Author: oparkes17

Who replaces Carlo Ancelotti?

I am not going to lie, I really liked Carlo Ancelotti, and despite the duplicity and the bad feeling he has left around Goodison Park, I still do.

I found his tactical setup comfortable, his manner comforting and a feeling of calmness and above all trust surrounding his time at Everton. As managers go, he is the best I have seen at Everton and his premature departure from the club has bitterly disappointed me. Everton under Carlo Ancelotti were safe, comfortable and unoffensive. The worry now for me is that the rollercoaster of Everton is about to return, which leaves the club in a place of huge uncertainty and everyone wanting something just a little bit different.

There have been so many names rumoured to be of interest to Everton since Ancelotti’s move to Real Madrid and I shall go through all that I can while looking into my own choices, explaining myself. Whoever replaces the Italian will be a downgrade, in my view but there are  positives that can come as a result of this.

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As Everton do not currently play in a continuous and specific style there are three possible ways to approach this.

Appoint a manager who has worked closely with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton and hope things continue as they would have under him (an internal appointment).

Appoint a manager with a clear identity (but not too dissimilar to Ancelotti) where the club would be in yet more transition, playing in a way that is recognisable so recruitment would be towards a clear tactical plan.

Appoint a manager with a clear identity but one vastly different to Carlo Ancelotti, which would require a transition but would build to a long-term style. This would keep the club more stable going forward in terms of buying new players.

Additionally, any new manager would have to be able to work under a Director of Football and fall in line with whatever recruitment plan Marcel Brands has in place. So, from my point of view, a new manager should not be allowed to simply bring in their own players for close to £70 million, leave in 18 months, and then rinse and repeat.

The Options

1.Appoint a manager who has worked closely with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton and hope things continue as they would have under him (an internal appointment).

Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Ferguson has worked day to day with Carlo Ancelotti for close to 18 months so moving to him, at least in the short term would keep things steady and would not move things out of place, while maintaining the respect of the players and the hierarchy at the club.

‘Big Dunc’ also did a commendable job prior to Ancelotti’s appointment replacing Marco Silva with the club in 18th place in the Premier League.

Ferguson has also been at the club day to day post-Moyes so would have a good grasp at what is wrong at the club, culture-wise and could help lead to fixing it.

His inexperience could also help propel Marcel Brands and allow him to create a vision for the club properly while Ferguson fixes it on the pitch. It is unlikely he would demand certain players, for example.

However, the Everton job is too big a risk for a newcomer to management. Everton have had some really experienced coaches in recent years, and it has seen them struggle. It does leave the question of when it would be right for Duncan but his inexperience discounts him for me personally. Plus, should he lose his job, he likely could not just return to the backroom team, of which he is a valued member.

Verdict: No.

2. Appoint a manager with a clear identity (but not too dissimilar to Ancelotti) where the club would be in yet more transition, playing in a way that is recognisable so recruitment would be towards a clear tactical plan.

Nuno Espírito Santo

https://owenparkesblog.com/2020/05/31/wolverhampton-wanderers-and-nuno-espirito-santo/

Nuno left Wolves at the end of the season after four successful years at Molineux and is the current favourite for the Everton job.

The Portuguese coach would not change a great deal stylistically and would function in the Director of Football model, not ignoring the fact that he improved players at Wolves and played in a recognisable style that was the bedrock of their success. His work ensured two 7th place finishes (two more than Everton can boast in this period), a Europa League quarter-final and an FA Cup semi-final, all stemming from a Championship title win in his first season.

Mostly, Nuno has favoured a 3-4-3/3-5-2 formation at Wolves, relying on quick counters, deep defending and clinical, aggressive forwards.

Everton have proven that defending in a low block suits them, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have historically proven that they could be useful for Nuno. However, the lack of pace and mobility in Everton’s team would have to be addressed in order for Nuno’s style at Wolves to be translated at Everton.

It is true that Wolves have been really poor this season, finishing in 13th place behind Newcastle and Aston Villa in the bottom half of the Premier League.

The dip in form is an issue, as are some of the final days at several of his previous clubs where he has lost his job in similar circumstances, but Nuno Espírito Santo, if not perfect, would be a lower risk option.

Verdict: Yes

David Moyes

Everyone involved at Everton knows exactly what to expect when it comes to David Moyes. He is also rumoured to be in Everton’s thoughts to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Moyes has done a fantastic job at West Ham since replacing Manuel Pellegrini in December 2019, leading the club from a relegation battle to qualifying for the Europa League, finishing 6th. Despite Moyes’ and West Ham’s historic struggles, it is not a surprise that Moyes has done well at the London Stadium.

The Hammers boss is out of contract but has decided to trigger an extension in his deal at West Ham. However, he is yet to finalise terms at West Ham, leaving Everton open to him should both parties want a reunion.

David Moyes has actually produced some good football at West Ham, with solid foundations and players who are clearly buying into what he wants to achieve, in spite of difficult and unpopular ownership.

My big concerns over Moyes are firstly, his desire to work under a sporting director; and secondly, just what is the point of returning to a story with Moyes that had gone as far as it could go in 2013 after 11 years in charge? Plus Moyes has been constantly rejected by Everton since. What does that say about him?

Verdict: No but would understand it and feel comfortable

Rafael Benítez

Stylistically, Benitez would be a decent fit at Everton but that’s where the positives end.

To start with the positives, Rafa would come into Everton and continue Carlo’s methods pretty much and get similar if not superior results and continue things nicely. Again, it would be comfortable and avoid any disastrous rollercoaster that could lead Everton to be back in the lower reaches of the Premier League.

The negatives just pile up unfortunately. His Liverpool connections would leave him a month from the sack from game one, Rafa likes to lead recruitment, which could cause issues for Brands, and he would feel like yet another 18-month appointment.

Rafa Benitez is a very good manager, but it would not work.

Verdict: No

Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte would be the best manager Everton have ever appointed and for that reason alone he would be my choice, no doubt.

However, it is very unlikely Conte would consider the Everton job and is in talks with Spurs about replacing Jose Mourinho. Conte would also be at odds with Marcel Brands, though the ability of Conte would vastly outweigh Brands’ importance to Everton to be fair.

Conte would want winners and would make Everton winners but would also be short term and would want huge money to spend.

A dream appointment but is not possible

Verdict: Yes!

Unai Emery

If Unai Emery had not just won the Europa League and qualified for the Champions League with Villareal, like the last time we were looking for a manager and every time before that, Emery would be my number one choice and I would consider it realistic. Unfortunately, it is not likely Emery that would swap that job security for the Premier League again so soon after his time at Arsenal.

Emery is amazing but it is not realistic to consider him a candidate at Everton.

Verdict: Yes

Sean Dyche

For all the myths, Sean Dyche is a fantastic manager.

There are 1,000 reasons why, which mostly include a nothing budget coupled with huge overachievement at Turf Moor, owing to a side that has a very clear idea, huge commitment and players who continue to improve, with an eye to introducing players from the academy (most notably Dwight McNeil and Ben Mee.)

Dyche would not be a huge shift from what Carlo Ancelotti has implemented and suits the current team.

Everton have defenders who suit defending deeper, a midfield not necessarily suited to playing so open and lack real mobility and strikers who thrive off crosses.

Dyche has also been used to working with a Sporting Director at Burnley in Mike Rigg.

Everton will not consider Sean Dyche mostly due to perception.

He is a good fit but will not be looked at.

Verdict: Yes

3. Appoint a manager with a clear identity but one vastly different to Carlo Ancelotti, which would require a transition but would build to a long-term style. This would keep the club more stable going forward in terms of buying new players.

Maurizio Sarri

Sarri is a really good manager, whose achievements have not always been appreciated – especially the job he did at Chelsea, where only in hindsight has the job he did been properly respected.

‘Sarriball’ is something that, if he did stay for a long period of time at Everton, could appease fans. Inviting a high press, then drawing quick transitions and playing with quality in the final third could be exciting but Sarri’s recent jobs have been short-term and with a squad that would require major surgery to play that way, what would be the point?

Verdict: Yes, if he was willing to stay long term, (otherwise no.)

Paulo Fonseca

Fonseca is a manager whose stock continues to rise in the game despite his recent dismissal at Roma.

Paulo Fonseca has been linked with Everton in the past while he was at Shakhtar Donetsk to replace both Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce, but Everton favoured the appointment of Allardyce himself then Silva over the ex-Roma boss.

The job he did at Roma was not great as they suffered a lot in the final months under Fonseca before he was sacked after Manchester United comfortably beat them in the Europa League.

Fonseca is sure a manager with a lot going for him, but I would be worried about Everton’s short-term prospects with Fonseca and has there been any proof that once he got his style of player in at Everton then he would be a success?

There are worse options out there than Fonseca and his ability to do well in Europe is a plus point, but there are too many worries about the Portuguese to risk appointing him?

Verdict: No

Eddie Howe

Verdict: No

Marcelo Gallardo

Gallardo is a hero at River Plate after spending 7 years in Argentina, winning two Copa Libertadores by playing an attacking style of football.

Gallardo would, admittedly, be an exciting prospect at Everton and if he could make the team his own, the Argentine could be the leader of a cultural shift at Everton which would transition Everton from a short-term club to a side that has a clear identity like at River Plate. He utilises a mix of 4-3-1-2 and 4-4-2 formations, encouraging ball retention and deploying a high line, but has been known to shift formations according to new players coming in and leaving.

The risk is that he has never managed in Europe, and it is unknown how his style would fare in the short term but if he was to be given time, this could be a success.

Verdict: Yes

Graham Potter

It is no secret that I am not Graham Potter’s biggest fan, and it is not an appointment I would like.

Yet, whilst his methods are flawed, overrated and have barely improved Brighton’s fortunes in the league, having spent decent money on the way, it would be something I could understand if not support.

Potter plays a specific style of football, encouraging his teams to be aggressive, maintain possession and control games. Defensively, Brighton are good and do adapt well to certain games. Yet despite some clear positives to his methods, I do not think they are necessarily compatible with the level Brighton find themselves in from year to year.

Everton could be a better squad for him to prove himself, but it would be a risk on a manager who is yet to do well in England.

Verdict: No

Cristophe Galtier

Galtier is somewhat of a miracle worker and out of the names mentioned in this section of candidates, he would be my choice.

He has proven himself as an overachiever at Lille, winning Ligue 1 this season and subsequently deciding to leave the French side.

He improves every aspect of a team, making his teams solid and difficult but also maximising the ability of his forward players. This was clear as he improved someone like Jonathan Bamba from a forward who lacked end product to someone who was key for Lille. He also revitalised Renato Sanches and found effective solutions such as Yilmaz whose involvement was the difference ultimately.

Verdict: Yes!

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/22/ligue-1-title-for-lille-would-be-miracle-of-christophe-galtiers-coaching

Ralf Rangnick

Rangnick has been linked with Everton for close to 10 years now and it would be fate that he would end up at Everton finally.

The issue is, Rangnick is someone who is great to have behind the scenes to build a team but is not someone who has had much success as the manager himself.

Plus there is also the question as to how he would be compatible with Marcel Brands.

Verdict: No.

Top Choice?

Appointing a manager at Everton is not an easy task. There is no obvious style to the team both in performances and historic recruitment for different managers.

For me, the next manager has to be someone who has a record of getting more from a team than you would expect, whether that be an expansive style of play or a more pragmatic style. I would love Unai Emery, but at time of writing I would be happiest with Dyche or Galtier. Choose your fighter – Everton are looking for another manager!

Getafe CF and José Bordalás

In short, Getafe under José Bordalás do not care what they look like on the pitch. Highly functional and organised, Getafe unfairly get categorised as a bunch of thugs who play a completely unwatchable brand of football. Yet their style has not only taken the team from bottom of La Segunda División de España to regular challengers for European football in La Liga, but also have made them trendsetters for other smaller sides in Spain.

Tactical Identity

Pep Guardiola believes that the quicker you get the ball into the opponent’s half, the quicker it will come back at you. Bordalás has dispelled this myth. His Getafe team presses hard, playing lower risk long balls and making sure there are never huge gaps in his team to allow the opposition to play through Getafe. This restricts them to less dangerous longer clearances or possession in front of Getafe’s 4-4-2 shape.

Getafe’s tenacity and smart pressing allows them to spring into an attack from which they score from whilst maintaining their compactness

Usually, they set up with, Soria, Suárez, Djené, Cabaco, Olivera, Nyom, Maksimović, Arambarri, Cucurella, Cucho, Mata.

