Rumours are rife that Roberto Martinez has his eye on Dynamo Kiev’s Andriy Yarmolenko to solve Everton’s need for a creative midfielder.
Yarmolenko certainly fits the bill, and his attributes mean he’s pretty versatile as well. Primarily he’s a wide player; cutting in from the right and having a pop at goal. That was exactly what he did against us in Kiev last season.
His technical ability though, means he could easily operate as a number 10 as well, a problem position for Everton. He’s got the quick feet, speed of thought and vision to fill that role. I think you could even play him as a striker to be honest as well. At 6ft 2, he’s not bad in the air either.
When Roberto Martinez describes players as “unique”, it’s often taken with a pinch of salt. With Yarmolenko though, it’s a fairly accurate description. It’s pretty rare to find a player of his height, coupled with his pace and skill. It’s a combination that would add something completely different to Everton’s attacking play.
Nothing is certain at this stage, and we’re still dealing in Chinese whispers, but should Everton pull off what would be a major coup, where would the Ukrainian fit in? Here’s some possibilities…
Martinez has favoured a 4-2-3-1 for the majority of his tenure so far, and so naturally Yarmolenko would probably slot in on the right, with Mirallas on the left. On paper that’s quite a prospect, but considering the natural inclination of the players in this line-up, it may often morph into more of a 4-3-3 system, with Barkley dropping a bit deeper, and the two wide men pushing on.
As mentioned though, I think Yarmolenko could easily fill in any of the 3 positions behind the striker, and even go up top himself if need be.
The game at Southampton saw Martinez take everyone by surprise and switch to a 4-4-2 diamond system, least when we were in possession, which allowed the blues to take a commanding 3-0 victory. Yarmolenko’s versatility means that he should be able to play some part in this system, with up top alongside Lukaku seemingly the best option.
Out of possession, the blues reverted to a 5 man midfield, with Cleverley moving out to the left and Kone to the right, which is presumably what Yarmolenko would be asked to do as well.
From the Southampton game, it’s clear that this system is more likely to be employed in games where the blues are likely to lose the battle for possession, in order to hit teams on the counter attack. Yarmolenko’s no slouch, so it just depends on whether he’s disciplined enough to carry out his defensive duties to prevent the likes of Coleman being exposed.
Often these rumours turn out to be too good to be true, but Martinez is a known admirer of the Ukrainian, having lavished praise on him after we play Kiev last season. Here’s hoping…
