Wide Boys?

[Witton Warrior]

I know bugger-all about football tactics - I just watch the game unfold but even I have noticed that we look best going forward when we play wide. Bennet, Lowten, Gabby (+Lord help us today - Benteke) and AndyW all take it wide and when the crosses come in we have chances. When a player drives in at an angle from the flank stuff happens - so why is it that most of the time we faff about with the side-to-side, back-to-front-up=the-middle crap?

Am I missing something or is it just that we aren't good enough to do it?

[TheSandman]

Lambert isn't really a fan of wide players or playing wide from what I gather. His Norwich side was the same.

[Witton Warrior]

Lambert isn't really a fan of wide players or playing wide from what I gather. His Norwich side was the same.

I hear this but the facts are that we create more from wide positions.
Today we were crying out for midfielders to look up and pick out wide play - second half especially.
What does Lambert have against us being effective?

[PeterWithesShin]

[eastie]

Great chances created by Bennett and lowtons crosses - i do think we need a decent winger as an option .

[CJ]

I'd like us to play one out and out winger but Lambert relies on full backs bombing forward to provide width.  Problem is if we're looking to break quickly all the out-balls end up either lumped to Benteke or in a congested midfield, giving the opposition time to get behind the ball.  It also leaves us exposed at the back if the opposition counter quickly. Prime example yesterday with Henderson's goal - Weimann was chasing back but Bennett was nowhere to be seen

[eastie]

Spot on - relying on the full backs to provide the threat from width means often they can be caught too far forward and leaves us open at the back to the counter attack- a winger would be a better option.

[martin o`who??]

Lambert isn't really a fan of wide players or playing wide from what I gather. His Norwich side was the same.

Witness what happened after half time against Bradford at VP, up until half time, played with width, scored ,caused all sorts of problems for them, 2nd half no width whatsoever, collapsed into their hands and the inevitable, and well documented catastrophe, a tactical change that will mystify me until the day they screw the lid down.

[PaulTheVillan]

Lowton and bennett put in 2 of the best crosses all season yesterday, I think this is what Lambert wants. 3 more central strikers, with full backs providing crosses

[Witton Warrior]

Lambert isn't really a fan of wide players or playing wide from what I gather. His Norwich side was the same.

Witness what happened after half time against Bradford at VP, up until half time, played with width, scored ,caused all sorts of problems for them, 2nd half no width whatsoever, collapsed into their hands and the inevitable, and well documented catastrophe, a tactical change that will mystify me until the day they screw the lid down.

Managers seem wedded to a system and maybe feel that a change means they were "wrong"?
If Lambert can forgive a certain tackle yesterday in the "no blame culture" Villa he can lighten up on himself and change!

[tomd2103]

There have been a number of games this season where we have lacked much needed width.  When we play narrow like we did in the 2nd half against Liverpool, teams seem to be able to contain us fairly comfortably and we don't look as threatening. 

[Concrete John]

I think the biggest issue with the lack of width is actually defensively.  We're too narrow off the ball and that leaves our FBs exposed, often two on one, and then too easily beaten.  Having some protection in front of them is key, IMO.

Offensively, I don't see too much of a problem.  He have no natural wingers, but then any side who plays 4-3-3 does not either.  What you then do is get the FBs forward and the wide strikers pulling outside.  When Match of the Day/Sky/whoever line of their graphic at the start of a match we have to remember that's starting positions only and Lambert is trying to bring a fluid style to our play. 

[N'ZMAV]

What we'd kill for Wayne Routledge now

[paul_e]

I think the biggest issue with the lack of width is actually defensively.  We're too narrow off the ball and that leaves our FBs exposed, often two on one, and then too easily beaten.  Having some protection in front of them is key, IMO.

Offensively, I don't see too much of a problem.  He have no natural wingers, but then any side who plays 4-3-3 does not either.  What you then do is get the FBs forward and the wide strikers pulling outside.  When Match of the Day/Sky/whoever line of their graphic at the start of a match we have to remember that's starting positions only and Lambert is trying to bring a fluid style to our play. 

This shouldn't be a problem, we're just not doing it right.

What should happen:
Defensively you should always be, efectively, a 4-4-1-1 with one of the strikers filling the midfield 4 and the other occupying the space between their midfield and defence and doing the closing down work.  Which forward steps in should be quite fluid depending on where the ball is.  You effectively want their 'out-ball' to be back to the keeper or cross pitch to the opposite fullback.

We tend to have Gabby and Weimann both harrying in the gap which forces the midfielders out wide too often and leaves us exposed in the centre.  This then means that our central defenders and fullbacks get drawn into the middle and they have the space to get in behind us.

Watching Lowton and Bennett is really telling, watch how often they're in front of a central defender with a big gap out wide, it's a huge weakness in our style at the minute and too many clubs have figured it out, PL needs to address it in his tactics becuase Norwich had the same problem last year and were caught out in that channel between the fullback and central defender almost as often as we have been this year.

[eastie]

What we'd kill for Wayne Routledge now

Been saying for months that Samir Carruthers should be given a chance , last season he looked confident was prepared to take on defenders with pace and provided good delivery .