Install the app
How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

 

The Unholy Trinity

Status
Not open for further replies.
V Arsenal (only)
Diamond midfield
Less recycling through mids/defenders on the high line
Less overlapping than usual from Kenny and Digne, stay back and cover more
Soak up the pressure, cutting off the passing lanes
and attack with pace, counter with front 3
hope Bernard has a good passing range

---------Richarlison---------------------------- Walcott----------------
-----------------------------------Sig---------------------------------------
------------Bernard-----------------------------Davies-------------------
----------------------------------Gana--------------------------------------
Digne--------------Zouma-------------Holgate----------------Kenny

I'm not crazy about this, BUT

- Tosun's not on fire yet
- Richarlison's back and has played well so far, just wonder if he fires more when running from deeper?
- Defence needs opportunity to settle

Understand the other points about competitiveness in CM, but who is that in our team now, even if at 100% fitness? I think this is a serious generational gap since Moyes left. Sigs/MS don't do that for us when fit.

We have the option to attack and it's not like Arsenal's been that happy a hunting ground so why not try and stick a goal or two past 'em and see how they react to that rather than concede from 1st min.
 
I think on your first point, that highlights how big a job silva has. I just hope he is afforded time to build his own teqm, because in my opinion bar pickford, coleman and walcott, there is a question mark on every player wt the club before silva wrrived.

The 2nd goql, yes that is a stupid error and cant reqlly blame the midfield for that.

The other 2 goals, its not as such the individual moments, but if the midfield are not 1)winning the ball and harrasing midfirlders to put presure on and force mistakes 2) taking the ball off the defenders to relieve creative responsibility off them and let them concentrqte on there job -defending

Defenders get pulled out of position due to being under presure and feel exposed. If holgate was protected would he of stepped away from position? Same with zouma?
As the senior 3 players in that team on sunday, with a defence of an average age of 22, they needed to help them. But they didnt

This. I look at our squad and see 5 or 6/10 everywhere, except Richarlison + your three. I'm still hopeful for Mina, Digne, Holgate, Lookman. But take out Jags and Baines for pedigree past, and the rest move on, with squad spots for JJK, Gana, Davies and DCL on effort. The rest are the baggage of a cash-compromised single-season fix strategy x 5 seasons since Moyes left.

Now we've lost Stones, Barry, Ross, Lukaku and Baines/Jags ageing we need to recognise what both the spine of our team - and our young players - need to aspire to. None of the current crop match. I always get hammered or this but I wanna see more English players in the first XI. A cruncher like Livermore for MS and a proper target man like Deeney in for Tosun and we'd find ourselves on the ball more often, with a decent target to hold and play our stuff around. Hopefully Mina brings that to our back 4, too.
 
This. I look at our squad and see 5 or 6/10 everywhere, except Richarlison + your three. I'm still hopeful for Mina, Digne, Holgate, Lookman. But take out Jags and Baines for pedigree past, and the rest move on, with squad spots for JJK, Gana, Davies and DCL on effort. The rest are the baggage of a cash-compromised single-season fix strategy x 5 seasons since Moyes left.

Now we've lost Stones, Barry, Ross, Lukaku and Baines/Jags ageing we need to recognise what both the spine of our team - and our young players - need to aspire to. None of the current crop match. I always get hammered or this but I wanna see more English players in the first XI. A cruncher like Livermore for MS and a proper target man like Deeney in for Tosun and we'd find ourselves on the ball more often, with a decent target to hold and play our stuff around. Hopefully Mina brings that to our back 4, too.
I thought I’d seen the last of the Deeney shouts but seemingly not
I know you said like Deeney but I can’t see that type of player fitting into a Silva team
I know he had him at Watford but he was stuck with him
 
Pickford
Kenny
Zouma
Holgate
Digne
Schnederlin
Gana
Walcott
Siggy
Bernard
Ricarlison
In a dreaded 4/2/3/1 away from home

With either or both of Gana / Schnederlin told to cover the upfield runs of the full backs as a matter of importance.
Walcott and Bernard won’t do it so that job needs to be delegated to 2 players and make sure they do it
Siggy covers enough ground to allow him to get back into Gana/Schnederlin position if they go wide to cover
Only one full back allowed over the half way line at any one time with the non attacking FB tucked into the centre to allow CB’s slide across to cover attacking full backs
It’s basic coaching but it’s up to the players and concentrate on their basic jobs
Fair Play, it seems the most reasonable, its what I would go for too, if not for:
- 4-2-3-1 is a poor system these days, its too easily manipulated by half decent teams, unless you have the right players for it, which we don't
and your half way to explaining why this is.
If the wingers don't track, put pressure on and and press the opposition play down their wing, and you rely on your defensive mid and full alone back then your at nothing.
If you can't win possession back, you at least want to restrict and put pressure on the options they have.
Its much easier for the CBs and other DM to put pressure on and force mistakes, if you've got three men pressuring the play.
If you have only 2 its too easy for them.
The way around this is for the whole team to move across the pitch, compressing the space laterally, including the 10 and the other winger.
It often means that the CB needs to come out and press the play earlier.
Unless you have the right players, with the ability to maintain a complexed, disciplined defensive structure you end up with:
- frailties in the central defence
- exposed space on the other wing, as the oppostion full back is generally allowed to ghost in as a goal threat unmarked (should of had at least 4 goals scored against us this way if the teams had been anyway decent)
- difficulty in maintaining the lateral organisation and compression if the oppostion is able to move quickly from side to side and/or use dynamic movement while maintaining position.
The two defensive mids look logical on paper, but illogical in practice.
It means the DMs will not be able to maintain their role of cancelling out the full backs without creating massive holes
with little pressure put on the 10 when receiving the ball in hole.