Whilst the team lacks obvious technical brilliance (Allan Nyom is most definitely a right midfielder), the gap in quality with other La Liga teams is plugged by energetic, direct play, as well as quick transitions and through plays, which catch teams off guard with crosses and play into the hands of the strikers, especially Cucho Hernández who is one player you could say is technically able enough to win 1v1 battles.


The midfield two are crucial in José Bordalás’ system. Maksimović and Arambarri are the heartbeat of the Getafe side. They protect Djené Dakonam and Erick Cabaco well and keep the shape of the team exceptionally organised in order to thwart other teams. Equally important is their good passing range, allowing them to spring attacks quickly, especially longer diagonal passes to one of the strikers or Marc Cucurella. Most importantly they are elite tacklers…


It is true: Getafe do commit a lot of fouls. In an era where that kind of committed approach is considered ‘anti football’ Bordalás’ side show no sign of changing their approach, which endears itself to neither neutrals, opposition fans nor Quique Setién. However, it is most definitely an approach which has worked for Getafe and other sides in La Liga, who have recently adopted a similar pragmatic style, revolving around longer passing rather than shorter build up play. Such clubs include Eibar, Cádiz and Granada.


Getafe spend a lot of time without the ball. They usually register the lowest pass accuracy not only in Spain, but in Europe. Offensively, they are somewhat of a throwback with their longer passes and willingness to cross the ball, but defensively Getafe are masters at limiting the opposition to as few chances as possible. Defensively, they aim to force the opposition in areas that will ultimately cause them less harm. They press smartly to win the ball back but also to defend.


Their compactness tries to prevent technically greater teams from playing through them and as such, they would rather leave space out wide to invite crosses into the box as they back themselves to win aerial duels and defend properly.

Getafe played ultra narrow in defensive positions against Barcelona in their 1-0 victory. They knew they would have an aerial advantage over Barcelona so by pressing high narrowly and equally dropping back narrowly they knew that if Barcelona were to beat the press through a longer pass they would win the ball back or clear the ball away.

In a way, they do play similarly to Burnley in England however the difference between Dyche’s system and that of Bordalás is that the latter encourages occasional positional changes of some of his players in order to limit the creative ability of the team the side from the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez are playing. This is why Getafe often go for two right backs or two left backs in wide areas – so they have as many players on the pitch as possible who can transition into defensive scenarios and creative man advantages in dangerous areas.


As mentioned, José Bordalás at Getafe has dispelled the myth that the quicker you play the ball forward into the opponent’s half, the quicker it will come back at you. Getafe’s defensive set up has ultimately helped their no-nonsense approach to attacking. So far this season, teams have often got the first goal against Getafe, such as Granada, who then sat in a low block once they took the lead, making Getafe’s direct approach difficult to achieve. Yet when Getafe get on the right side of the margins they do so effectively and with as few passes as possible. When Getafe win games they often do so with something between 190-280 passes, so the more they have the ball the less effective they ultimately are. Marc Cucurella and Allan Nyom, Getafe’s wingers are key to how quickly they get forward. With a simple longer pass it can be easier for teams to deal with, yet with Cucarella and Nyom running at pace, it can be tough.

Key Player: Marc Cucurella

Marc Cucurella has ultimately benefited from his move to Getafe, where he has been given more creative responsibility, not freedom, than at Barcelona.


‘Cucu’ was a La Masia graduate so it is now difficult to believe he is the star man in Spain’s most divergent team from Barcelona in style. Arguably, his development under Bordalás has shown that Barcelona made a mistake in not using the Spaniard enough.


Cucurella was a left back before Bordalás moved him to midfield. Bordalás likes players who are adept in both offensive and defensive scenarios all over the pitch, as the Madrid-based side set traps for the opposition. Cucu’s ability to show both sides of his game has meant he is probably the first or second name on Pepe Bordalas’ team sheet. He is the main creator for the team but also works hard to press and close down passing opportunities, as well as using his blistering pace to transition from defence to attack.


His spell at Eibar under José Luis Mendilibar helped him in this regard, as they do play a similar but less intense way to Getafe, which lends itself to overloading wide areas and playing quicker, direct attacking football, coupled with a strong defensive unit which demands a lot. Like Bordalás, Mendilibar used Cucurella as an out and out winger to give him more creative and attacking freedom because in teams that really need their fullbacks to be more disciplined defensively it would have been a waste to use Cucu there and negate his ability going forward. Olivera plays left back for Getafe and offers a more disciplined alternative in the full back position albeit with a lot less technical ability than Cucurella.


It is easy to see why the Spaniard was a product of La Masia with his technique and ability on the ball; his crossing is sublime and he is a regular provider for Mata, Ángel, Enes Ünal and Cucho Hernández in front of goal. In spite of this, his physical and defensive profile is not what one would expect from a La Masia graduate. His one-on-one defensive ability is good and his tackling continues to improve the longer Bordalás gets with him on the training ground.


Marc Cucurella is undoudtedly a key part to Getafe’s set up. His creative ability not only helps the side to become an ultra-functional team, but also gives them another option in the final third. Crucially though, he is defensively adept enough to work well under José Bordalás.

Bordalas and Getafe Explained

Whilst Bordalás has been in and around the Spanish leagues for a number of years now, it has only been at Getafe where he has been given a proper chance at establishing a team in La Liga. In 2015, he took Deportivo Alavés up into La Liga but was replaced as he was not seen as reliable enough to handle the rigours of the league.


His reward the following season for that achievement was to take over Getafe – a club in complete disarray. They had just been relegated from La Liga and had started the season in a way which would have seen them secure back-to-back relegations but Bordalás turned it around instantly, instilling unity in the club to make sure everyone was singing from the same hymn sheet from the get-go. Getafe found their feet instantly under Bordalás and won promotion via the play-offs in his first season in charge.


If Getafe had come up to the Premier League, TalkSport would have said they would get less points than 2007/08 Derby County and Paddy Power would have put out some ‘laugh at me please’ tweet saying they are paying out on a relegation for Getafe.


Yet Getafe finished 8th in their first season in La Liga. Their style was a shock for the league, and they were comfortable for the full season. From Quique Setién to Ronald Koeman, those who prefer the more aesthetic side of the game were not pleased with Bordalás’s style of play against their teams. Setién’s Real Betis were the antithesis of Getafe, while more recently Koeman claimed Getafe ‘lack respect’, and that is not to mention the huge rivalry against Valencia, created during the spell of Marcelino. To this day that fixture never fails to become crazy and drama-filled even now with Valencia under the management of Javi Gracia.


Getafe’s success has gone from strength to strength. They finished fifth the following season and only failed to qualify for the Champions League on the final day. Last season they successfully juggled a full Europa League campaign and an eighth-place finish in La Liga, with the highlight for sure being their Europa League clash with football purists Ajax, who they knocked out in circumstances that without doubt pleased fans of Ajax’s style.


I will leave you with this…

Fulham to be bottom? Southampton as surprise package? What on Earth is going to happen?

I come to you quite a while after my last piece on here because truth be told there has not been a great deal to write about. After the football finished and I had covered the teams I wanted to, I did not see the point in writing about ideas and teams I just did not know enough about.

Anyway, the Premier League is back, so I thought it would be a good time for writing some predictions, so when I am totally wrong in twelve months time, *insert generic football twitter name* on Twitter can quote tweet this and laugh at me with the singular word of ‘L’.

In the meantime here goes.

1. Manchester City

Manchester City HAVE to be better this last season. Pep Guardiola has done some great things with Man City, but last season, they were truly underwhelming. From over complicated Champions League tactical setups, to failing to break teams down after conceding first post lockdown, Man City were not good enough but with a clean slate, they will set out to be ruthless again.

Going forward, they are always the best team around in England but the key is taking that attacking impetus and defending with the same intensity. Pep’s teams always play with confidence whether that is due to the strong mentality of Pep or unlimited money to spend or both, but defensively they always give teams one chance in the game to take the lead and defend said lead.

The secret of Manchester City’s success under Pep Guardiola has been with a 4-3-3 formation or in possession a 2–1-4-3 formation which consists of a flat midfield with a defensive midfielder adept to recycling possession and wingers who play inverted and full backs who play like wingers.

Tactically they will always play a variety of possession based football in a 4-3-3 formation and ultimately in a league where styles and trends are always changing, consistency and continuity is key and is why for me, Man City and Liverpool will be comfortably the top two due to that.

Pep Guardiola has received criticism previously for overthinking systems in big games. Man City’s 3-4-3 against Lyon last season was a mess. Instead of being defensively more solid Kyle Walker who is defensively poor left space between himself and Fernandinho for Lyon attackers.

Nathan Ake is a decent addition for cover though not as a regular starter and Ferran Torres will be interesting to watch develop over the season but with a clean slate and not forever chasing a thirty point deficit, I expect to see Man City back to their levels of 2017-2019.

2. Liverpool

The reason Liverpool are not top, is simply due to the lack of fresh faces that have come in again. Their starting eleven, fully firing, is at least on par with Manchester City plus their ability to win games they probably should not, is incredible too.

Obviously, there is still transfer business to be done before the window shuts and Liverpool could still do some more business especially in midfield where Jurgen Klopp could add more bodies, with Thiago Alcantara being linked and he would be Liverpool’s best midfielder technically, at least.

Defensively, they are strong. Their fullbacks whilst are not perfect defensively, going forward are Liverpool’s best form of creativity. The frequency in which they get crosses in the box can be relentless for some sides also with direct passes to the front three in transition may seem a little basic but it works.

Liverpool have found it difficult in recent months of breaking down a low block, where the opposition’s defensive structure aims for possession to be played in front of them and to encourage crosses into the box where their centre backs will back themselves to win aerial duels and stifle Liverpool’s high octane attacking play.

Even though that approach was breached towards the end of the season with Watford, Atletico, Burnley and Arsenal deploying a effective defensive system to combat the high octane attacking approach, I do not see any side other than Man City being able to compete with their intensity and experience over a full season.

3. Chelsea

I really do not want to put Chelsea third. Whilst I think all their business has been shrewd and there is not a player maybe with the exception of Ziyech who I do not think will for sure adapt; even Ziyech is a great player but the transition from Holland to England at the top level is not seamless.

Frank Lampard did a good job last season. Manager of the year? No. Yet, he overachieved on pre season expectations of him and his side and qualified for the Champions League, whilst playing an exciting brand of football and with the investment in the team, I do think Chelsea will the league’s most exciting teams to watch going forward. Defensively, they are not perfect however, and they did have some issues with overplaying last season which will have to be rectified to consolidate third position.

What is Frank Lampard’s Chelsea? Traditionally, they play mostly in a 42-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation which has become synonymous with modern day football but in possession Chelsea revert to almost a 2-2-1-5 formation with the two midfield pivots usually Jorginho and Kanté or Kovacic sitting deep dictating play and protecting the back four with Azpilicueta and Alonso usually pushing high to support the attacking midfielder and the three attackers up front, though sometimes this has caused Chelsea to be vulnerable in defence.

Expect Chelsea to be second or first in the league for possession, passes and touches in the final third and all the crazy, good attacking metrics but also expect them to lose games against good defensive sides 1-0 and that is what will cause them to fall short of the top two. P.S very excited to see Kai Havertz play, top talent.

4. Spurs

Jose Mourinho, it’s as simple as that. They have not spent a great deal of money so far but they have made some shrewd signings and I expect them to be the opposite of Chelsea, defensively stronger but going forward to struggle against teams who give them the ball.

Kane and Son will provide the real ammunition going forward, their performance against Leicester towards the end of the season was classic Mourinho and expect a lot more of that. Defensively, in a low to mid block, in the middle of the park to be dogged and very good at recovering possession and efficiency in the final third.

Spurs have transitioned from a more expansive high possession side under Mauricio Pochettino to a more defensive, counter attacking side under Mourinho. Typically, their best work is done off the ball in a 4-2-3-1 formation where the front four will press in tandem to win the ball back high up yet when the press is beaten they will sit behind the ball in a 4-4-2 in their own half .

Spurs as a team could go either way. With Jose Mourinho a super experienced coach they could get top four with their experience and not be remarkable but solid or they could completely bottom out and see the real end of the team that has been built since the start of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign.

I am going to be positive and say they’ll have a good season with Mourinho. It is easy to forget he is still a elite manager and Spurs have very good players. Top four, but just.

5. Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has started to build a really exciting young team at United after the initial spell after his appointment where they looked devoid of any coaching, organisation and inspiration.

