The Midfield Three

[Hank Scorpio]

To me the problem is they all have defined strengths and weaknesses so whichever 3 you play you are leaving a big deficiency on the pitch.

Nakamba - Distribution lets him down. But can will the ball back very well and press well 

McGinn - Distribution again (Based on Last Season). He otherwise can press well and tries to get forwards

Luiz - Tackling/Pressing let's him down. Passing is generally his biggest asset from deep 

Sanson - Can't actually judge as seen too little of him.

I think the key to the team is a defensive minded destroyer who can win the ball but then be trusted to distribute well. That would free up Luiz/McGinn to show their best qualities. 

Basically we need Kante 2.0 then. Simple.

 

[PeterSw]

Well we have the man that signed Kante 1.0 so no excuses right?

[MWARLEY2]

I know the midfield 3 in 4 years time 

Chukwuemeka...Chrisene.....Raikhy

 

Yes its 99 percent not going to happen but that would be the perfect blend in the future

Pace strength height skill passing balance goalscoring tackling pressing .

I have absolutely nothing to base it on but Chrisene is going to be the superstar DM we have needed for years . 

[TRO]

9 hours ago, Pissflaps said:

To me the problem is they all have defined strengths and weaknesses so whichever 3 you play you are leaving a big deficiency on the pitch.

Nakamba - Distribution lets him down. But can will the ball back very well and press well 

McGinn - Distribution again (Based on Last Season). He otherwise can press well and tries to get forwards

Luiz - Tackling/Pressing let's him down. Passing is generally his biggest asset from deep 

Sanson - Can't actually judge as seen too little of him.

I think the key to the team is a defensive minded destroyer who can win the ball but then be trusted to distribute well. That would free up Luiz/McGinn to show their best qualities. 

Basically we need Kante 2.0 then. Simple.

 

bang on.

[TRO]

On 31/05/2021 at 10:39, Pissflaps said:

To me the problem is they all have defined strengths and weaknesses so whichever 3 you play you are leaving a big deficiency on the pitch.

Nakamba - Distribution lets him down. But can will the ball back very well and press well 

McGinn - Distribution again (Based on Last Season). He otherwise can press well and tries to get forwards

Luiz - Tackling/Pressing let's him down. Passing is generally his biggest asset from deep 

Sanson - Can't actually judge as seen too little of him.

I think the key to the team is a defensive minded destroyer who can win the ball but then be trusted to distribute well. That would free up Luiz/McGinn to show their best qualities. 

Basically we need Kante 2.0 then. Simple.

 

It seems to me how much this department seems hard to understand by some.

It is fascinating to see the comments on what is probably, the most divided department in our team......I think getting this balance right is key.

[MaVilla]

its almost certainly a personnel thing, but i have rarely seen us play a 433 and thought "that works well", it always seems to not work well for us, we seem to look much more stable in a 4231, but as i say, prob a personnel thing.

Personally, with Buendia and probably the signings we havent yet made, i still think a 4231 will be our best bet again.

As many have said, we do need a top level DM.

If we can get one classy proper DM, and a CAM or winger, i think that would drastically improve our team, (ie: from midfield forward)

 

            DM (NEW) -  DM (Luiz/Sanson/McGinn)

     NEW RW - Buendia - Grealish

                       Watkins

 

Obviously, Buendia could be RW and we sign a new CAM, whichever, but if we could do this, it would be a top window for us imo.

 

 

[Zhan_Zhuang]

I think Traore will play on the right and Buendia central with Jack on the left.

[MaVilla]

3 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

I think Traore will play on the right and Buendia central with Jack on the left.

Yeah I think so also, but I woulsnt say no to another top signing on the right.....if there were the opportunity. (Or  CAM and move buendia to rw)

 

[MotoMkali]

24 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

its almost certainly a personnel thing, but i have rarely seen us play a 433 and thought "that works well", it always seems to not work well for us, we seem to look much more stable in a 4231, but as i say, prob a personnel thing.

Personally, with Buendia and probably the signings we havent yet made, i still think a 4231 will be our best bet again.

As many have said, we do need a top level DM.