Viewed like this you could argue that the criticism on Scneiderlin, Davies and Gana has been harsh and its the wingers and the 10 that aren't doing their job.
Why Scneiderlin and Gana deserve criticism is for other posts, but briefly, Richarlison has been doing his job and Sig at times as well.

The point is they are not up to playing this as a team. And even if they were they aren't the right set of players to execute it in both attack and defense.
Give Simone 4-5 years and he'd have it rocking, but imo there are better systems to play, and a better journey to be had playing differently on the road to getting our hands back on a trophy.

I agree, right now we need KISS.
The 4-4-2 diamond midfield allows for an easier version of compression, squeezing the lines while allowing for the press, which any modern footballer should be able to do.
It suits a counter against Arsenal, which plays to our strengths, Richarlison, Walcott and especially Sig in more space.
Bernard and Davies getting things moving during transition, rather than Schneiderlin and Gana
And using Digne (from Bernard) or Kenny (from Davies) on the overlap on the counter; rather using both during the build up and getting caught out
I'd use it just for this game atm, its a place to build from and revert back to if needed.

The weakness in my system/team is Gana at 6. On second thoughts I'd probably play Scneiderlin there and in a flight of fancy drop Sig in there and Dowell at 10. Sig has more height tan Gana, would probably defend as well as Shneiderlin, and may do him so good experiencing how the other half lives (ok maybe one for the training pitch)

1 last thing, Bernard's not a winger, certainly not in a 4-2-3-1; unless you use Digne to overlap a lot, which brings you right back to some of the problems during the West Ham match.

Def last, the argument that the team is not defending that badly (apart from West Ham) based on only having conceded 1 goal from open play is rubbish. If we keep playing the way we are, good teams will dance right over the top of us. The system has to change.
 

Fair Play, it seems the most reasonable, its what I would go for too, if not for:
- 4-2-3-1 is a poor system these days, its too easily manipulated by half decent teams, unless you have the right players for it, which we don't
and your half way to explaining why this is.
If the wingers don't track, put pressure on and and press the opposition play down their wing, and you rely on your defensive mid and full alone back then your at nothing.
If you can't win possession back, you at least want to restrict and put pressure on the options they have.
Its much easier for the CBs and other DM to put pressure on and force mistakes, if you've got three men pressuring the play.
If you have only 2 its too easy for them.
The way around this is for the whole team to move across the pitch, compressing the space laterally, including the 10 and the other winger.
It often means that the CB needs to come out and press the play earlier.
Unless you have the right players, with the ability to maintain a complexed, disciplined defensive structure you end up with:
- frailties in the central defence
- exposed space on the other wing, as the oppostion full back is generally allowed to ghost in as a goal threat unmarked (should of had at least 4 goals scored against us this way if the teams had been anyway decent)
- difficulty in maintaining the lateral organisation and compression if the oppostion is able to move quickly from side to side and/or use dynamic movement while maintaining position.
The two defensive mids look logical on paper, but illogical in practice.
It means the DMs will not be able to maintain their role of cancelling out the full backs without creating massive holes
with little pressure put on the 10 when receiving the ball in hole.

Viewed like this you could argue that the criticism on Scneiderlin, Davies and Gana has been harsh and its the wingers and the 10 that aren't doing their job.
Why Scneiderlin and Gana deserve criticism is for other posts, but briefly, Richarlison has been doing his job and Sig at times as well.

The point is they are not up to playing this as a team. And even if they were they aren't the right set of players to execute it in both attack and defense.
Give Simone 4-5 years and he'd have it rocking, but imo there are better systems to play, and a better journey to be had playing differently on the road to getting our hands back on a trophy.

I agree, right now we need KISS.
The 4-4-2 diamond midfield allows for an easier version of compression, squeezing the lines while allowing for the press, which any modern footballer should be able to do.
It suits a counter against Arsenal, which plays to our strengths, Richarlison, Walcott and especially Sig in more space.
Bernard and Davies getting things moving during transition, rather than Schneiderlin and Gana
And using Digne (from Bernard) or Kenny (from Davies) on the overlap on the counter; rather using both during the build up and getting caught out
I'd use it just for this game atm, its a place to build from and revert back to if needed.

The weakness in my system/team is Gana at 6. On second thoughts I'd probably play Scneiderlin there and in a flight of fancy drop Sig in there and Dowell at 10. Sig has more height tan Gana, would probably defend as well as Shneiderlin, and may do him so good experiencing how the other half lives (ok maybe one for the training pitch)

1 last thing, Bernard's not a winger, certainly not in a 4-2-3-1; unless you use Digne to overlap a lot, which brings you right back to some of the problems during the West Ham match.

Def last, the argument that the team is not defending that badly (apart from West Ham) based on only having conceded 1 goal from open play is rubbish. If we keep playing the way we are, good teams will dance right over the top of us. The system has to change.
Just on one point
Bernard has played the vast majority of his career on the left wing
He may not be an orthodox wing hugging chalk on his boots winger but he plays on the left hand side of a 3 or a 4
Silva May see him as a 10 but up to this point in his career that where he has played and played there Sunday
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Welcome to GrandOldTeam

Get involved. Registration is simple and free.

Back
Top