How would you feel....

[Monty]

Pretty much every team now has some variation of three in midfield: 4-2-3-1 has three central midfielders with one forward of the other two, 4-5-1/4-3-3 obviously has three in the centre, and 3-5-2 has even come back because teams who want two up front can't afford to play fewer than three in the middle. Even United who had Welbeck and Rooney 'up front' really played a 4-2-3-1 because Rooney spent so much of his time dropping deep, as he usually does. City's two forwards take it in turns to drop deep and go on (sort of like the old midfield duos of 'one stays one goes), and Liverpool either play three at the back or have Suarez drifting around everywhere.

Our problem is narrowness, you're right. But I have no idea what the central midfielders are meant to do about this. Are they meant to string out across the middle of the pitch like a table football formation? It's mysterious to me what you mean. The problem is that the three forwards play too narrowly and mostly too far up the pitch.

[supertom]

But other teams play three in the middle. Everyone plays three in the middle. If they don't, they get outnumbered. If you play a midfield four, then you have two in the middle against everyone else's three. I don't know where your getting these numbers from - everybody, and I mean absolutely absolutely everybody, knows that 4-3-3 has become the predominant formation so as to avoid getting overrun in the centre.

Man City, Man U and Liverpool have all regularly played 2 up front this season and many other teams have as well so it can still work.  I also prefer 3 in the middle though. 

Something like Utd's system could work for us for the time being. They play a kind of 4-4-1-1 (or you could call it 4-2-3-1 I guess too). But they played with a central midfield 2. Often with Rooney dropping back in support (not defensive support however, just in implementing attacks).

I'd like to see Weimann play that role. He doesn't have the guile of course, but his work rate is good. And if he's expending a lot of energy, I'd like to see him dropped in that area where he can pressurize the oppositions play maker. Andy shouldn't play right side anymore. He's struggling. He's a center-forward. His best game this season, and only goal (league) was when he played central against City. We were quite effective in that game in disrupting their play and a lot of that came from Weimann contributing his work rate in the middle, as opposed out on the right.

I also don't agree that 3 CM's is the only way to go, because for most of the games we play this system this season, we have KEA in there, and he's completely anonymous for 90% of most matches. A couple of goals and an assist don't hide that. For all he offers, sometimes we may as well be playing with 2 anyway.

[sirlordbaltimore]

when i say a middle 3, i mean a midfield consisting of 3 players, not just 3 playing in the centre of the midfield

we play 3 in midfield. not 5 with 3 in the middle obviously

[Monty]

when i say a middle 3, i mean a midfield consisting of 3 players, not just 3 playing in the centre of the midfield

we play 3 in midfield. not 5 with 3 in the middle obviously

Ah I see, so you mean the forwards are too far advanced leaving the midfield isolated? In which case yes, I agree with you.

Phew. That was odd.

[john e]

remember when we had posters queing up to sack Lambert and get Allardyce, Hughes, Pullis in, anyone that could keep us up

now we have a manager who is keeping us in mid table admitedly playing boring unattractive football at the moment, and they still want him out,
 yet if they had had there way we would be worse off playing even worser football, just ask the spammers

[Chico Hamilton III]

remember when we had posters queing up to sack Lambert and get Allardyce, Hughes, Pullis in, anyone that could keep us up

now we have a manager who is keeping us in mid table admitedly playing boring unattractive football at the moment, and they still want him out,
 yet if they had had there way we would be worse off playing even worser football, just ask the spammers

Absolute nonsense. How many people on here were "queuing up" to sack Lambert and appoint Hughes, Pullis or Allardyce for the Villa job?

I can name one.

[Monty]

remember when we had posters queing up to sack Lambert and get Allardyce, Hughes, Pullis in, anyone that could keep us up

now we have a manager who is keeping us in mid table admitedly playing boring unattractive football at the moment, and they still want him out,
 yet if they had had there way we would be worse off playing even worser football, just ask the spammers

Absolute nonsense. How many people on here were "queuing up" to sack Lambert and appoint Hughes, Pullis or Allardyce for the Villa job?

I can name one.

Though there is an unofficial boycott on doing so. The Poster Who Must Not Be Named.

[Legion]

Who?

[Monty]

Who?

You know. The banished one who really did advocate the appointing of Allardyce.

[Legion]

GN?

[PeterWithesShin]

Risso. He who thought Delph was shit, the worst player he'd ever seen.

*Waves to Risso*

[john e]

remember when we had posters queing up to sack Lambert and get Allardyce, Hughes, Pullis in, anyone that could keep us up

now we have a manager who is keeping us in mid table admitedly playing boring unattractive football at the moment, and they still want him out,
 yet if they had had there way we would be worse off playing even worser football, just ask the spammers

Absolute nonsense. How many people on here were "queuing up" to sack Lambert and appoint Hughes, Pullis or Allardyce for the Villa job?

I can name one.

you will have to go back to the threads of jan last year.
 believe me we were doomed and Allardyce or his like was the answer for many on here,

I can remember reading 'just give me a year of boring midtable football' and it wasn't just an isolated few there were many who could not see us staying up,
 Leeds and Shef Wed were mentioned all the time as we were inevitably following them to oblivion ( that's another word I fell out with another poster about)

please don't tell me you never read this rist slashing stuff because its all there in the back threads, I couldn't give a stuff about finding it as it was an arse ache  to read the first time round

[SamTheMouse]

I think Lambert's intention is for us to play a 4-5-1 evolving to a 4-3-3 when we're on the attack. Unfortunately, it's all gone lopsided for some reason. On Sunday we had Benteke and Gabby playing more or less as a front two, with the midfield three behind. Albrighton naturally spent most of his time on the right wing, but I'm not convinced that was where he was instructed to play. He did pop up on the left and in the middle from time to time. But the point is, we had nobody at all on the left of midfield. Literally nobody.

So either Gabby was told to run the left channel and ignored his instructions totally, or Lambert cocked up royally.

[supertom]

I think Lambert's intention is for us to play a 4-5-1 evolving to a 4-3-3 when we're on the attack. Unfortunately, it's all gone lopsided for some reason. On Sunday we had Benteke and Gabby playing more or less as a front two, with the midfield three behind. Albrighton naturally spent most of his time on the right wing, but I'm not convinced that was where he was instructed to play. He did pop up on the left and in the middle from time to time. But the point is, we had nobody at all on the left of midfield. Literally nobody.

So either Gabby was told to run the left channel and ignored his instructions totally, or Lambert cocked up royally.

Recently the fullbacks have also barely gone beyond the half way line, which again, doesn't help matters. It leaves them having to mostly defend in matches which is the weakness, as opposed to trying to attack more, which is their (kind of) strength.
Then again, they can barely get beyond the half way line before we've gifted the ball back, so it's not always entirely their fault.

[Pat McMahon]

[/quote]

Recently the fullbacks have also barely gone beyond the half way line, which again, doesn't help matters. It leaves them having to mostly defend in matches which is the weakness, as opposed to trying to attack more, which is their (kind of) strength.
Then again, they can barely get beyond the half way line before we've gifted the ball back, so it's not always entirely their fault.
[/quote]

Supertom, one of our problems at Fulham was that Bacuna was away on a stag night in the Fulham half when we were not in possession.  No discipline at all in that game.