Tactics Thread 2014-15

[marty mcfly]

I've said it befor on other threads but I think we'll play a diamond.

Coleman jags/stones Distin Baines
Besic
McCarthy Barry
Barkley
Mirallas Lukaku?

If you push Baines and Coleman up and drop Besic back (remember he played as a CB last season) then that's a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 depending on how you look at it, when the fullbacks defend its a 5-3-2.

Basically it's the formation that Martinez has always wanted to play, the current in-vogue formation, a formation designed to give Barkley the freedom of the pitch and we finally have the players to play it.

If it clicks we'll be hard to beat, be able to dominate the midfield and should have a lot of pace on the counter and when running the channels if we're pressed.

The downside is against teams that park the bus we might need a bit more guile which is when I think Geads will play and Besic, McCarthy or Barry will get dropped and we'll play a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1.

 

[HuddersfieldToffee]

I've said it befor on other threads but I think we'll play a diamond.

Coleman jags/stones Distin Baines
Besic
McCarthy Barry
Barkley
Mirallas Lukaku?

If you push Baines and Coleman up and drop Besic back (remember he played as a CB last season) then that's a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 depending on how you look at it, when the fullbacks defend its a 5-3-2.

Basically it's the formation that Martinez has always wanted to play, the current in-vogue formation, a formation designed to give Barkley the freedom of the pitch and we finally have the players to play it.

If it clicks we'll be hard to beat, be able to dominate the midfield and should have a lot of pace on the counter and when running the channels if we're pressed.

The downside is against teams that park the bus we might need a bit more guile which is when I think Geads will play and Besic, McCarthy or Barry will get dropped and we'll play a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1.

I think if we play that team, we'll play Besic and Stones as outside CB's.

 

[billycopper]

I'd be surprised if we changed too much.

Stones will want more game time but we might protect Coleman and Distin a bit more this year, which will give him opportunities.

Browning, Garbutt and Duffy will no doubt play in the Carling Cup and quite possibly the FA Cup too, depending on how far we get in the Europa League.

I don't know a lot about Besic but I expect that he'll rotate with Barry, McCarthy and Gibson in front of the defence.

McGeady will become more of a regular and we might find that Mirallas is moved up top. I think we'll need to find a position to get the best out of Naismith too. I think he could be employed similarly to Muller of Bayern and Germany but we'll need the other forward players to take up the creative slack.

 

[marty mcfly]

I think if we play that team, we'll play Besic and Stones as outside CB's.

I can't see stones playing for anyone else but Jags. Distin needs to play on the left, Stones suits the right side of a 3 man defence but Jags is club captain however I'm not convinced on Jags playing that formation. Besic has the ability to bring it out from the back and play the midfield role in the diamond.

I don't really see how it works any other way without someone playing out of position.

 

[marty mcfly]

I'd be surprised if we changed too much.

Stones will want more game time but we might protect Coleman and Distin a bit more this year, which will give him opportunities.

Browning, Garbutt and Duffy will no doubt play in the Carling Cup and quite possibly the FA Cup too, depending on how far we get in the Europa League.

I don't know a lot about Besic but I expect that he'll rotate with Barry, McCarthy and Gibson in front of the defence.

McGeady will become more of a regular and we might find that Mirallas is moved up top. I think we'll need to find a position to get the best out of Naismith too. I think he could be employed similarly to Muller of Bayern and Germany but we'll need the other forward players to take up the creative slack.

I actually agree but I think he'll mix it up for the big games. Naismith is best as a false 9 in a 4-3-3 like against Arsenal but tbh I can't see him getting as much game time as last season.

 

[Furey1878]

Thought I'd bump this in light of the 3-5-2 thread.

Personally, I'd like to see some more 4-3-3 this year, which we notably bummed Arsenal with and recently toyed with in the 2nd half against Porto.

Against Porto we saw:

Barry
McCarthy Besic
McGeady Osman Naismith
​

With Osman as the false-9. And with our squad, I think a good line-up would be:

Barry
McCarthy Gibson
Lukaku Barkley Mirallas
​

With the usual back 5.

