2018/19 Marco Silva - New Poll Added

[Nymzee]

Yeh, but it's different circumstances to how we start games, mate.

For example, we dropped Gylfi back against Leicester because they'd gone down to 10, and he wanted to get Tosun on. As they were down to 10 there was more space for Gylfi to operate in what wasn't really a classic centre-mid role (like Gomes played). It was more an attacking role at the tip of a diamond, with Gueye sitting deep.

Then the other day, he dropped into a diamond again because we pretty much went 4-4-2.

So while I'm happy to test it out, the circumstances of the game have got to be right. We saw against West Ham that when he played there we just got cut open through the middle.

Oh yeh wasn’t advocating it being a long term thing but during games proved effective so far. Think we’ve just finally come to a point now where we actually have to leave out good players for once. Even more so if we go and buy a top striker.

 

[Brisan123]

Delivered top 4 in a freak season whem 61 points got you 4th...then proceeded to make a tit of himself in the qualifier with his neanderthal tactics. Pity 72 points didn't get us CL under RM - he defo would have had the tactics over two legs to get past Villarreal.

Couldn’t get past Kiev over 2 legs

 

[davek]

I'd say either in the position occupied by Gylfi or on either wing. Or, he's a sub. As I said, it means one of the four dropping out, or perhaps - in some scenarios - Gylfi dropping deeper, but I don't actually think that's the answer unless we're really pushing on like we did after Leicester went down to 10.

I'm treating it as a squad game, because we finally have a quality depth of players for those roles.

I think we saw v Palace how easy it is to target Walcott if he doesn't have space in behind.

I really like Theo and think he's a great player for us currently, but his skill is movement in behind and between the lines (the one chance he had came from quick passing and sharp movement from him).

So, the next time a team rocks up that's just gonna sit deep (maybe Newcastle), would it be worth trying Bernard/Richarlison on the right, with Walcott dropping to the bench?

You still have the pace of Richarlison and nippiness of Bernard, and since there's little space in behind, Walcott's sprinting ability wouldn't have as much of an impact from the start anyway, but we'd have him to bring on when/if the game gets stretched.

I wouldn't mind betting that Walcott's move here had a huge caveat to it: "I play most of the time".

Bernard to me looks like a player who wont command a position if in January we sign a decent attacker to lead the line and score a lot of goals. In that scenario Richarlison resumes his wide left role and you couldn't shift Sigurdsson. Ideally I think Bernard is a good player to turn to if any one of Richarlison, Walcott or Sigurdsson is injured or suspended. We have to have that strength in depth anyway, so as long as the player has the right attitude it's all good really.

 

[davek]

Couldn’t get past Kiev over 2 legs

...which means automatically that Martinez couldn't have hatched a game plan to get past another European club over two legs....we beat Wolfsburg - a team as good as Kiev - home and away in the group stage by an aggregate score of 6-1 that season.

 

[Nymzee]

...which means automatically that Martinez couldn't have hatched a game plan to get past another European club over two legs....we beat Wolfsburg - a team as good as Kiev - home and away in the group stage by an aggregate score of 6-1 that season.

Wolfsburg are absolutely crap mate. Have been for years.

 

[KaiserEFC]

He still needs to get us better at breaking the poorer teams down, we have potential but I’m still not convinced we are all that.

 

[Coggy]

Villarreal got to the semi final of the champions league the year they beat us they were a top team .and I agree we had them on the ropes but don't think it was moyes fault we dident beat them TBF

Exactly mate.
We played really well until Collina intervened if I remember correctly.
That won't sway davek though as the facts don't matter to him

 

[BlueToff]

I wouldn't mind betting that Walcott's move here had a huge caveat to it: "I play most of the time".

Bernard to me looks like a player who wont command a position if in January we sign a decent attacker to lead the line and score a lot of goals. In that scenario Richarlison resumes his wide left role and you couldn't shift Sigurdsson. Ideally I think Bernard is a good player to turn to if any one of Richarlison, Walcott or Sigurdsson is injured or suspended. We have to have that strength in depth anyway, so as long as the player has the right attitude it's all good really.