Why might Manchester United do well? Their versatility in attack. Before Pogba’s return and Bruno’s arrival they were mostly predictable and easy to play against but since Ole switched to a 4-1-4-1 mostly after lockdown United move the ball well with a key trait of theirs being a wide striker dropping deeper to allow for a run to be made from either Fernandes or Pogba. Quick, innovative attacking play made better with better players.

There are questions with the goalkeeper, De Gea is regressing but is Dean Henderson the man to replace him? Defensively, I think they are good. Pogba and Fernandes work in tandem so naturally in the midfield but I think they still lack a focal point up front, Anthony Martial is yet to convince me as a top striker and whilst they need a top quality defensive midfielder to protect the back four and recycle the ball to their attack. A very good team but still with some deficiencies.

Also, Solskjaer does not convince me. He did a good job in the end last season but they were so poor for a lot of the season and whilst he has proved the doubters wrong that is he at least competent I do see United falling a little short due to some of Ole’s flaws.

6. Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has done a super good job so far with a side I do not rate much at all. Gabriel is a great buy from Lille and tactically, Arteta has done a good job of plugging gaps in Arsenal’s team with smart tactical tweaks that have seen Arsenal become more compact but with some good football at times also.

In terms of system, it is tough to see what he will go with this season. He liked 3-4-3 for a lot of last season but was a key part of Man City’s success who were proponents of Arsenal’s traditional 4-3-3 system. Aubameyang staying will be key, he is one of the best strikers around and will boost them from being closer to 7th to closer to 5th but I do not see Arsenal finishing any higher. Arsenal fans are rightly excited but patience with Arteta and a weaker team is important as there will be moments where they struggle.

Arsenal will be aiming to evolve into a expansive side under Mikel Arteta but so far Arteta has been successful defending more deep than they have with Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery. Finally someone at Arsenal has realised they are not that great and have to find other ways of being successful.

7. Wolves

From the outside, I absolutely love Wolves and I expect them to finish 7th again. They are a strong team, great fun to watch on the counter attack but complimented by a steely core of a strong defensive unit and an ability to get results more consistently than any team outside the top six.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s tactics have been given a once over before on this blog and with him in charge Wolves are in good hands. Recruitment wise, I struggle to get behind spending £40 million on a 18 year old when their squad is so small and needs filling but who am I to question a system that’s worked so well.

Wolves have experimented with different varieties of a three at the back formation with their early Premier League games being with a four in midfield. Either way, Wolves are a quick, effective counter attacking side.

Like with most teams who do well, the continuity factor is key. Their system does not change neither does their personnel so expect Wolves to draw a lot, win away games by one goal a lot and continue to be super productive.

8. Everton

A couple of weeks ago I had Everton, 12th, then 10th, now 8th. Recruitment is key in football to the extent that you can still have a world class manager in charge and finish 12th because your squad is not that good.

Everton are signing quality in key areas and with Ancelotti, they will not finish lower than 8th I think. Defensively, Holgate/Keane/Mina (maybe Tomori) is very good. Lucas Digne is a top full back. In midfield quality has been added and the strikers are effective and Carlo Ancelotti is a type of manager Everton have never been able to attract so everything points towards a good season.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton so far, have been a tactically flexible counter attacking side especially against the better teams in the league. Everton’s display against Liverpool did not conform to the high octane expectations of a Merseyside Derby but Everton shifting between a 4-4-2 and 3-5-2 blocked spaces for Liverpool to play into.

There are still gaps in the squad. Right back is weak, they lack a winger and the goalkeeper is poor. With Everton though, the blues could easily spend more and force into the European places, they could flop. It seems different this time.

9. Southampton

The surprise package of the season for me. Ralph Hasenhuttl is a excellent manager as they continue to excite with their relentless pressing, efficiency in attack and better organised defence.

Southampton are a prime example of a club picking a very good manager and just getting better incrementally. Hasenhuttl came in on the back of Mark Hughes who does not have tactics and had to improve them defensively to stay up and then tried to evolve too quickly when they did stay up and then Ralph switching to his preferred 4-4-2 formation has seen them become one of the league’s toughest teams to face.

Despite Southampton’s ruthlessness in pressing, Hasenhuttl has also managed to get results by tightening up their midfield to allow them to switch between a heavy pressing team and a mid block.

Danny Ings is so effective in front of goal, and James Ward Prowse is another player who is not a star name like most of the Southampton players but they combine well to produce good results and can be a exciting team to watch.

Salisu and Walker Peters are good deals and they will add to what is an improving defence and I think Southampton will grow into the season and could easily sneak into the top 7 with a improved home record.

10. Leicester

Brendan Rodgers’ honeymoon period in charge of Leicester is over now and fans can easily forgive just missing out fourth with a horrendous 2020 so far but slipping further down the table will cast some doubts over whether Rodgers is actually that good.

Rodgers came into the club and did a fantastic job for the first year, but it has seemed to go very stale and with the burden of European football this season I struggle to see Leicester maintaining their top six levels and returning to the 7th-11th pack.

Squad wise they have a good spine of the team. Schmeichel is a decent goalkeeper, Soyuncu is a good defender, Ndidi and Maddison are good midfielders and Vardy is a exceptional striker but there are gaps in the team in wide areas and quality off the bench that seriously limit them.

A decent winger and some good squad fillers and I would put them top 8 but expect Leicester to be this year’s pass for passing sake team with no idea of how to create chances. Flops.

11. Burnley

Burnley have not bought anyone yet other than Will Norris so it is testament to the coaching ability of Sean Dyche that I predict a top 12 finish for Burnley again.

It is pointless trying to hide the fact I absolutely love Burnley’s tactical approach but even to look at them objectively, what Dyche has done is incredible. It is proven they do not spend a lot but continue to produce results in all fashions. Jurgen Klopp even called them a ‘results machine.’

The low block system has become synonymous with Burnley and Sean Dyche in recent years with more teams shifting from pragmatism to possession based football. Burnley do it really well however, with the defensive structure pressing and dropping back in tandem to encourage low risk shots and crosses in which Tarkowski and Mee deal with mostly.

Nick Pope is a quality goalkeeper. Tarkowski and Ben Mee are reliable. Taylor is a decent left back. Dwight McNeil is a good young English player and Ashley Westwood’s work goes under the radar while the enigma Chris Wood continues to help the ball in the back of net, literally.

I do not think they will go down but they could struggle if reinforcements are not brought in but the right deals and they could easily finish top half again. Viva la Sean Dyche.

12. Crystal Palace

I am going put my neck on the line here and predict Palace will defy the general consensus of a team in decline with dinosaur football and that they will get relegated and Crystal Palace will have a comfortable season.

Roy Hodgson is a good manager it is as simple as that. I do not see them struggling plus the signings of Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson are good deals with Palace also being linked with Michy Batshuayi, Bright Oyasi Samuel and Conor Gallagher, who all would add the attacking impetus of the side coupled with Hodgson’s defensive organisation.

Of course, Wilfried Zaha is still there and if he leaves they could drop to 14th-16th as he is a huge player but I back Hodgson in what will probably be his last year in management to go out on a high.

13. Sheffield United

In the last few days Chris Wilder has brought in some decent players to bolster the team and I do not see Sheffield United being in any danger this season.

Last season was incredible for them but I do see a slight drop off mainly due to the fact I struggle to see them maintaining the same levels of defensive perfection and score enough goals. I do like a lot of their players however, Fleck and Norwood are really good passers and I could watch them switch play to Baldock and Stevens all day plus Jack O’Connell and John Egan are really undervalued defenders.

Sheffield United tactically switch very well. At one moment, they can be defending very deep in a 5-3-2 and the next be attacking quickly with overlapping centre backs. Expect them to continue their way of playing under Wilder.

Chris Wilder is one of the best managers around and the quality gap between a lot the league and the Blades up front especially will be compensated for by Wilder’s presence in the dugout.

14. Newcastle

I do not think Newcastle will be in any relegation trouble this season with the additions of Fraser, Wilson, Hendrick and Lewis. Newcastle are not afun team to watch for some but Steve Bruce has done a good job so far and with the additions to the squad any trouble I did initially have them in has been eased.

Dubravka is a average goalkeeper in my opinion. He does make some great saves but he is prone to a mistake, defensively, they are average in terms of personnel, but Bruce’s plugs the gaps by playing a deep line, their midfield is not great but with Saint Maximin, Fraser, Almiron and Wilson they could be a threat off the break if said players can keep fit, not amazing players but good enough for mid table in the Premier League.

15. Leeds United

Leeds are finally in the Premier League, for better or for worse and joins them is the maverick and alleged creator of passing and football itself, Marcelo Bielsa.

Firstly, Bielsa is a decent manager, he is not world class and he is not exempt of a relegation battle which I do think Leeds will be in. In fact, 15th would be a great season for Leeds. People do underestimate the difference in levels between the Championship and the Premier League, especially with the unproven Rodrigo up front who I do rate but has a point to prove nevertheless and a hapless Patrick Bamford.

I love Robin Koch who they have bought from Freiburg and I think they will be fine and will have a bright start. However, as we go along I do think they will drop off but overall Leeds United and Bielsa will not reinvent the wheel but will be fine.

16. Brighton

Graham Potter passed his first test as Brighton boss last season by avoiding relegation after it looked like they would struggle to stay up after becoming the easiest team to play against in the world from December to when football returned after lockdown.

The test for Potter now will be move Brighton higher up the league from relegation contenders to a established Premier League team especially with the money Brighton have spent in comparison to teams such as Burnley and Crystal Palace will regularly finish above them.

Despite Potter’s new wave of possession based football (until lockdown anyway) it has been Brighton’s defence that has been most impressive with the Seagulls struggling to score goals with the exception of Neal Maupay. Brighton will be fine, but not quite as talented as some teams and not as organised as others.

17. West Ham

West Ham United on and off the pitch are a shambles. Off the pitch Gold, Sullivan and Brady continue to troll the fans and David Moyes as well as their own players now it seems. On the pitch, there are some serious weaknesses in the team.

David Moyes came in to replace Manuel Pellegrini last season and did admirably to keep West Ham up but with the board failing to back his desire for young, hungry players in the window I cannot see him starting around for another relegation battle and West Ham spending much in the window.

Rice and Soucek are decent midfielders, I like Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen but the majority of the team are products of a deeply flawed recruitment policy and a lack of identity. West Ham will stay up but I expect it to be a struggle.

18. Aston Villa

Aston Villa were incredibly lucky to stay up last season with VAR and Jack Grealish saving them because, let’s be honest it was not coming from the dugout.

Dean Smith is another manager I do not see lasting the season in charge of his club. Whilst Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins are good deals, Smith for me, is not a Premier League level manager and Watford’s and Bournemouth’s incompetence kept them up rather than anything good Aston Villa did. They could stay up, but I think they will be in deep trouble.

19. West Brom

Slaven Bilic did a fantastic job in taking West Brom up last season, but I think their team is seriously flawed in the final third and Bilic is not a naturally defensive coach to edge games 1-0/2-1 to elevate West Brom’s chances plus they did struggle to secure promotion in the end also.

Grady Diangana and Semi Ajayi are good players who can shape West Brom’s attack and defence respectively but with the Baggies I think their is too much of a quality gap to stay up.

20. Fulham

Fulham under Scott Parker played a strictly possession based style of football in the Championship last season and with the signs that Parker is not for changing that I see no way they stay up unless that changes.

Against teams like Millwall and Nottingham Forest last season in the Championship, Fulham had 80% possession something they will not be able to do in the Premier League and there squad is still poorly balanced and sadly for them another relegation could beckon.

How could Everton set up next season?

After the acknowledgment in Andy Hunter’s article in the Guardian that Carlo Ancelotti and Marcel Brands will be given resources in order to improve the Everton squad this summer, here is a view as to how Everton could look to recruit this summer by looking at how Carlo Ancelotti has set Everton up tactically so far.

Nothing even needs to be said. Look at that midfield. Against Southampton, Tom Davies and Andre Gomes were supposedly Everton’s midfield pivots. In a 442, which Carlo Ancelotti has favoured at Everton as he has historically , you need a midfield that can both support the attack as well as being able to get about the pitch effectively in a defensive sense, to set traps for the opponent to limit their ability to play thorough you and effectively win back possession.

Of course, it is not only the midfield that is at fault for Everton’s recent poor performances. In wide areas, we do not create enough. Our defence is under constant pressure and our centre backs are mostly unable to defend in space, our right backs are either unable to cross the half line way or are unable to do anything productive in our own half and our goalkeeper often conspires to do the most ridiculous things you could imagine, while Carlo Ancelotti is trying to get points by hook or by crook, resulting in Everton turning out some very rigid displays. For sure, Everton are not a side that can enjoy the luxury of playing free flowing football as well as unlimited good results. Everton need to be organised and resolute and that will get results but Everton need to be better in possession and in creating chances also.

