Line up and formation for 2021-22

[N'ZMAV]

There is no way Ings isn't going to play. It'll be Buendia in the JWP position and Watkins left of Ings. All the more reason to improve on the defensive midfield position to give Buendia a bit more licence to focus on attack from midfield with McGinn box to box. As suggested he might be thinking of going more compact with the front three like Liverpool do, i think all of our players in those attacking positions would be well suited to it, including Traore and El Ghazi.

what is the JWP position?

people on here think JWP is a defensive midfielder? Buendia is defensive

[Luffbralion]

I'm struggling to see how we fit in the new signings. Spoke to a Norwich fan who was surprised we played Buendia centrally as they used him on the right. Furthermore Bailey normally operated on the right for Leverkusen. If we go 4-3-3 I could see the sense of:
                     Buendia    Luiz (or an upgrade)         McGinn
                     Bailey       Ings                                Watkins.

This would enable Buendia to play strikers through from a deeper position and SJM to get forward more but would be unfair on Ollie, who was brilliant as the lone frontman last year.

If we stay with 4-2-3-1 then it looks like:
                                     Luiz (or upgrade)     McGinn
                     Buendia       Ings                     Bailey
                                         Watkins
but this limits SJM's chance to get forward and seems a waste of Ings' predatory qualities. Remember how we got overrun last year when Barkley played close to the main striker?

So that leaves us with 4-4-2 with Buendia and Bailey as the wide men. That has never seemed Dean's preferred line up and would not be my choice either.

[KRS]

Yeah I’ve been struggling to see how this will all piece together too on the basis that we haven’t bought these players to warm the bench. Obviously we have to consider that we will have a squad with strength in depth with decent options coming off the bench, so we’ll need a system that will allow for squad rotation and keep players happy rather than trying to shoehorn them all onto the pitch or out of position. What concerns me most is that whatever formation and combination we chose for these players at the moment, we still look weak in midfield so that really needs to be addressed and we may have a clearer picture of the jigsaw once the midfield questions have been answered.

[Risso]

*IF* it gets answered.

[caster troy]

I'm nervous about Saturday, got a bad feeling it could be a 'Blackburn 1997' repeat. All the pre-season optimism with the arrival of Collymore, but in trying to fit him in with Yorke and Savo we broke our established system and lost the first four games. Then I think it was Yorke we pushed into midfield, could be similar now if the plan is to put Ings into the '10' role.

On the face of it we've replaced Grealish, Barkley and Trezeguet with two right wingers and a striker. It's going to be very interesting to see how we line up the first time Watkins and Ings are fit.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I'm nervous about Saturday, got a bad feeling it could be a 'Blackburn 1997' repeat. All the pre-season optimism with the arrival of Collymore, but in trying to fit him in with Yorke and Savo we broke our established system and lost the first four games. Then I think it was Yorke we pushed into midfield, could be similar now if the plan is to put Ings into the '10' role.

On the face of it we've replaced Grealish, Barkley and Trezeguet with two right wingers and a striker. It's going to be very interesting to see how we line up the first time Watkins and Ings are fit.

It's looking like very poor disjointed recruitment thus far. Players we didn't need in areas that didn't need addressing and gaping holes in midfield if we try to fit them all in.

[Goldie.7]

I think we are in big trouble this season. If 11th was on offer right now I'd snatch your hand off for it.

[ozzjim]

I would too. If we really are finished in the market, 11th would be about right.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I would too. If we really are finished in the market, 11th would be about right.

I fear that 11th is very optimistic with no more signings. Think we will be lucky to get much above 15th with the lack of midfield solidity. We have a two strikers that wont be able to play together in our favoured formation, and a load of right wingers but nothing much on the left. We can only fill the CAM spot by either playing a RW out of position or a no.9 out of position. Our defence is good but inbetween a disjointed attack and that good defence we have about 16 mediocre no.8s and no good options for the two DM slots if we go with two strikers.

It was about this time last year I was still thinking we cant possibly be ignoring the fact we only have one striker, before it happened. I hope to goodness Lange recruits i midfield as not doing so is borderline negligent.

[oldhill_avfc]

I'm nervous about Saturday, got a bad feeling it could be a 'Blackburn 1997' repeat. All the pre-season optimism with the arrival of Collymore, but in trying to fit him in with Yorke and Savo we broke our established system and lost the first four games. Then I think it was Yorke we pushed into midfield, could be similar now if the plan is to put Ings into the '10' role.

On the face of it we've replaced Grealish, Barkley and Trezeguet with two right wingers and a striker. It's going to be very interesting to see how we line up the first time Watkins and Ings are fit.

It's looking like very poor disjointed recruitment thus far. Players we didn't need in areas that didn't need addressing and gaping holes in midfield if we try to fit them all in.

The recruitment has been patchy but understandable in the circumstances.

I think the danger is changing too may things in the early games and ending up not having a clue who the best team/formation are.

Best plan is to keep things simple.  Go with players who we know in positions where they did well last season.

So Ollie up top, Ings on the bench.

Nakamba (while we wait for a better option) and McGinn in central midfield.

Then the difficult bit....

Traore, Buedia and Bailey as attacking midfielders/wide players?

[cannock villa]

All i see in this thread are posts stating we are disjointed, poor recruitment, we are in trouble an that's only on this page. Some people need to stand back and take a breath, its the first game of the season. If after 6 games its still as poor then it is time to be worried but have a bit of faith in a manager who has improved us every season until then.

[chrisw1]

People are saying it's disjointed because, well frankly it looks a bit disjointed.  Buying two right wingers and an out and out striker when we have lost a left winger and No 10 from our squad seems a bit...disjointed.  It all feels a bit square pegs and round holes.

I was advocating buying another attacker and am happy with Ings, although it's not quite what I imagined and could be counter productive if Smith feels obliged to shoehorn in him and Watkins in week in week out.

I don't think the individual players purchased are poor recruitment - I'm excited by all of them.  But if we leave a glaring hole in the DM position, then it looks like a poor plan and unbalanced.  More so if Buendia can't adapt to a central role very quickly.

Yes we're only one game in, but we didn't need that game to know we are lightweight at DM, a lot of people have been saying it all summer.

[chrisw1]

Anyway, if Bert is out this is how I would line up for Saturday:

McGinn       Luiz            Ramsey 
                   
Buendia    Watkins        Bailey

[chrisw1]

And this is how I think Smith will line up

              McGinn      Luiz             
 Buendia                          Bailey 
                         Ings       
                      Watkins   

[Risso]

And this is how I think Smith will line up

              McGinn      Luiz             
 Buendia                          Bailey 
                         Ings       
                      Watkins   

Yep, he’s not going to drop Ings.