collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Posts

Re: FFP by Duncan Shaw
[Today at 08:31:47 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by Hillbilly
[Today at 08:29:13 AM]


Re: Brian Evans by Scratchins
[Today at 08:23:18 AM]


Re: Ezri Konsa - Aston Villa & England by Hillbilly
[Today at 08:13:33 AM]


Re: UEFA Europa Conference League-Knockout stages (Lille) by algy
[Today at 07:57:27 AM]


Re: FFP by algy
[Today at 07:51:30 AM]


Re: FFP by Rigadon
[Today at 07:24:35 AM]


Re: Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers Pre Match by Sexual Ealing
[Today at 07:18:33 AM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Current Formation  (Read 7271 times)

Offline dalians umbrella

  • Member
  • Posts: 199
Current Formation
« on: February 24, 2020, 03:07:18 PM »
A few weeks ago, we switched from 4-3-3 to "5 at the back". As this came after reports of a player's meeting in which the topic of us being more defensive/solid was discussed, I'm assuming this was the aim.

I have always thought of "5 at the back" as being able to achieve this aim, as you normally have 5 defenders and 3 in midfield, but we are playing it like Wolves, with only 2 central midfielders, and wingers , as well as wing-backs.

Wolves may well be able to get away with this because they have better attacking players, but to me, it seems to be making us vulnerable to opposition attacks.  We have gone backwards in solidity because we have gone from 3 central midfielders to 2.  It's all very well having loads of defenders, but it's not much good if the midfield aren't stopping attacks in the first place.

Furthermore, playing 2 wingers is meaning that Jack is wasted out wide.

I think we should either go to 3 midfielders and 2 strikers ( a la Sir Brian of Little), or given our current lack of proven strikers and current predicament, would go for a tight midfield diamond (but keeping 5 at the back) like this:


                         GK

               CB        CB        CB

                      Nakamba

WB            Luiz    Hourihane           WB

                        Grealish

                        Samatta


This would allow Jack a central / free / more attacking role.

Well, that's what I think anyway.

« Last Edit: February 24, 2020, 03:15:16 PM by dalians umbrella »

Offline Clark W Griswold

  • Member
  • Posts: 4856
  • Location: Wallyworld
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2020, 03:33:44 PM »
Well, i'd tend to agree with you considering i basically said the same thing on the Smith thread this morning :-)

Except as i say, Hourahane in behind Grealish and Samatta, or possibly Grealish in behind Samatta and either Davis, El Ghazi, Trez or the spanish geezer.

The other way might be to play the three pronged but play them closer together like Liverpool do, rather than 2 of them virtually on the touchlines. That wouldn't suit our best player as well though.

Offline dalians umbrella

  • Member
  • Posts: 199
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2020, 03:57:30 PM »
Well, i'd tend to agree with you considering i basically said the same thing on the Smith thread this morning :-)


Sorry, I'm pretty bad at reading all the other threads and then occasionally just make a random post, assuming it's a novel bit of genius.

Offline CT Villan

  • Member
  • Posts: 2174
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2020, 05:26:20 PM »
I posted this elsewhere...

                                                 Samatta
                                                    Jack
                             Conor              Luiz                SJM/AEG/Trez
                                                Nakamba
                    Targett           Mings         Engels         Elmo/Fred

Narrow without the ball (Jack drops in beside Luiz) and more expansive with it. SJM when fit, AEG/Trez until then.

Online ChicagoLion

  • Member
  • Posts: 22105
  • Location: Chicago
  • Literally
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2020, 05:31:16 PM »
Your point about playing 3 in the middle if you are going 3 at the back is valid.
Bizarre then the area of the field we were all ready struggling he weakened.
Also strange that Smith is on record saying he does not like 3 at the back and will not play that way.

Offline john e

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 19205
  • GM : 28.06.2024
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2020, 05:57:19 PM »
it's more about players than formations

the problem we have when playing the 3 central defenders is that we have to use Hause and Konsa who are not good enough players at this level
then watching them try and play out from the back is laughable
they haven't got the technique or ball control to do that

Engels and Mings are the best central defensive footballers we have and they are both prone to making gaffs and mistakes as we have seen, but are both better overall footballers than the other two

if we go down Konsa and Hause might be plenty good enough for the championship but in this league they can't do it they are not good enough footballers especially Hause who really is poor at passing, distribution, controlling the ball under pressure, knowing what to do in general when pinned back

I would go for a Guilbert Engels Mings Target back 4
It's more attacking  and uses the better footballers we have in the squad

it won't be perfect they will still make mistakes but they will also do things better more often than the alternatives imo
« Last Edit: February 24, 2020, 06:02:48 PM by john e »

Online ChicagoLion

  • Member
  • Posts: 22105
  • Location: Chicago
  • Literally
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2020, 05:59:25 PM »
Completely agree John E, but he has thrown Engels under the bus if rumors are to be believed.