Goalkeeper

Jordan Pickford has had a lot of questions thrown at him this season because of his last of consistency, his temperament and his overall concentration. Everton are not usually a side that concedes a lot of shots on target on their goal yet Pickford tends to always come under scrutiny for mistakes and shots he should generally be saving. If circumstances were normal and Everton had a blank cheque to spend this summer, Everton probably would look to buy a new number one goalkeeper. With the realities of the market, Everton may not look to spend hugely on the goalkeeper position.

If Ben Foster, was not staying put at Watford, I would be tempted to look at him. He’s a very strong goalkeeper who during Watford’s really poor run this season was still playing at a consistent level for them. Walter Benitez was in a similar situation as a free agent but signed a new deal for Nice and there is no way in the world Everton should consider signing Joe Hart, because he is bad. After that you are struggling to find a goalkeeper who is cost effective and of the right quality to challenge or replace Pickford. Personally, my choice with a blank cheque would be Nick Pope, of Burnley. Not only is he a quality goalkeeper who makes big saves to keep Burnley in games, he has a good temperament, makes good decisions on the pitch and is an effective communicator with his back four at Burnley.

I think what you see this summer is Everton will bring in a more competitive number two keeper rather than look to bring in a established first choice one like Pope or Bournemouth’s Aaron Ramsdale who has a level of potential also.

The Defence

Before lockdown, Everton were looking for a centre back, amid their pursuit for Lille defender Gabriel but due to the form of Michael Keane and recently Jarrad Branthwaite, Everton’s interest has seemingly cooled due to the shortcomings in other areas. Yet there had been some tentative suggestions from sources that to be honest no one can trust, that Yerry Mina’s future could be in doubt (I highly doubt it,) and so long term, to partner Mason Holgate, Everton need a better option at centre back. Gabriel as well as Jean Clair Todibo have been linked to the club along with a free transfer option of Thiago Silva. Personally, I would be very happy with Gabriel, he has a turn of pace and can cover in behind as well as win aerial duels and would be a starter at Everton, but I am less convinced by Todibo as a defender, he seems too rash and his positional awareness seems poor (yet that could be a product of David Wagner’s defensive organisation) and while I am a huge fan of Thiago Silva as a player, the move seems ill-fitting due to his age, the wages he would likely demand and the short term feel of the move. Would he likely be a good defender for Everton for a year? Sure. Will we be in the same position next year! Yes.

Like I said, I do not think we are looking to buy a centre back this summer but if we were my choices would be Gabriel, for reasons stated, James Tarkowski, because he is an excellent defender. Ancelotti has a similar system setup at Everton as what he faces at Burnley with the 442 and the transition would be less for him than what Keane faced, and Nico Elvedi, of Borussia Mönchengladbach, who would more suited to partner Yerry Mina or Michael Keane due to his inability of challenging for long balls but is a good defender nonetheless and as Carlo Ancelotti has shown, he is not afraid to swapping centre backs in order to fit the opponent.

Typically under Ancelotti, Everton have been defending deep and compact in a 442 formation which has shifted to a 352 formation at times to block of different passing lanes for teams who have been attacking through the middle more. The lack of sharpness in the air means I would avoid Elvedi due to this and I would be more inclined to look at Tarkowski due to that if that is how Carlo Ancelotti is deciding to go.

Everton are unlikely to try and buy a centre back this summer so a ,out of that is kind of trivial but Everton desperately need a right back. As with Todibo, Jonjoe Kenny’s positional awareness concerns me, even more than Todibo due to the fact that he was making the same mistakes at Everton under Marco Silva and Sam Allardyce and going forward he probably is not as rounded as Djibril Sidibe so reinstating him into the side makes little sense to me, Seamus Coleman is improved defensively under Carlo Ancelotti but struggles to get good quality crosses into the box and with the strikers being Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin who thrive off crosses we need better quality in the wide areas to create better chances. Considering the fact Sidibe has rarely featured since the restart, suggests that he will be sent back to Monaco, which is the correct decision.

Who could Everton buy? For me one of, Max Aarons, Denzel Dumfries or Kenny Tete.

Kenny Tete is one of the most underrated fullbacks in Europe. He does not get a lot of minutes at Lyon but is strong defensively and is prudent in the final third also. I doubt he would command a huge transfer fee and would be a guaranteed starter for Everton, I imagine. The beauty with Tete is he could fill either the wing back role or the third centre back role for Ancelotti as is his ability in both boxes. He is not the best dribbler which is what holds him back to start regularly but for Everton, he would be a good option.

Denzel Dumfries is much better than he is received also. The only issue for me with Dumfries is how does he adapt to the Premier League. The step up from Dutch football to the Premier League is a step up physically as well as anything else. His dribbling is much better then Tete’s and he is also a good passer of the ball into the final third which would make Everton more dangerous. There are some similarities with Sidibe but at 24 there is room for improvement and he could be someone Everton look at this summer.

If Everton are to buy a right back this summer, it is likely that they will look at Max Aarons. The Norwich right back has impressed in his first season in the Premier League and with his age, he will be on Everton’s radar to improve the defence and help Ancelotti make Everton more progressive going forward.

The midfield

It is a secret to no one now that Everton’s weakness is in the midfield. They can’t run, tackle, create, run with the ball into effective areas or do anything. The wide players are unable to create or get into any rhythm in the game. Again, in normal circumstances, I would not be surprised to see buy four midfielders this summer, that will not happen of course but it is necessary that if Everton want to improve they need more productivity from midfield.

In terms of central midfielders, Everton seem interested in Southampton midfielder, Pierre–Emile Hoijberg. The Saints midfielder would no doubt improve the balance of Everton’s midfield but the extent of that remains to be seen. Sure, he is a hardworking midfielder but how much of that is a product of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s high pressing system as Hoiberg did not pull up any trees previously. Yet, £18 million would be a decent deal for a ball winning midfielder as we are desperately short in that area of the pitch. Andre Gomes gets dribbled past for fun and Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies have been really poor also and lack mobility.

As well as Hoiberg, Toulouse’s Ibrahim Sangare is a good player with good potential as well as a effective midfielder who’s adept of winning ball back well and would be an option for Everton. Napoli’s Allan is another midfielder who is horrible to play against and add more bite to Everton’s midfield as well as having the experience of playing in Carlo Ancelotti’s system.

They would be the two I would be looking at as it is a fine balance between and upcoming midfielder and an experienced player who can help lead the team. As well as them two, Boubakary Soumare, Baptiste Santamaria and Denis Zakaria are all players who would suit Everton’s midfield and if Watford get relegated I would be more interested in Etienne Capoue than Abdoulaye Doucoure. If Capoue was younger in fact, he would be my number one choice for that role.

In terms of the wide areas, Everton need two but definitely have to get one. Bernard and Iwobi just have not done it and Theo Walcott is good enough to become an impact player but nothing more. The priority should be the right hand side. Anthony Gordon and Alex Iwobi should be fine to battle it out for the left hand side spot but with only Theo Walcott able to play on the right, Everton need more options.

For me, the number one choice for that position should be Club Brugge’s Krepin Diatta. Diatta offers something we have not got,direct pace. Not only is Diatta a really good player who can score and create from wide positions, he is defensively prudent as he can often be seen playing right wing back which makes the deal an even more of a no brainer due to Carlo Ancelotti’s desire for his wingers to fulfil their defensive duties.

If Diatta was unable to come to Everton, my backup would be Ismaila Sarr. He’s similar to Diatta in the sense that he is quick and good in front of goal and would put good crosses in for the front two but if Watford stay up he would command a big fee and make any deal difficult to get done.

Overview

Everton are unlikely to buy a striker this summer despite the clamour for one from some people. If they were to and push Richarlison out wide then I would look at Ollie Watkins but that is a unlikely outcome.

Everton need more productivity if I was to describe what they need in a word. Productivity in defence, where particularly a right back can pass efficiently in the final third and win his personal battle with the opponent’s left winger. Productivity from midfield, where they can win balls and recycle the ball well, productivity from wide areas and hopefully Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin can continue their form.

It will be a big summer for Ancelotti. In order for him to get a successful team on the pitch, he will need the tools to do so, so back him.

Owen Parkes

Everton 0-0 Liverpool: Tactics

Everton’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool was an example of the superb tactical flexibility of their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, who fantastically set up an efficient and compact, 4-4-2 formation to nullify Liverpool’s dangerous attack.

Everton’s performance and stubbornness in defence was incredible due to lack of defensive options in midfield, of players who are capable of setting traps all over the pitch, staying in the shape with great diligence, while effectively winning the ball back to form good quality counter attacks. Anthony Gordon is an inexperienced young player who given his remit did well, Alex Iwobi worked hard but is not used to playing so deep, Andre Gomes struggled but kept at it with his work rate and the same can be said for Tom Davies. All of these players prefer to play with freedom and want to roam forwards but in the Merseyside Derby stuck to Carlo’s ‘sacrificial’ game plan which demanded commitment off the ball and flexibility in the shape of the team to nullify the abilities of especially Trent Alexander Arnold and Sadio Mane, whilst also limiting Roberto Firmino to very little.

Everton’s Defensive Shape: 4-4-2/5-3-2

As mentioned, Everton’s principal aim was to nullify Liverpool’s attacking threats, especially by limiting the amount of counter attacks Liverpool could create forcing them to play a lot in front of Everton’s compact shape, especially in Liverpool’s own half.

Liverpool ended the game with 70% ball possession but Everton created the better chances in the game, a testament of the smart tactical display from the Everton boss, Ancelotti. Liverpool have a much more settled team to choose from under Jurgen Klopp, who has Liverpool playing with quality in the final third, mixed with a functional, hard working midfield who press well and win the ball back to set up attacks for Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, albeit Salah did not feature.

Take Everton’s team selection, Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Holgate, Digne, Iwobi, Davies, Gomes, Gordon, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison.

There is a lack of natural defensive cover in that team but Everton’s team shape tried to get the best out of all the players. Ancelotti set Everton up in a 4-4-2 for the most part, but at times drifted into a 5-3-2 formation with Alex Iwobi and Lucas Digne playing as wing backs, Seamus Coleman, becoming the third centre back and Anthony Gordon playing as a third midfielder but in attack a number ten who was supposed to run into the space in the middle of the pitch with Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin drifting wide, a tactic that was elevated when Joel Matip went off injured for the less diligent Dejan Lovren.

In the 4-4-2 shape, Everton deployed a typical low block formation. The idea was to force Liverpool out wide as often as possible where Andy Robertson was unavailable for Liverpool so the quality of Liverpool’s crosses were limited with only one side, Liverpool’s right, able to cross with the same consistency. Even when Liverpool did cross the ball well, the formation was also a good fit for Michael Keane, who’s best work is on the edge of his own box where he can clear the ball and stop runs from being made as opposed to playing in a high line where the pace and dynamism from Liverpool would have hurt him for pace.

Also in the 4-4-2, Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne drifted very narrow to almost become additional centre backs where Alex Iwobi and Anthony Gordon stayed wide to put pressure on Liverpool in wide areas with midfielders Tom Davies and Andre Gomes working hard in the midfield, setting traps across the pitch to release forwards Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison as often as they could.

In the 5-3-2, formation Everton’s plan was to get as many bodies centrally as they could, in order to block runs forward from Liverpool’s midfield and attack, force them out wide even further where the quality of Liverpool’s crossing was weakened further by the injury to James Milner and the substitution of Joe Gomez who is a very good defender but in an offensive sense is weaker. The formation also changes the roles for Alex Iwobi, Anthony Gordon and Seamus Coleman.

Iwobi, stated in the week prior to the derby that Carlo Ancelotti has given him a new role in the team and whilst I highly doubt that role is as a Right Wing Back, Ancelotti asked a lot of Iwobi to track back and become an additional defender at times. Gordon, drifted centrally. His role was to match their midfield three who was often getting the better of Gomes and Davies, as the game went on, so it was vital for Gordon to make it as difficult as he could for Liverpool, to not be able to create overloads through the middle, and Coleman did a fantastic job in becoming a third centre back to track the runs of Sadio Mane, a similar job he has done to Wilfried Zaha this season.

Playing out from the back

Despite the strong defensive performance from Everton, Carlo Ancelotti still insisted Everton played out from the back in order to push Liverpool forwards in order to find more space for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to run at Liverpool as opposed to a long goal kick where Liverpool could have simply won the header and started a new attack.