​

 

[TomDixie]

 

[Nymzee]

I'm absolutely desperate for us to play a 5-1-2-1-1 formation but this is more fuelled by my deep love of Stones & Besic and struggling to find places for everyone. I've always been a fan of the wing-back approach since watching America in Mexico a few years ago and the recent World Cup has brought to light it's tactical benefits (and shortfalls however). I'd use Stones as a sweeper in the Rafael Marquez role as he's the best ball playing centre half we have although this may limit Gareth Barry's usage but who knows. I'd play Barkley just off Lukaku in the free role basically doing whatever he wants. We lose natural width with wingers but Coleman and Baines are basically wingers in disguise anyway. I'll miss you Mirallas.


Howard

Coleman Jagielka Stones Distin Baines

Barry

Besic McCarthy

Barkley
Lukaku

It is a very unorthodox formation and one I don't even know if we can play well I'd just like to see us try it. 4-2-3-1 worked great for us last season but I noticed on games where this wasn't working we didn't have much of a Plan B (except the 4-3-3 Lukaku destroyer mission vs Arsenal).

Would love to know what people's thoughts were on the potential for this!

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Interesting how we were essentially playing 4-3-3 at the end of the Porto game when the younger lads came on for the last 5 minutes

 

[HuddersfieldToffee]

Interesting how we were essentially playing 4-3-3 at the end of the Porto game when the younger lads came on for the last 5 minutes

We'll have to see whether it becomes a feature - whether we play with a false nine or not remains to be seen.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

We'll have to see whether it becomes a feature - whether we play with a false nine or not remains to be seen.

I doubt we'll ever play Long, Hope and McAlney all together like that again to be honest

If just one of them can develop to be a decent striker out of those 3 though, it'll be a big boost for us

 

[marty mcfly]

I'm absolutely desperate for us to play a 5-1-2-1-1 formation but this is more fuelled by my deep love of Stones & Besic and struggling to find places for everyone. I've always been a fan of the wing-back approach since watching America in Mexico a few years ago and the recent World Cup has brought to light it's tactical benefits (and shortfalls however). I'd use Stones as a sweeper in the Rafael Marquez role as he's the best ball playing centre half we have although this may limit Gareth Barry's usage but who knows. I'd play Barkley just off Lukaku in the free role basically doing whatever he wants. We lose natural width with wingers but Coleman and Baines are basically wingers in disguise anyway. I'll miss you Mirallas.


Howard

Coleman Jagielka Stones Distin Baines

Barry

Besic McCarthy

Barkley
Lukaku

It is a very unorthodox formation and one I don't even know if we can play well I'd just like to see us try it. 4-2-3-1 worked great for us last season but I noticed on games where this wasn't working we didn't have much of a Plan B (except the 4-3-3 Lukaku destroyer mission vs Arsenal).

Would love to know what people's thoughts were on the potential for this!

Moyes migh have played that formation however I can't see Roberto playing it.

Not enough attacking players. Even less than my formation which would have swapped Jags or Stones for Mirallas and played a diamond in midfield.

 

[stinger]

I have a quite fun reading this thread, after majority of posters here were dissing system with 3/5-man backline last summer. How much 12 months can change, even without many changes in our personnel. And even nobody is posting moronic posts like "but 3 man defense was the reason City lost the title with Mancini in charge", etc...

I like 3-5-2 in our case:
1) Stones, Jagielka, Distin are very good trio for this kind of backline
2) Coleman and Baines are perfect wingbacks
3) Barkley would be able to play as "10" behind 2 strikers and ahead of two DMs/CMs
4) Mirallas would be able to play as centre forward, who would stretch the opposite's defenses

I think it suits us better than 3-4-3 now, as I don't know what Martinez would have to do with Barkley in this kind of system.

Let's go all France 1998 and play 5 at the back.

Dan Petrescu still about?

France didn't play 5 man at the back then, they were using Chrismas Tree Formation: Barthez - Thuram, Desailly, Blanc, Lizarazu - Deschamps, Vieira, Petit - Zidane, Djorkaeff - One Shitty Striker (usually Dugarry or Guivarch)

 

[Fuleco]

France didn't play 5 man at the back then, they were using Chrismas Tree Formation: Barthez - Thuram, Desailly, Blanc, Lizarazu - Deschamps, Vieira, Petit - Zidane, Djorkaeff - One Shitty Striker (usually Dugarry or Guivarch)

I was referring to France 98 World Cup, where a few teams played 5 at the back.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I still prefer having 4 at the back to be honest and packing the midfield

Just a personal preference

I wouldn't mind

Howard

Coleman, Jags, Distin, Baines

Mirallas, Barry, Barkley, McCarthy, Oviedo (When he's fit)

Lukaku