AFTER a week of a different formation and two 1-1 draws, host Neil Atkinson is joined by Sean Rogers and Paul Cope for an in-depth tactical look at both games.
The lads focus on why they thought the manager made the change, who it aimed to get the best off, and whether they think it will continue.
This season Up until norwich BR has played a system that requires wingers 433 and failed to sign a winger to replace sterling while loaning out our best remaining wide player in Markovic, which results in playing a striker and a no. 10 (ings and firmino) out wide which is completely alien to them as well as a raw young winger who has 0 goals for the club. Considering the attacking players he has kept a hold of and purchased you would think he was buying for a formation that includes 2 strikers and 3 no.10’s. He regularly leaves out our best centre back while failing to replace a keeper that is costing the side 4 or 5 results a season. £260 million for a squad that looks non existent in terms of wingers, has a sub par keeper and centre backs that leak goals like a sieve and a plethora of players who operate behind the striker, its absolutely absurd.
So far this season we’ve played at least 4/5 formations several players playing outta position in completely alien positions to them while we have let go players that do suit the formations used.
Imagine being a player on our team where every week you have to play a new formation sometimes changing 2/3 times during the one game and having to play in weird positions. Is it any wonder the players arnt firing?! It’s not the sign of a tactical genius, it’s the sign of someone who doesn’t know how to get the best out of the players he has, many, many of which are of his choosing.
Enjoyable show as ever, but you’re far too generous. It’s the manager’s team, the manager’s players, the manager’s tactics and the manager’s formation. If the manager has no confidence it tends to transmit itself to the players and all of the above. Of more concern, and an issue that should be addressed is the transfer strategy this summer. Was Nathaniel Clynes signed as a wing-back, was Benteke signed to play in a two or a three? I think we all know the answer, which, given that players were bought for a 4-4-2 last summer and a 4-3-3 this summer is disturbing at best, incompetent at worst.
It was an improved performance, that tends to happen when you select your best players, but let’s remember the opposition. We should be expecting to put sides like Norwich to the sword at home.
The fact that we looked so much better with Ings and Sturridge than with Benteke is, again, a worry. Sturridge, though rusty, looked like he was a cut above all the players on the pitch. He looks like a jaguar to Benteke’s bull, and it’s clear that our players feel more comfortable serving Sturridge and Ings than Benteke. Melissa had her misgivings, she may well be proven right, sadly. I hope not, because it would be a colossal waste of money and talent all round.
As for the shape, well with a bit of tweaking it could work. I was heartened by his playing two up top. 3-5-2 works, it gives you enough bodies in midfield. 3-4-2-1, 3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2 are a waste of time. There’s no clarity. When I saw the lineup I was expecting a diamond with Can at the side, I wasn’t too disappointed by the change: it gets the best out of Can, Skrtl looks much more assured and Sakho, if he can eradicate his customary mad 5 minutes, is our best CB. He works well with Moreno too. Drop Coutinho into CM with Lucas and Milner or, ideally Allen and Henderson, and the system works. My worry is that he has a couple of 30m players to fit in, neither of whom start in a 3-5-2 first eleven. Why? Because they were bought to play 4-3-3. You can’t blame anyone but the manager for that.
On the plus side, we have a strong bench and plenty of options, but we can’t rebuild season after season and it’s no good having a keeper who can’t distribute.
Oh, and the idea that Mignolet and Coutinho’s errors were sub non-league is, I’m afraid, risible. These types of mistakes happen week in, week out in the Premier League. Coutinho isn’t a striker, Mignolet isn’t a top-class goalkeeper.
Interesting to hear Sean’s more positive assessment of Milner’s performance. When I watched the game back, I felt the assessments of his performance elsewhere was really harsh. If you can ignore a couple of poor corners the performance was fine, and he was covering a lot of ground providing supporting attacks on both flanks and running beyond the strikers to provide an extra man up top.
On the comments about the seemingly random nature of who goes on loan and who gets development within the first team squad, one thing that must have influenced the decision is whether players would need including in the senior squad lists. In the Europa League Ibe, Rossiter and Chirivella qualify on the second list, Markovic, Ilori and Teixeira would have had to be included in the senior list and the expense of established players.