Pickford’s idea was to play the ball to either Keane or Holgate where they would find a longer pass upfield to either Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison coming to the ball or a diagonal pass to find space in behind Alexander Arnold or Gomez who may have been pressing high in Everton’s half.

There is often a lot of negativity about playing out from the back but it gave Everton a better chance to keep the ball more and find more space in the final third, it has its issues, especially when the opponent gets the ball back higher up but it was important for Everton in this particular game.

What did Liverpool do wrong?

Liverpool’s inability to find space was mainly due to the defensive shape of Everton. Liverpool continued with the formation that has seen them clear at the top of the league and on the brink of their first title for thirty years, but could not find a way in behind Everton.

Firstly the absences of Andrew Robertson and Mo Salah did not help. Robertson is adept of crossing the ball into good quality areas into the box, normally for Salah who is running in from the right but with Takumi Minamino and Joe Gomez playing in their respective roles, Liverpool’s attacking moves were not the same. Minamino found himself coming to the ball a lot instead of making runs in behind the same way Salah would, which also would help Alexander Arnold find space to pick out a pass or cross the ball for the front three. Minamino and Arnold found themselves in similar areas which made is easier for Everton to defend.

Whilst Liverpool were favourites to win the game, Klopp can be happy with a point, Everton created the better chances and it was also a good performance from Naby Keita who moved the ball well and a lot of Liverpool’s rhythm was upset after Keita’s substitution.

Owen Parkes

Sheffield United and Chris Wilder

It has been clear for some time that Chris Wilder is one of the best coaches in England, not only since his rise to fame following Sheffield United’s promotion to the Premier League, but also considering the good work he did with lower league teams, making them effective and well-organised with a touch of flair in spite of the limitations of experienced EFL players.

With the assistance of the forward-thinking Alan Knill, Chris Wilder has generally set up with a three at the back formation, with three aggressive midfielders, two strikers and buccaneering wing-backs, who help provide overloads on either flank, where 70% of Sheffield United’s attacks usually come from. As well as the tactical astuteness of Wilder and Knill, their hard work and resilience have meant the Blades have overachieved massively during Wilder’s time at the club.

The Early Set Up

The best way to charter the progress of any manager is to look at their first game at the club and to see what similarities have remained ever since. (The buzzword for that at the moment is ‘identity.’)

Looking at their drab 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bolton Wanderers is probably not the best idea considering they played with neither a three at the back, Chris Basham in midfield, nor the intensity they play with now. Looking at any team in the parameters of the lower echelons can be difficult in itself, particularly if they are one of the more respected sides in that division. Nineteen out of the twenty-four teams will almost certainly sit behind the ball if you are a Sheffield United or a Sunderland, as the technical prowess of those teams usually exceeds that of Tranmere or Wycombe. So, no matter if you are Pep Guardiola or Tony Pulis, teams will primarily look to leave with a point.

What you can certainly decipher from EFL football though is how the type of players a team plays with could contribute to the thinking later on. John Fleck, Chris Basham, Jack O’Connell and Billy Sharp all played for Sheffield United in Chris Wilder’s first game in charge, away at the Macron. From that, you get an idea of the core beliefs Wilder and Knill implemented from day one: organisation merged with a touch of skill. For every Jack O’Connell, who is willing to give his body to Sheffield United, there is a John Fleck who will mix hard work with a high degree of quality in possession; Wilder’s teams in a nutshell.

There was trouble early on at Sheffield United. For the first half a dozen games, they were torn between a more regimented 4-4-2 formation, used under Nigel Adkins the previous season, and Wilder’s 3-5-2 formation, which was highlighted never more clearly than in the goal they conceded against Rochdale in Wilder’s first home game.

The style of football played under Adkins was more traditional EFL football than Wilder’s desired style, so there was an inevitable crossover period where Sheffield United started to concede goals in transition due to their desire to keep the ball more and shift to the formation they are so well renowned for playing now. Here, Sheffield United attempted to move the ball across from one wing back to another while Rochdale broke and found spaces in between the gaps between the right and left central defenders.

Although it cost them early on in Wilder’s reign, the shift to three central defenders during the Bolton game (where they started with 4-4-2 and later dropped Basham into a central defender’s berth) is a prime example of a quality manager installing his beliefs into a squad from day one and trusting it to grow, rather than being cautious and sticking with the previous manager’s safe yet antiquated ideas. Wilder was brave and Sheffield United are now reaping the rewards as they chase a place in Europe, in the top half of the Premier League.

In League One, Sheffield United could be described as a ‘possession-based’ side; such was their comfort on the ball, albeit within the parameters of League One. However, they have never really been a team that play ‘total football’ in the spirit of La Masia, even though they played with more tempo, created overloads and loved nothing more than whipping crosses in for two good strikers. Sheffield United’s tough spell did not last long. They won League One playing a much more sustainable brand of football than that which was played under Adkins or any of the other previous post-Warnock managers. Crucially, it was propelled by Wilder’s belief in his players and their belief in him.

3-4-1-2: In the Championship

In the majority of cases, teams who go up a division struggle to adapt and are usually in a relegation battle in their first year. This has never been the case with Sheffield United under Wilder. For a chunk of their first season in the Championship, they were in line for back to back promotions but the quality of Wolves, Cardiff, Fulham and even the likes of Aston Villa (Jack Grealish) pushed them away towards the latter stages. However, it always felt as if they were in good shape and at any time they could be in line for a go at Premier League football.

In all seriousness, the quality Sheffield United play with and the fact that they are a complete unit on and off the pitch, which contrasts their low budget; previous lack of identity to rally behind; and last summer’s tumultuous ownership row, proves what most have known for a while – Chris Wilder is a top coach and has performed a miracle.

In terms of tactics in the Championship, Sheffield United continued to hone the 3-5-2 formation that had made Wilder and Knill successful previously. Their setup was built on attacking football with defensive resilience and organisation. Usually, the line-up consisted of Henderson, Basham, Egan, O’Connell, Baldock, Norwood, Duffy, Fleck, Stevens, McGoldrick and Sharp.

Teams play with a three at the back and will continue to do so, yet no one really plays like Sheffield United. The majority of their attacks still come from down either flank. The left and right centre backs will overlap the wing back, who usually occupies the space on the edge of the box, available to throw a cross in if either full back cuts it back or will occupy a man. This is how Sheffield United create overloads to pull defensive players out of position especially in the Championship where more teams employed a low block against Chris Wilder’s team.

Struggling Bolton was the Championship’s go-to low block team for the 2018/19 season. Sheffield United found playing against them much easier than more attacking teams did, despite their relative lack of numbers due to their formation. Their bravery, however, and ability to create overloads on the flanks was more useful against a side like Bolton than that of any other.

Bolton would have liked to have had ten men in a 4-5-1 formation on the edge of their own box, with three central midfielders shielding, the wide midfielders on each corner of the box and the back four within the width of the penalty area. This is not possible against Sheffield United, their ability to move teams around is a testament to Wilder, as attacking down either wing pulls players out of position ensuring that there is less defenders in the area to head the ball way. In the simplest of terms, Sheffield United’s formation allows there to be numerical advantages in every area of the pitch. Couple that with the culture Wilder has instilled in the club and it can be no surprise that Sheffield United are now enjoying the same success in the Premier League.

Interestingly, in the Championship, Sheffield United used a number ten, Mark Duffy. His duties were fourfold: to make late runs into the box, help join up play on the edge of the box, help join up play on either flank, and to join in with the first line of press. His joining up of play was particularly effective in breaking down low block sides. Meanwhile, his pressing bore results against teams who played out from the back like Leeds; Sharp and McGoldrick pressed from each side, and Duffy pressed centrally to make the press uniform across the pitch, not too dissimilar to Man United’s approach under Ole Gunnar Solskjear with Andreas Pereira and now Bruno Fernandes.

The Basic Setup

Sheffield United in the Premier League have almost invariably ditched the number ten in their midfield and opted for a simpler 3-5-2 formation, playing more pragmatically.

In the EFL, Sheffield United and Wilder often dominated the ball as they were better than most sides and as a result more feared. In the Premier League, that is not the case. At the start of the season they were favourites for relegation with the know-it-alls at TalkSport calling them ‘basic’ and a certain host calling Wilder a ‘dinosaur’ at one point. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sheffield United are one of the most forward-thinking teams in the league.

Sheffield United and Norwich both played an expansive brand of football in the Championship, yet Norwich are a distant 20th and Sheffield United are closing in on the top six. The difference is how they have decided to adapt to the Premier League, where teams punish you more, have better defences and a great deal more experience than either side.

The Blades have not ripped up what they were good at previously – their full backs still overlap, they still play with three defenders and still play two up front, the difference is their hard work without the ball, their shape and their unbelievable defensive record.

Everton 0-2 Sheffield United (September 2019)

After this game, Chris Wilder admitted he had no idea how his side had won the game, having two shots with one on target and 30% possession. It was a further example of how Sheffield United could easily cope in the Premier League: with defensive diligence and making it difficult for the opposition, who played into their hands.

Sheffield United played with a 3-5-2 formation for this game but at times, Chris Wilder’s men played in a very compact and deep 5-3-2. The back five defended on the edge of the box, the three midfielders shielded the penalty area to prevent Gylfi Sigurdsson from getting on the ball, and the two strikers played higher up to discourage Everton’s full backs (Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne) from going forward, with particular emphasis on disrupting the partnership between Lucas Digne and Bernard on the left.

In their 5-3-2 shape, Sheffield United were very adept at blocking passing lanes in the final third between Bernard or Sigurdsson and Richarlison and Kean. This limited the gaps between the centre backs and the wings backs, forcing Everton out wide for the majority of the game where Everton’s Moise Kean struggled to win any aerial duels up against Chris Basham, John Egan and Jack O’Connell. Although this became the go-to way of beating Everton under Marco Silva, Sheffield United mastered it, forcing Silva to make substitutes that lost Everton’s shape, playing into Sheffield United’s hands.

Above is Sheffield United’s average positions for the game. Despite defending deep, they still pressed well, especially in wide areas. This was to limit the quality of Lucas Digne and on the other side the inside runs of Richarlison, yet still letting Everton play in front of them with Schneiderlin and Delph, only recycling the ball from one side to the other. Going forward, there is not a lot to be said about Sheffield United against Everton. They only created one meaningful chance in the whole game, as well as the own goal by Yerry Mina. But as usual, Sheffield United played in wide areas, attempting to break on Everton’s left when Lucas Digne pushed forwards or in the gap in Everton’s defence between Seamus Coleman and Michael Keane.

The game was significant for Sheffield United, it proved that they could adapt to play more defensively against teams who play with more flair in the Premier League and they were not going to just come to make the numbers up. They did not offer much going forward, and that has really been the story of their season; they have had the least amount of attempts on goal out of any team and they have not scored a great deal of goals but their defensive rigidity has proved Wilder is a tactically flexible coach and can set teams up to defend deep and break sides down.

Sander Berge

Typically, when pointing out an individual that has sparked interest from a team, you would go for someone that has played more than just a handful of times since joining, but Sheffield United’s January acquisition of Sander Berge is of interest. It marks a shift in thinking; from mainly acquiring workman-like EFL players, to identifying the up-and-coming European players that can help Sheffield United move from being a ‘one season wonder’ – as TalkSport will attest – to a side that is looking to cement themselves as a top half Premier League team.

Berge is physical and will fit in with what Wilder wants to do with Sheffield United in terms of commitment. He is also extremely good at keeping the ball, finding quality passes and linking up play. His performances for Genk in Europe are what caught many people’s eye but his consistency for the two years previous to that is what Wilder would have looked at. He is by no means a perfect midfielder. He is great in the air, in open play and tackling, but his overall defending is so-so and there will be an adjustment period for him in the final ten games of the season for the Blades to hopefully push on next season. Sheffield United had ditched the advanced midfielder role this season but it potentially could return with Berge filling the role of Mark Duffy in the EFL.

Going forward

Sheffield United are in a good place to become a well-drilled, yet good to watch, Premier League side. Although there is plenty of scepticism around how good they are, given that they have competed in the Premier League for not even a year yet, it is clear that Wilder has improved the club year on year. From a team that struggled to compete against Bolton in League One and defend quick transitions against Keith Hill’s Rochdale, Sheffield United are now only a matter of points away from a Champions League place. Kudos, Chris!

By Owen Parkes

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nuno Espírito Santo

The rise of Wolves under their Portuguese manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, has been incredible. Three years ago, after the uninspiring era of Paul Lambert at the club, Wolves appointed a manager that was not just much better than the situation Wolves found themselves in as Championship also-rans, but someone who fitted in perfectly with the Chinese owners’ vision for Wolves.

