Eveton's Needs

While this is my personal wishlist for the team, it is somewhat similar to what they are building at the moment. A winning team playing wonderful football. Call it Total Football. Call it Tiki Taka. Whatever you call it, remember the cost of the team that was assembled. School of Science in session!

As this is more of a team format rather than player specific, I'll list the position by priority:

1. Striker. Note that we no longer lob the ball forward, hence the traditional target man, such as Jelavic, no longer suffice. He needs to come down to support play, mix it up and be able to apply the deadly touch when needed. A player in the mold of Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp would be great.
2. Central Midfielder. While we have cover for Barry and McCarthy, it is never enough to have just enough. Moreover, this player needs to share a bit of the playmaking workload with Barkley, Pienaar and Osman, providing cover not just on the defence but also offence to keep things tight. A player I always admired, Yaya Toure, would be great, while Mikel Arteta would equally suffice.
3. Right Back. Isn't Coleman enough? He is but one man on the right back position. We have cover, in the form of Hibbert, and perhaps rotating Oviedo or Baines for emergency cover, but make no mistake, the Right is less covered than the Left. Since Coleman is performing at a very high level, his replacement has very big shoes to fill coming into that position. However, my demands are simpler. If we can find a Hibbert with good distribution and crossing, it would suffice.
4. Winger. We have some dribblers. But we don't have that many great dribblers. Coleman showed some great footwork. Barkley too. But we need one who do it consistently and crosses the ball accurately to take the offensive burden off Pienaar and others while they look for the final ball to thread in. The prime Ryan Giggs would be nice.
5. Goalkeeper. While Robles did well, he is still raw. Plus early showings does show some crack in his armor. We'll need more time to assess if he is the future, and another young GK will help us put some pressure for him to improve. I'm not sure if Springthorpe is a potential future, but if he is, a keeper at like Jussi Jaaskelainen would be awesome. If not, we'll have to try to find our Iker Casillas.

Sometimes, there are options within the squad to fill other positions. Players I hope can add roles are:

1. Leighton Baines to fill the Defensive Midfield role. He has been known for his crosses, his long shots and defensive capabilities. Can he back up Gareth Barry? This is useful at 2 levels. Regain his biggest asset on the team, crossings, and provide more game time for him. Of course, helps on rotation.
2. Brian Oviedo to provide cover for Right Back and hence Right Midfield. His work on the left is impressive. Can he do the same on the right?
3. Kevin Mirallas to be a full fledged winger. His pace, his dribbling, his shot, all awesome stuff, but they don't mix, yet. Perhaps he needs some crossing lessons? Sometimes, I felt that if he smashed the ball for a cross, he might get a rebound goal or actually get the ball where he wanted. Can it be done?
4. John Stones to move towards Defensive Midfield. This is similar to the request but less attacking. It would be great to have that attacking capability out of Stones, but for me, one step at a time for our talented youngsters.

On a side note, I wish Velios would go out on loan. I believe Bobby's critique of the boy. If I can only trust one thing, that is Velios lacks minutes that he cannot get from Everton. By going on loan, he gives himself minutes, practice and game awareness. What good can he do or learn on the bench? I have high expectations of him but I could not see him on the field!

Disclaimer: Some of the change in positions might already have cover for, but I've not seen them perform to feel totally confident.