I honestly don't think anyone is guaranteed a place, Dave. They have to perform well to play, simple as that, and it's the way it should be.

I think Bernard is probably a player who, in tight games, will have to play central or if not, be the sub that can come on and turn a tight game (a bit like Lookman). The fact we've got so many options is great.

 

[BlueToff]

Wolfsburg are absolutely crap mate. Have been for years.

They weren't at the time we played them, Nymz.

They had De Bruyne and had finished 5th in 13-14 then finished 2nd in 14-15 (the year we played them).

 

[Parker]

They weren't at the time we played them, Nymz.

They had De Bruyne and had finished 5th in 13-14 then finished 2nd in 14-15 (the year we played them).

Not to mention Perisic, Arnold, Naldo, Rodriguez, Gustavo and Benaglio when he was good. They were a solid team back then.

 

[BlueToff]

He still needs to get us better at breaking the poorer teams down, we have potential but I’m still not convinced we are all that.

Well it's a work in process.

We're definitely a stronger team on the counter at the moment, which is why we're:

a) better away
b) better late in games when the games are stretched

It'll come, but we've got a very good base to build from. Having someone like Gomes coming in now gives us that player from deep who can get on the ball and keep us ticking, but as he showed in the second half against Palace, has the ability to cut through a team with a great pass (that slide-rule one into Walcott was glorious).

Two teams play the game. Palace defended well the other day and did what they needed to do. But the fact that we had the quality, patience, fitness and belief to break them down was great to see.

A massive job on but slowly we're starting to see it come together.

 

[BlueToff]

Not to mention Perisic, Arnold, Naldo, Rodriguez, Gustavo and Benaglio when he was good. They were a solid team back then.

Yeh, I was at the Wolfsburg home game and De Bruyne ran the show. I get what @Nymzee is saying that they're crap now, but back then they were very good.

That EL performance in general was a good run, up until when it mattered most (classic Martinez).

While PL teams had figured his style out a bit, European teams hadn't, and we basically played on the counter with Mirallas, Naismith and Lukaku as forwards.

That Wolfsburg home game could easily have been very different, because they did have a ton of chances, but we rode our luck and were clinical when it mattered.

 

[Deco]

Wolfsburg are absolutely crap mate. Have been for years.

Wolfsburg were top quality at the time

 

[Deco]

Yeh, I was at the Wolfsburg home game and De Bruyne ran the show. I get what @Nymzee is saying that they're crap now, but back then they were very good.

That EL performance in general was a good run, up until when it mattered most (classic Martinez).

While PL teams had figured his style out a bit, European teams hadn't, and we basically played on the counter with Mirallas, Naismith and Lukaku as forwards.

That Wolfsburg home game could easily have been very different, because they did have a ton of chances, but we rode our luck and were clinical when it mattered.

Didn’t they have a ridiculous amount of shots considering the scoreline? Those two matches were among my favourite for years. Shame we bottled it at Kiev.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Well it's a work in process.

We're definitely a stronger team on the counter at the moment, which is why we're:

a) better away
b) better late in games when the games are stretched

It'll come, but we've got a very good base to build from. Having someone like Gomes coming in now gives us that player from deep who can get on the ball and keep us ticking, but as he showed in the second half against Palace, has the ability to cut through a team with a great pass (that slide-rule one into Walcott was glorious).

Two teams play the game. Palace defended well the other day and did what they needed to do. But the fact that we had the quality, patience, fitness and belief to break them down was great to see.

A massive job on but slowly we're starting to see it come together.

Tbh the Palace game was the first time in ages I’ve seen us actually work an opposition over consistently for large periods of the game. Palace actually defended really well but we were stretching them down both flanks and winning the ball off their counters so easily. We eventually wore them down at the end just through the sheer repetition of us going outwide and so many times that eventually one wasn’t properly closed down and we capitalised. Gomes transformed the level of midfield control we had.