As mentioned, Espírito Santo took over the Midlands club when they were in the Championship after a period where Wolves had bounced from one journeyman to another and struggled to build any kind of identity on and off the pitch. Wolves had become ‘one of those teams’ who paraded between 11th and 18th in the Championship, not really troubling anyone after their Premier League foray under Mick McCarthy.

Then came Nuno. The bearded Portuguese manager had a poor reputation at Valencia and as such was goaded by fans of the Spanish side after his ill-fated spell at the club. But managers learn and improve, find their level and work on it. Nuno has certainly done that with Wolves. They are well coached, tactically excellent and have all the platforms in place to become one of the Premier League’s finest ever upstarts.

Basic Set-up

Nuno has built Wolves as an industrious yet talented team that both excels playing against supposed better teams on the counterattack, and also finds quality patterns of play against weaker teams that sit more defensively.

Wolves have played with a three at the back since Nuno arrived at the club. Whether that be in a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2 depends. There have been different moments in seasons and games that have dictated what Nuno has done in terms of the composition of the midfield and attack, which have allowed him to freshen up the team and make it more competitive.

Cardiff City 0-1 Wolves (Championship, 2018)

Let’s start with Nuno’s first season at the club and a visit to second in the league Cardiff City. Take Wolves’ starting line-up that day: Ruddy, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Neves, Saiss, Douglas, Jota, Bonatini, Afobe. Setting up in a 3-4-3 formation, Wolves’ natural game plan of finding quick transitions up the pitch and spending a lot of the game on the counterattack was naturally thwarted by the side with the lowest average possession in the Championship that season.

The main offensive tactical port of call for Wolves was to draw in the Cardiff centre backs – Sean Morrison and Sol Bamba – by keeping all three attacking players – Jota, Afobe and Bonatini – central so when a defender came to the ball, the attackers had space to run into the area vacated by the defenders coming out to win the ball back. Alternatively, they could find one of Wolves’ wing backs, who played high up the pitch to force back the Cardiff full backs and keep a strong feel to the game, making Cardiff feel under pressure and struggle to find an out ball due to Wolves’ strong press and ability to find good passes in the final third. These passes came from one of the centre backs stepping out (usually Boly) or from Ruben Neves or Roman Saiss, who were adept at switching the play to find either wing back and move Cardiff’s low block around.

Benik Afobe pulls Cardiff defender out of position creating gaps
Boly breaking into midfield to find a pass for the more central Diogo Jota

Wolverhampton Wanderers had an usual 61% possession due to the fact they find their best moments in games in the counter attack with hard working wing backs and dynamic forwards who exploit the space in behind the opposition’s defence. One of the weaknesses of Wolves’ system is their struggle to break down a low block. There has been a couple of games against Brighton in the Premier League and Burnley in the Premier hjLeague where they could not break down a compact 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 mainly due to the fact that the narrowness of the low block takes out Wolves ability to find the inside forwards relying on a lot of crossing from the wing backs. That would have been the case in this game if it was not for Ruben Neves’ excellent free kick to give Wolves a vital lead in the game where they could return to their normal game plan with Cardiff taking the game to the Championship leaders.

In order to defend the 0-1 lead, Wolves did not simply revert into a 5-4-1 shape rigidly because by doing such it would allow Cardiff to win flick ons and very rarely do Cardiff recycle ball possession anyway so Wolves would drop back deeper to win aerial duels and second balls to cope with Cardiff’s aerial bombardment whilst pressing intently in wide areas to limit the quality of the shots. Of course, the plan was not executed perfectly, Wolves conceded two penalties late on, but did enough to win the game and promotion to the Premier League.

Wolves press in wide areas while dropping deeper on the edge of the box to win aerial duels and second balls.

2018/19 Premier League: Wolves 1-1 Manchester City

There was certainly a feeling in the media that Wolves could be the surprise package of the 2018/19 Premier League as even in the Championship there was a feeling that tactically they were a Premier League team and with the additions of Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio, Wolves looked a strong side.

In the Championship, Wolves usually had more of the ball than the opposition because they were the best team in the division and simply mid table teams and relegation threatened teams would play to stop Wolves. So, newly promoted side’s best opportunity to demonstrate their defensive solidity.

Wolves, like in the Championship, played with a three at the back, but in this game ended up more like a five at the back, with Wolves defending deep, narrow and looking to hit Man City on the break.

Wolves defending in a compact 5-4-1 formation

This was far from Wolves’ perfect performance, they were poor in possession and spent long periods of the game without the ball and with better care, Man City could have opened Wolves up. But as a newly promoted side coming up against the Champions both of the previous season and the 18/19 season, Wolves did fantastically well to get a point from the game and set them up perfectly for the rest of the season.

Not only did Wolves hold their shape well, they also did well to push Man City further and further back by closing down Man City’s ability to pass forward and triangular fashion where Man City have done well to open up the pitch by drawing teams in by playing short passes. Wolves uniformity in their press meant that the only option for Man City to play forward would be a long ball which isn’t apart of their strengths and Wolves would have been fine in dealing with that due to the aerial ability of Boly, Bennett and Coady.

Wolves press in uniform to stop Man City playing in and behind them

Wolves did not simply sit back for the whole of the game. They’re a dynamic attacking side so they look to find space in behind Man City. The ability of Jimenez, Jota and the space of Helder Costa and later on Adama Traore pushed City back and made them worry about the threat they would pose.

Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez on the counter attack to switch into a 3-4-3

Everton 1-3 Wolves

Al this game did was show the tactical gulf between the Everton manager, Marco Silva and Wolves’ Nuno Espírito Santo. Wolves were in fine form at the time especially after the shift from the 3-4-3 formation they had started the season with, to a more rigid 3-5-2 formation with Diogo Jota playing off the prolific Raul Jimenez.

Take Wolves’ starting lineup, Patricio, Bennett, Boly, Coady, Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny, Jota, Jimenez. Wolves only had 36% possession that day, but used the ball much better than Everton, defended diligently and were much better than Everton in every area.

Wolves mostly set out in a 5-3-2 formation against Everton with the Toffees playing much of the game in front of the Wolves mid block. Although Wolves let Everton have 64% possession, Wolves pressed intently and apart from a wonder goal from Andre Gomes he or Everton offered very little apart from sideways and backwards football and played into Wolves’ hands.

Wolves playing in a 5-3-2 formation with two midfielders adept to pressing and Ruben Neves sitting deeper

Nuno commented on Wolves’ game plan after the game saying, “It requires a lot of shape and being compact but when we achieved the third goal the game was done for us.“ Wolves, under Nuno Espírito Santo, while may seem a full expansive unit with the flair of Neves and Jota, are also a extremely functional outfit which also know how to dig in, in order to win games in the Premier League.

During the game, Wolves looked to attack Everton through both full backs, Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines (eventually Jonjoe Kenny) through the two wing backs, and Raul Jimenez pealing off Baines to help create an overload on that side for the run if Doherty inside or the same with Jonny on the other side.

Wolves, by overloading the left hand side of Everton, helped win a penalty early on in the game which then allowed Wolves to defend in their shape and hit Everton on the break.

There would have been other examples and games in the 2018/2019 season that better showed Wolves’ strengths as a team but there will have been none which showed a gulf in tactical ability between two managers and Nuno playing on the weaknesses of the opposition quite like Wolves vs Everton.

Where are Wolves now?

Wolves have had another great season under Nuno. Wolves are sixth in the Premier League, albeit having played a game more than Sheffield United before football stopped.

Wolves have changed back to a 3-4-3 formation this season with Adama Traore, Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez all linking to create one of the Premier League’s finest front threes which is complimented by the strength in defence seeing Wolves only lose six Premier League games all season a further example of their tenacity in holding a lead and their ability to claw back a point from losing positions. Wolves are amongst the league’s hardest working teams playing a good mix of direct football coupled good movement in short passes which creates space for the inform Adama.

In defence, they continue to defend in a 5-4-1 formation forcing sides to play the ball out wide where Doherty and Jonny tenaciously win the ball back. Teams rarely have the ability to play through Wolves such is their compact formation which limits space to play in and around, evident in their 0-2 victory at the Ethiad where Wolves only had 24% possession but did enough to win the game.

Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota

A lot has been made of the upturn in the form of Adama Traore this season but the consistency of Wolves’ other two attackers, Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez has been incredible considering the expectations people had of them before signing for Wolves.

Jimenez struggled to reach ten goals a season in the Portuguese league and showed little signs of success in the Premier League. Yet, Jimenez paying for Wolves has proven to be a top class goal scorer, propelling Wolves from mid table to the European places.

Although, Jimenez doesn’t stand out as one of the league’s most hard working forwards with a modest 3.71 average successful pressures per 90, he works hard for the team, defending from the front but the Mexican’s main strength is his ability on the ball and in front of goal.

Raul Jimenez carries the ball well for Wolves. His dribble success rate of 63.6% is good and is important for Wolves’ ability to counter attack especially away from home. His partnership with Diogo Jota is what makes him stand out also. Jimenez is good at finding Jota and vice versa with a xA of 0.20 per 90 for Jimenez and 0.14 for Jota.

As for Jota, he has very similar strengths to Jimenez in the sense that he is a good ball carrier but also creates an average of 3.14 shot creating actions per game also.

The pair, partner each other, are adept to playing counter attack, are good in front of goal and with Jota you have a good creative outlet.

Summary

It would not be ridiculous to suggest that Wolves are one of the best coaches teams in Europe under Nuno Espírito Santo. The Portuguese has Wolves not only playing some free flowing football going forward, but also have a good structure in defence and team that works very hard that has become on the best underdog stories of recent times. Wolves are feel good. They are not a team that is obsessed with styles of play that are aesthetically perfect neither are they kick and rush. They are a team with even bigger potential than their current sixth place in the league and in Nuno, they have one of the most underrated managers in Europe.

Owen Parkes

Southampton and Ralph Hasenhuttl

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton

Since Ralph Hasenhuttl was appointed as Southampton manager in December 2018 he has had one of the most difficult jobs in the Premier League, attempting to improve the fortunes of a club seemingly in decline after the halcyon day’s of Ronald Koeman, with poor managerial appointments, poor recruitment and an inability to recreate their success in transitioning young players from the academy to the first team.

Before going on to mention the merits and the drawbacks of the Hasenhuttl appointment, it is worth mentioning his predecessor, Mark Hughes. Hughes, even though he was only there a short period of time, ruined the image of Southampton from outside the club, that they were a well run, exciting but solid Premier League side. Even though the appointment of Mauricio Pellegrino was a disaster, it was in line with what the club wanted to do, even after the unpopular decision to dismiss Claude Puel. Mark Hughes created a Southampton team in his time at the south coast that could not defend, could not score and was not really good for anything except a few motivational speeches to edge them to safety at the end of the 2017/18 season.

The ex-Leipzig and Inglostadt manager, Hasenhuttl then came in half way through the season the following season and while it has been in a work in progress, Southampton are undoubtedly a better side than they were under Mark Hughes.

The start: Southampton 3-2 Arsenal

Hughes went for a 3-4-3 formation at Southampton and for the rest of the 2018/19 season, Hasenhuttl did the same. Take Hasenhuttl’s lineup from his first win over Arsenal: McCarthy, Bednarek, Vestegaard, Stephens, Valery, Romeu, Hoijberg, Targett, Redmond, Armstrong, Ings. Southampton won the game 3-2, thanks to goals from Danny Ings and a late winner from Charlie Austin yet on that day Southampton were more pragmatic, defended better and pressed smartly.

Southampton press really high. Even in the early days of the Austrian’s time at the club, Southampton were trying to force mistakes from Arsenal in order to maximise the amount of chances they can get in the game while also accepting that defensively they would have to defend deeper, and more diligently than they were under Hughes. The 3-4-3 under Hughes was more passive than under Hasenhuttl. While under Hughes, they were not heavy pressers, they also did not defend particularly deep. The combination of the two was met with the new Southampton manager, hence why Southampton picked him only their second league win of the season, in his second game at the club with the Hampshire side only registering one league win all season under Mark Hughes.

Despite the high press, Southampton did not do this straight from the restart, which would have allowed Arsenal to play the ball longer to the dangerous Aubameyang and Lacazette, Southampton started in a mid press, were they ball had to be played out from the back but a opportunity to press is always there.