Offline john e

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 19205
  • GM : 28.06.2024
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2020, 06:08:54 PM »
Completely agree John E, but he has thrown Engels under the bus if rumors are to be believed.


I don’t know about that but if true we will be poorer for it

Offline Toronto Villa

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 53920
  • Age: 51
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
  • GM : 22.07.2024
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2020, 06:14:50 PM »
I posted this elsewhere...

                                                 Samatta
                                                    Jack
                             Conor              Luiz                SJM/AEG/Trez
                                                Nakamba
                    Targett           Mings         Engels         Elmo/Fred

Narrow without the ball (Jack drops in beside Luiz) and more expansive with it. SJM when fit, AEG/Trez until then.

Samatta is a bit small to be in goal. IMO. Don't like Jack as sweeper either but he's brilliant so he'll probably just turn into Beckenbauer.

Offline dalians umbrella

  • Member
  • Posts: 199
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2020, 06:25:34 PM »
I posted this elsewhere...

                                                 Samatta
                                                    Jack
                             Conor              Luiz                SJM/AEG/Trez
                                                Nakamba
                    Targett           Mings         Engels         Elmo/Fred

Narrow without the ball (Jack drops in beside Luiz) and more expansive with it. SJM when fit, AEG/Trez until then.

Samatta is a bit small to be in goal. IMO. Don't like Jack as sweeper either but he's brilliant so he'll probably just turn into Beckenbauer.

Ha ha! That's what I thought!

Offline Luke8

  • Member
  • Posts: 546
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #10 on: February 24, 2020, 07:51:27 PM »
We have had the same issues with both formations really - in that we are very open and concede too many shots. For me, it’s a by product of the way that Smith wants us to play compounded by the fact that we have had to build pretty much a completely new team and the players haven’t been quite good enough.

Too often we look like a collection of reasonably talented individuals lacking coherence. We don’t currently have players that link the play well enough offensively - we miss Jack and SJM playing centrally together so much in this regard - and then we are so disjointed and wide defensively that the gaps between players is huge, meaning that we are too easy to play through and the defence is over exposed.

I like Smith but he hasn’t got the balance right tactically enough, hence us conceded so many shots so often and losing too many games.

Offline Risso

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 84820
  • Location: Leics
  • GM : 04.03.2025
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2020, 07:57:08 PM »
I said it before, but I'd go:

Nyland
Gilbert Engels Mings Taylor
Elmo Luiz Jack Nakamba Targett
Samatta

Jack back in the middle.  We wouldn't lose anything with Elmo and Targett out wide, because at least they can both cross and Trez and El Ghazi are shite.  It's going Full Bruce of course, but we need some clean sheets.


Offline john e

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 19205
  • GM : 28.06.2024
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2020, 09:31:38 PM »
I said it before, but I'd go:

Nyland
Gilbert Engels Mings Taylor
Elmo Luiz Jack Nakamba Targett
Samatta

Jack back in the middle.  We wouldn't lose anything with Elmo and Targett out wide, because at least they can both cross and Trez and El Ghazi are shite.  It's going Full Bruce of course, but we need some clean sheets.



ha ha
your calling for the managers head and you’ve got Taylor and Elmo in your starting line up

Offline Risso

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 84820
  • Location: Leics
  • GM : 04.03.2025
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2020, 09:35:25 PM »
I said it before, but I'd go:

Nyland
Gilbert Engels Mings Taylor
Elmo Luiz Jack Nakamba Targett
Samatta

Jack back in the middle.  We wouldn't lose anything with Elmo and Targett out wide, because at least they can both cross and Trez and El Ghazi are shite.  It's going Full Bruce of course, but we need some clean sheets.



ha ha
your calling for the managers head and you’ve got Taylor and Elmo in your starting line up

Did you see El Ghazi and Trezeguet at the weekend John? 

Offline john e

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 19205
  • GM : 28.06.2024
Re: Current Formation
« Reply #14 on: February 24, 2020, 09:40:37 PM »
I said it before, but I'd go:

Nyland
Gilbert Engels Mings Taylor
Elmo Luiz Jack Nakamba Targett
Samatta

Jack back in the middle.  We wouldn't lose anything with Elmo and Targett out wide, because at least they can both cross and Trez and El Ghazi are shite.  It's going Full Bruce of course, but we need some clean sheets.



ha ha
your calling for the managers head and you’ve got Taylor and Elmo in your starting line up

Did you see El Ghazi and Trezeguet at the weekend John? 

They were crap but I also saw Elmo and Taylor against City is was tragic

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal