy him as a right back and he played there in his first season but played on the wing the following season due to lack of options before reverting back to a full back last season. Please do not believe the commentators who don't do their research and think he was a winger first.

Sylvain Distin is one of the most under appreciated CBs in the league. He has great strength and pace despite being 36 years of age. He hasn't made many, if any obvious mistakes from his abysmal back pass in the semi final v Liverpool a couple of seasons ago and he's started off the season superbly.

Ross Barkley is an obvious talent. He's probably the most talented technical youngster that England have in their ranks. He broke his foot when he was 16 and that meant he played football predominantly with his weaker left foot whilst he was recovering and has done ever since which is why he is two footed. His ball control is impeccable as is his strength and the way he presses forward like he's been playing for years. However, the greatest aspect of his game is his attitude. Even when he makes mistakes, which of course he does, he just shrugs it off and starts again and doesn't make that mistake again. He'll be a pivotal part in our team this year, it's nice to see him getting the chance after being messed about last season.

-Other than Fellaini, obviously, what changes do you think we'll see from the lineup against Cardiff? Do you reckon the new boys will go straight into the mix?

------------------------------Howard-------------------------

--------Coleman---Jagielka-----Distin----Baines-------------

----------------------McCarthy---Barry----------------------

---------------Mirallas------Barkley-----Pienaar--------------

---------------------------------Kone---------------------------

There are 8 definite starters but the bolded parts are all uncertain. McCarthy has been on international duty and picked up a slight niggle so he might not be risked whilst Barry and Osman have been in training for the last 2 weeks. So it'll be McCarthy-Barry, McCarthy-Osman or Osman-Barry. Long term I expect it to be as I've posted. Based on what we've seen so far, picking between Jelavic and Kone is like a guy deciding to ask out a supermodel or a lesbian, either way you're not going to score.

-Finally, please predict the final result.

Expect a draw 1-1. It'll be a good result but frustrating considering we've drawn our first three games of the season. I don't go into any games at home thinking we are going to lose because we are too good a side not to believe we can beat anyone at home but it'll be difficult and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if we lost.

Click here to view the article

[CHOULO19 24,332]

picking between Jelavic and Kone is like a guy deciding to ask out a supermodel or a lesbian, either way you're not going to score.

LMAO