In attack, Southampton played more in a 3-2-4-1, with Hasenhuttl favouring to always play with two number six’s, Redmond and Armstrong the more attacking players, drifting inside to collect the ball to either drive at Arsenal’s defence or to play a pass out wide to Yann Valery or Matt Targett who are good enough passers to find Redmond or Armstrong or to fire a cross in the box as seen with Southampton’s first goal:

Later in the game, even more so than the tactical flexibility in attacking and a pressing sense you saw the more of the strengths of Hasenhuttl’s coaching and tactical ability as Southampton, in essence, defended with a 5-5-0 formation, with almost every player defending behind the ball once Charlie Austin had made it 3-2 to the Saints. There was little press from Southampton as the heavy press initiated earlier in the game had caused Arsenal to equalise. Southampton also played extremely risk free in their passing, with a particular highlight being Shane Long aiming to hit the ball to the corner flag and a little of the good old time wasting and Southampton had their win. From then, Hasenhuttl had a clear idea of how to keep Southampton in the Premier League by sticking to his principles of a high press while enforcing some defensive righty in key moments.

Issues at the start of the 2019/20 season

Ralph Hasenhuttl had done a fantastic job to keep Southampton in the Premier League in the 2018/2019 Premier League season, finishing, 16th on 39 points after the disastrous start under Mark Hughes where the Saints had 9 points when he was sacked at the start of December.

Yet, by November 2020, Southampton could have easily made a change again. Southampton had lost four consecutive home games for the first time including a 0-9 home defeat to Leicester and a defeat against Marco Silva’s Everton. They also had been beaten comfortably to Chelsea and Bournemouth while also being out fought and out thought in their opening game of the season against Burnley.

With the high press Hasenhuttl imposes, Southampton often struggle playing against two strikers. Use Burnley as a case study on the opening game of the season. The two teams had really cancelled each other out for the first forty five minutes in really a typical afternoon at Turf Moor.

Yet in the second half, Burnley beat the press more effectively and with more care and scored three quick fire goals to beat Southampton 3-0. Southampton had come into the season on the back of last season’s form so at that point you can not attribute the defeat to a lack of confidence or form, Southampton had just lost the tactical edge by pressing on Burnley too high in the second half, with Burnley having 59% possession at one point letting them have the ball, but Burnley used it effectively and moved through Southampton’s press with ease and crossing accurately in wide positions, while pressing Southampton effectively too as seen with their third goal.

It would be easier to dissect all the issues in Southampton’s 0-9 home defeat to Leicester as a snapshot of all that went wrong for Hasenhuttl in the first half of the season, yet that much went wrong it is hard to gage any type of way of playing from that game as Leicester played to their absolute best and Southampton could not have played any worse.

Southampton invited too much pressure, were exposed by the pace of Jamie Vardy and of course going down to ten men did not help. From that point onwards though, minus home defeats against Everton and West Ham, Hasenhuttl has found a better way of playing, returning to his founding principles at Leipzig, a 4222.

The 3-4-3 formation had past it’s sell by date for Southampton by this season. While it was fine for a short period of time in the second half of the 2018/19 season, for this season where Southampton wanted to press more aggressively and not rely on being a solely counter attacking team, a three man defence with three traditional stoppers would not work as teams would easily find a way of getting in behind Southampton with the space either side of the left and right centre back.

The basic setup

Since the humiliating defeat at the hands of Leicester, Southampton have changed to a 4-2-2-2 formation, with two wide midfielders cutting inside both offensively to provide width for the full backs and defensively to make Southampton ‘disgusting to play against,’ with their high press, two destructive midfielders to win the ball back and a revitalised Danny Ings up front.

When Hasenhuttl came into Southampton he stated that his basic principle for Southampton was to make them a “horrible team to play against with pressing, hunting, being hungry. When you have the ball, find a quick decision, quick transition to the front. It’s about being emotional, being full of passion. Also, keep the tempo on a high level and don’t slow down the game. That’s what I think the people want to see.”

It might have come later than he would have liked especially with having to find a way of keeping Southampton up in his first season at the club and having to recover from the tough start to this season but Southampton are finally playing in the image of the ‘Alpine Klopp.’ Enough is made of ball possession and certain tactical elements but like Klopp’s team, Southampton have become a team that do all the basic parts of the game well. They win second balls. Press well, defend well, are clinical in front of goal and are a good team to watch.

Defensively, Southampton defend narrowly in a 4-4-2 formation. They are not a low block team in the sense that they sit on the edge of the box, but they also are not a team that simply dominates the ball and are forever defending quick transitions from the opponent. They often find that their best results and performances are all from defending in a mid block, with a narrow midfield and two strikers that peel off either side of the defenders to expose the space in behind, when they win the ball and can press in uniform, where they are particularly good in pressing the weakest part of the opponent’s back four, to win the ball back and create overloads.

Simply, even though they are not a side that has a superb defensive record and make it difficult for the opponent often by relying on this shape, Southampton are a tough side to play against with their shape, they press the most in the league and in some ways that is just as effective as a low press, low block team. Their pressing forces mistakes and forces teams who particularly like to play out from the back to pass longer and avoid playing through the midfield and by consequence also have a greater chance to win the ball back and create more chances.

Hasenhuttl’s biggest achievement at Southampton is doing this with defenders that lack mobility and pace to recover. Their ridiculous high press still has issues defending against two strikers with reasonable aerial ability and pace but on the whole Southampton do well to limit this threat by being well positioned and good off winning second balls. Generally with one of Hoijberg and Romeu sitting deeper to win the knock downs from the striker to win the ball back deeper.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Southampton’s best midfielder and the most important player in recovering the ball back from the opposition is 24-year-old midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Højbjerg is excellent at winning the ball back in the midfield and essential and holding the defensive shape in the midfield and has proven to be one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League this season.

Højbjerg’s 5.39 successful pressures per 90 holds well amongst other Premier League’s midfielders while he is also good at winning interceptions plus moving the ball forwards. It should be a surprise to no one that Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has been attracting interest from bigger club’s particularly Everton who are in desperate need of a midfielder.

He does need to improve to be a top overall midfielder especially as he does lose the ball a lot but this is due to the fact that he is always trying to progress the ball forward into the final third for Danny Ings and Micheal Obafemi or Shane Long.

Moving forward

Obviously, the situation with the pandemic has meant that football has been stopped for a while and that will give Southampton a good chance to reset and improve even further. Their home form remains a concern especially in breaking low block teams down who do not recycle the ball across the back four and limits Southampton’s pressing opportunities.

In terms of recruitment, Southampton need to buy more players suited to the 4222. Southampton should look to buy a centre back with pace, and another striker with the finishing ability of Danny Ings to make them more potent.

Southampton have done well with Ralph Hasenhuttl and have been rewarded for sticking by him in tough times and with time the future will be bright for Hasenhuttl and Southampton.

Everton and Carlo Ancelotti

It still comes to a shock to many when you remind them that the Everton manager is Carlo Ancelotti. While there is a tendency to underestimate the size of Everton, even after thirty years of sustained mediocrity, the shock element of Ancelotti’s arrival on Merseyside is a marker of his success as a manager. To make a record of all the honours Carlo Ancelotti has won as a manager would mean creating another blog on top of this one, shining a light on a football CV that includes Champions League wins as well as winning all but one of Europe’s top five major leagues , so it is clear that in the last twenty to thirty to forty years of world football, there have not been many managers more successful than the Italian and Everton have not only a steady pair of hands but someone who’s tactical acumen can help bridge the gap to the top six.

Historically, Ancelotti has been known as a tactically flexible coach, that arrives at a football club and uses the current squad and culture of the football club as a judge as to what system to use, he simply sees more value in playing to the strengths of the team than enforcing his beliefs on a team even if they do not fit in with the culture of the team. However, he has always endorsed using a 4-4-2 formation, especially defensively. Yet, until the departure of Marco Silva at Everton had not played 442, in a consistent spell since the 1990s. David Moyes was an advocate of a 4-1-4-1 formation, Roberto Martinez played 4-2-3-1 without exception, Ronald Koeman was more flexible and switched between 4-2-3-1, 5-4-1 and 4-3-3, Sam Allardyce returned to the 4-1-4-1 played under Moyes and Marco Silva played nothing but a 4-2-3-1, despite declaring a preference to a 4-3-3 formation.

After the dust had settled on Everton’s 5-2 defeat in the Merseyside Derby, Marco Silva lost his job. Everton were uninspired, unorganised, flat and incapable of breaking teams down. So, huge credit does have to go to Duncan Ferguson for picking Everton up and most importantly setting Ancelotti up with a key way of playing going forward with the 4-4-2 formation.

The basic set-up

As mentioned, Carlo Ancelotti has gone with a 4-4-2 formation since he arrived at Everton, continuing the work that was done under Duncan Ferguson. Although, the personnel has changed much since Ancelotti took over, the key ideas both defensively and offensively have stayed the same in order to equip the current set of players with the fundamentals of what the Italian wants a far cry from Marco Silva’s tenure who never implemented his way of playing for consistent fear of losing his job.

Under Carlo Ancelotti, Everton have been less concerned with ball retention than they were under Marco Silva, often playing longer more often to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison as opposed to the slow build up play under Silva. Everton, however, still play the ball out from the back under Ancelotti usually to Mason Holgate who finds a pass to one of the midfielders or sends a direct pass into the channels for Richarlison or to the chest or head of Calvert-Lewin.

Pickford plays out to Holgate with Davies coming keeper with Keane to encourage the press to find space for a long pass

In defence, Everton also defend in a 4-4-2 formation with the Merseyside club defending compact horizontally and vertically.

Everton under Marco Silva were among the highest pressers in the Premier League, particularly in the opening months of his reign, yet since Ancelotti has come into Everton, the Toffees defend more diligently, with the distances in the defensive unit becoming tighter and more compact than they were under the high pressing Silva.

Therefore, Ancelotti has got Everton a tougher side to beat first and foremost suiting the game of Yerry Mina and Michael Keane more so who are traditional stoppers when it comes to defending so by making Everton more compact, Ancelotti has got the best out of Keane and Mina with the form of Mason Holgate also proving to be key when Everton’s forward players defend from the front, leading Everton’s defensive line to be higher therefore the reliance on Holgate’s pace is greater when Everton are defending in space.

Everton’s narrow 4-4-2 in defence

Another aspect of Everton’s defensive strategy is the role of Brazilian striker Richarlison. Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin have led Everton’s strike force in tandem but their defensive duties differ. Calvert-Lewin often plays higher up the pitch than Richarlison, offering an out ball for a potential counter attack or if the ball is deeper in the opposition’s own half to win it back higher. Richarlison regularly drops deeper with the shape of the team while he tries to win second balls from tackles or to win fouls himself to ease the pressure on the unit.

Although Everton under Carlo Ancelotti are not a heavy pressing team, the Toffees do not sit off the opposition sacrificing huge sways of ball possession unlike Burnley do in their 4-4-2 and like Everton did previously under caretaker manager, Duncan Ferguson.

Against sides that play out from the back, Everton press in uniform, with Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin peeling out wide to close down the centre backs with one of the two midfielders, closing down the opposition’s holding midfielder to limit the ability of the opponent moving the ball up the pitch quicker.

Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin

The form of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin has improved massively since the departure of Marco Silva and in particular, the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti.

Richarlison, despite Silva’s faith in him, was one of the key sufferers of the Portuguese manager’s pedestrian 4-2-3-1 formation. Richarlison often played out on the left or the right hand side under Silva, staying out wide to link up play and playing with chalk on his boots when it was clear that Richarlison’s strengths coincide with playing centrally and as close to the box as possible. Now, Richarlison was one of Everton’s more consistent performers under the ex-manager but his development at the club was stunted by the manager limiting his strengths.

Under Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazilian has mostly been used centrally, working in tandem with Calvert-Lewin, creating one of the most lethal attack forces in the league.

Both are good in the air, have a turn of pace and have a good for goal so they both complement in each other quite well to the point that you can not limit one aspect of Everton’s attack in either player because the other possess a similar quality.

Yet, the rise of Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been remarkable. Whilst, he has always had the ability to hold up play and win aerial duels, Calvert-Lewin had struggles getting into good positions going forward and ultimately being clinical enough to be a difference for Everton.

With the help of Ferguson, the ex-Real Madrid manager has found a way, by playing a more direct 4-4-2 to create more chances for the forward line and getting them in positions to effect the game rather than to play a possession style of play beyond the reaches of the current Everton midfield while also limiting the attacking player’s’ ability to score.

Also, as well as their potency in front of goal, Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin work very hard for Everton, defending from the front, with Richarlison completing an average of 6.06 successful pressures per 90 with Calvert-Lewin himself completing 5.39.

In the simplest of terms, Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin, work hard, complement each other well, are good in front of goal and offer Everton an out ball when defending deeper.

Issues with the midfield

The biggest issue at Everton that needs solving is the issue in central midfield. In fact, if you like, the legacy of the Marco Silva reign is how pedestrian and slow Everton were in transitioning the ball from defence to attack and the lack of mobility Everton have in the middle of the park once Idrissa Gueye had left the club to join PSG in the summer.

All of Everton’s midfielders have issues which mean that they can not be Everton’s main midfielder. Morgan Schneiderlin is sort of good at what he does, screening the back four and recycling possession but isn’t quick enough and is not dynamic enough to start every week in a 4-4-2 for a team chasing the top six potentially.

Gylfi Sigurdsson evades all responsibility on the pitch and as a supposed key creator in the team does not effect the game from the midfield and always has very few touches of the ball. While he is good at set plays, his commitment and his mobility in transitioning from defence to attack has to be questioned.

Fabian Delph has not performed for Everton at all this season. He offers good leadership and experience to the team but impacts very little on the pitch, other than sideways passing and the ex-Man City player is coming towards the latter years of his career, especially with the injuries he has sustained.

Tom Davies is not good enough to be a regular starter for Everton in his current form also. While he does move the ball forward more than his midfield counterparts, he has poor decision making and is not good enough defensively to start for the club. Davies could need a loan deal or a permanent transfer away from Everton altogether.

Jean Philippe Gbamin has been injured all season so it is difficult to judge him so that leaves Andre Gomes. Andre Gomes’ ability on the ball and his ability to move the ball forward for Everton with quality exceeds all others in Everton’s midfield. There is certainly an argument to suggest that Everton need to start Gomes to add that quality in possession to the team due to the limitations of the other midfielders. The issue with Andre Gomes however is his defensive ability. The Portuguese midfielder’s performance against Aston Villa in August is a clear example of his lack of diligence defensively and in a 4-4-2 formation the midfield needs to be destructive in stopping attacks more so because most teams now play with a three man midfield so the pressure on the two is exacerbated.

Moving forward

Despite the limitations, Everton have a good basis to move forward with under Ancelotti. The back four defends better than it did, the limitations in midfield are not as prevalent due the slightly more direct approach from the team and the attack has improved massively as a result and the increased intensity to Everton’s play.

Of course there are still issues, Everton were not 18th at the start of December for no reason despite the limitations of Silva. Jordan Pickford ranks pretty low in terms of Premier League goalkeepers, Everton’s right backs are not good enough with Djbril Sidibe having no positional awareness and Seamus Coleman not providing as much going forward as he did, while there is a shortage of quality on the right hand side of midfield with Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi and Bernard do not always strike a good balance between keeping in shape and creating moves drifting in from the left, but Everton are a more efficient, flexible side under Carlo Ancelotti than they were under Marco Silva. The Italian will need time with Marcel Brands to improve the core of the team but with patience, the appointment of the Champions League winning manager could prove to be the club’s most shrewd appointment since Howard Kendall.

Owen Parkes

Carlo Fantastico 🇮🇹

Watford and Nigel Pearson

Since Nigel Pearson became the manager of Watford, the side from Hertfordshire have collected 18 points in 13 Premier League games to move the club out of the bottom three before Premier League football was stopped as a result of Covid-19. Whilst not absolutely everything has worked since the ex-Leicester manager’s appointment, Watford are more dangerous going forward than they were under Quique Sanchez Flores and better organised defensively than they were under Javi Gracia.

The basic set-up

Since Pearson has come into Watford, he has generally gone for different variations of the 451 formation. In attack, Watford play in a 4231 with Abdoulaye Doucoure playing in behind striker Troy Deeney with Gerard Deulofeu and Ismaïla Sarr playing in a more advanced wide midfield role, with both having the ability to cut inside in the box and shoot or stay wide and put crosses in for Deeney or for Doucoure coming late into the box.

In defence, Watford have set up in a more traditional 451 formation but with Doucoure still acting as the most advanced midfielder in pressing higher up to cut out passing lanes for the opposition making it almost a 442 in defence, with Ettiene Capoue and Will Hughes or sometimes, Nathaniel Chalobah, sitting deeper than Deeney in front of the back four, allowing Watford to sit in two banks of four out of possession.

The back four, itself, has been an issue at Watford for a while. Despite Craig Dawson’s arrival in the summer, Watford for large parts of the season have been unable to defend, especially under Javi Gracia, who saw Watford concede eight goals in the first four games of the season, despite trying to play the same way as he did in the 2018/19 season. But due to the fact that, except Christian Kabasele at a push, Watford do not possess a defender that is quick enough to recover so when they do play a high line, Watford concede a lot of goals on the counter attack.

Nigel Pearson has largely tightened Watford up defensively but they still do suffer from the same issues in recovery. Take Watford’s 2-3 home defeat to Everton. At a point, Everton had ten men and Watford were pushing for a vital three points, yet Watford lost the game having been two goals to the good until Yerry Mina’s two late goals in stoppage time of the first half.

Take Theo Walcott’s late goal. Watford had naturally been pressing to win the game as you would against a side with 10 men at home but as soon the explosive Richarlison took the ball, Everton broke forward and Watford were unable to stop them due to the lack of pace in the Watford backline.

Watford were incapable of defending against the pace of Richarlison, Kean and Walcott, an issue they will have to address in the summer.

Watford have two options to improve their defensive record. A, play deeper more often to eliminate the pace issue of the centre backs or B, recruit smartly in the summer as they have done in other positions, to add a centre back who has better positional awareness than Christian Kabasele and quicker than Craig Cathcart.

Capoue vs Doucoure

Despite the issues with the back four, Nigel Pearson has had Watford playing much better than they have done all season with Flores and Gracia and a lot of credit should go to Pearson for bringing out the best in midfielder, Étienne Capoue.

For most non-Watford fans, Capoue goes under the radar, especially in comparison to his midfield partner Abdoulaye Doucouré and there is a common misconception that all of Watford’s off the ball work, revolves around the performances of Doucoure, yet at Watford, Capoue is the Hornets’ most important player.

Capoue is really good at breaking up attacks all across the midfield and giving either Doucoure, Sarr or Deulofeu a quality pass to allow Watford to break on the counter attack. There is no better example of this than Capoue’s, 2.57 inceptions per 90 and 2.78 successful tackles per 90 also. However, normally in a destructive midfield the passing ability is normally considerably worse than their defensive ability yet Capoue’s 4.71 passes into the final third per 90 shows he is pivotal to how Watford play. The plaudits and the big money transfer links may all go to Doucoure, but Capoue is Watford’s most well rounded midfield player, crucial not only in easing the pressure on the back four but also in starting counter attacks.

Ismaïla Sarr

The player at Watford with the most potential going forward is certainly Ismaïla Sarr. Although Sarr received a new wave of fans and plaudits after his performance in Watford’s 3-0 home win over Liverpool, it has been clear for a while that Sarr is direct winger with a lot of quality just at Watford he had been either poorly used or not used at all.

Under Flores, he had been used in a front two a lot with Gerard Deulofeu, with the ball being kicked as high as it would go to him and he had to somehow find a way of coping with that and under Javi Gracia he was rarely used at all as he did not fit the system Gracia wanted to play. The Spaniard liked to play a 4222 formation, demanding a lot of work for the wide players hence why Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra often played out there to be industrious more than to provide any real quality and hence why Gerard Deulofeu was played up front with Troy Deeney. Ismaïla Sarr is without a doubt Watford’s best attacking option, his pace, energy and ability in front of goal is better than all others in the Hornet’s team. But we all knew that? Right?

It should be a surprise to no one that if in a few years time Sarr goes on to become of the best signings in Watford’s stay in the Premier League. He is, of course still a raw talent but he has adapted well to the Premier League in difficult circumstances this season as Watford have had four different managers at some point, all of which played a different system and ultimately Sarr in a different role, demanding different things from him and should he stay at Vicarage Road, he could go on to have a huge impact on the club’s fortunes on the pitch.

Pearson, Flores and Gracia

First of all, it is worth pointing out, that in their own right, all three are or at least have proved to have been good managers, Flores is a well renowned pragmatist on the continent as well as his first spell with the club at Watford, where he guided the club to safety in their first season in the Premier League, Javi Gracia did a fantastic job at Watford in the 2018/19 season and came to the club in a tough situation picking up the pieces from the beleaguered Marco Silva and guided Watford to a FA Cup final and their best points total since promotion to the Premier League, and how quite Nigel Pearson has been overlooked by Premier League owners until Watford took a chance on him, is baffling.

Yet, until Pearson came in, Watford did not even have 10 points on the board, despite the tactical acumen of Gracia and Flores historically. The issue was that neither had been playing to the strengths of the team. Gracia had Watford pressing too high and could not organise Watford defensively this season and Flores coached all attacking impetus from Watford and only won a single game as Watford manager in his second spell at the club.

Under Nigel Pearson, Watford have struck a much better balance, they defend better, collecting five clean sheets, but they also score more too, scoring 18 goals. As well as the tactical tweaks, Watford badly needed some old fashioned motivation to inspire them also. Flores and Gracia were unable to do so despite all of the tactical tweaks, yet Pearson has inspired the players to do better and Watford seem a more united club as a result of Nigel Pearson’s arrival at the club.

Watford 3-0 Liverpool

The stand-out performance of the Pearson era so far is Watford’s 3-0 home win against top of the league Liverpool. Although, at that point Liverpool were dipping slightly from their relentless form that had seen them go unbeaten in the Premier League until their visit to Vicarage Road, Watford were strong defensively and exposed Liverpool’s defensive fragility’s.

Take Watford’s lineup that day: Foster, Femenia, Cathcart, Kabasele, Masina, Capoue, Hughes, Doucoure, Sarr, Deulofeu, Deeney. (451)

As a team playing Liverpool that day, the primary aim was to let Liverpool have as much as the ball as they can, so long as it is in front of Watford’s defence, to also sit deep in a 451 formation with Doucoure often pressing higher to close out the passing lanes into Liverpool’s front three and with the back four sitting narrowly on the edge of the box. Normally, Watford are more offensive than that under Pearson, as they would defend higher up the pitch to win the ball back and so on but Pearson played to limit Liverpool’s attacking capabilities first and foremost to get a feel of the game.

Watford defending deep with Abdoulaye Doucoure pressing higher to almost make it a 442 in defence

In that game, Watford had 29% possession but yet they still tested Liverpool‘s goal with 14 shots, 5 of which were on target so Pearson hardly sent them out to play for a point as they might have done if the game was at Anfield. Watford’s use of an out ball was simple but effective, to get the ball to Ismaïla Sarr and Gerard Deulofeu to expose the strong going forward but weak defensively Trent Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson.

Liverpool were poor, granted, but Watford did that to them, most of the time when Liverpool play they come across opposition who play risky high lines and can expose them with a long pass or teams who do not carry a threat on the break sufficiently enough to have to worry about, unlike with Deulofeu and Sarr. Watford were balanced, had a good shape and allowed Liverpool to play ‘nothing football’ while exposing their defensive fragility’s from wide areas.

What comes next?

For Watford, should they stay up, their transfer activity will be limited due to the fact that they have some really good players out on loan plus the strength of the core of the current squad. Pervis Estupiñán, Luis Suárez and João Pedro, to name a few will add real quality to their team with Estupinan and Suarez having good seasons in La Liga and Suárez himself in time will offer a upgrade on veteran striker Troy Deeney who offers good leadership but lacks key quality and Danny Welbeck who you will be lucky to see fit consistently.

The defence will need improving, especially if Watford are going to press higher up the pitch. Ben Wilmot has had a good season with Swansea but another one centre back will be needed to see Watford avoid a relegation battle.

Estupiñán will offer a good option a left back and a surefire upgrade on Jose Holebas as at least a back up. Femenia should be good enough to continue as first choice right back and Adam Masina the same at left back.

Watford will need to improve in defensive areas to be sustainable in the Premier League going forward. The last real good season they had defensively was their first under Quique Sanchez Flores and have not had the same rigidity since, not with Mazzarri, Silva or Gracia. Pearson can do so and probably will keep Watford in the Premier League but in order to keep Watford improving he will need returning players to hit the ground running and to be backed sufficiently in the summer window.

There is still a question of whether Nigel Pearson’s contract at Watford will be extended. In the interest of stability they should but they should do so on the basis that they let him shape the team in his image and simply not ask he performs another save me job.

Owen Parkes.