If we can get one classy proper DM, and a CAM or winger, i think that would drastically improve our team, (ie: from midfield forward)

 

            DM (NEW) -  DM (Luiz/Sanson/McGinn)

     NEW RW - Buendia - Grealish

                       Watkins

 

Obviously, Buendia could be RW and we sign a new CAM, whichever, but if we could do this, it would be a top window for us imo.

 

 

I'd prefer a new LW. And play jack CAM. You can't neutralise him when he is in the centre. He controls and dominates the game when he is in the centre. Plus the attack is far more balanced instead of like 60% down the left 25% through the middle and 15% out right. It is closer to 40, 35, 25% which makes us far harder to defend. 

[MWARLEY2]

                               WATKINS  

GREALISH                                         BUENDIA

       CHUKWUEMEKA              MCGINN

                                 ANGUISSA 

 

This is how i would go if we get a DM . I would love to see Grealish swapping positions in a game with Chukwuemeka.                    

[MotoMkali]

7 minutes ago, MWARLEY2 said:

                               WATKINS  

GREALISH                                         BUENDIA

       CHUKWUEMEKA              MCGINN

                                 ANGUISSA 

 

This is how i would go if we get a DM . I would love to see Grealish swapping positions in a game with Chukwuemeka.                    

We should go 4-2-3-1 no exceptions. 

[Monkeypuzzle]

With a 4-2-3-1 formation one of the two holding players is going to get forward more if the other is very defensively minded (like Nakamba) so 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 become very similar formations for much of the match, especially if your wingers track back like Grealish and Buendia do. Also, having no exceptions and always playing the same formation, no matter what is not a very sensible plan if the opposition find a way to stifle you.

[MotoMkali]

8 hours ago, Monkeypuzzle said:

With a 4-2-3-1 formation one of the two holding players is going to get forward more if the other is very defensively minded (like Nakamba) so 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 become very similar formations for much of the match, especially if your wingers track back like Grealish and Buendia do. Also, having no exceptions and always playing the same formation, no matter what is not a very sensible plan if the opposition find a way to stifle you.

When I said no exceptions. I meant if we are doing a 4-3-3 esque formation. If we were to actually change it up. I wouldn't be against that. But 4-2-3-1 is clearly far more effective unless you have a world class DM who can stop everyone like Kante, Fernandinho, Fabinho, Busquets (prime) just to name a few. Even PSG regularly play 4-2-3-1 despite Gueye still having some of the best defensive stats in Europe. With Veratti or previously marquinhos (before Silva left) playing as a DM in their system.

Unless we magic our way into Kante our 4-3-3 should be 4-2-3-1 no exceptions. Especially if the 10 is willing to press opposing Defensive midfielders it becomes a far more disruptive formation and much harder to score against. 

[KentVillan]

Delete

Edited June 21, 2021 by KentVillan

[paul514]

45 minutes ago, MotoMkali said:

When I said no exceptions. I meant if we are doing a 4-3-3 esque formation. If we were to actually change it up. I wouldn't be against that. But 4-2-3-1 is clearly far more effective unless you have a world class DM who can stop everyone like Kante, Fernandinho, Fabinho, Busquets (prime) just to name a few. Even PSG regularly play 4-2-3-1 despite Gueye still having some of the best defensive stats in Europe. With Veratti or previously marquinhos (before Silva left) playing as a DM in their system.

Unless we magic our way into Kante our 4-3-3 should be 4-2-3-1 no exceptions. Especially if the 10 is willing to press opposing Defensive midfielders it becomes a far more disruptive formation and much harder to score against. 

It depends on how your fullbacks are set up to play, they leave the defence exposed with the wrong setup for them in midfield.

With Liverpool’s being so attacking they go without an attacking midfielder for example

[MotoMkali]

1 minute ago, paul514 said:

It depends on how your fullbacks are set up to play, they leave the defence exposed with the wrong setup for them in midfield.

With Liverpool’s being so attacking they go without an attacking midfielder for example

Did i not specifically mention Fabinho. Because I did. 

[paul514]

50 minutes ago, MotoMkali said:

Did i not specifically mention Fabinho. Because I did. 

It doesn't matter who you mention the number of DCM's depends on how attacking the fullbacks are it is the basic principal of that system 1 person can't split into two if the opposition switches play to the other side of the field once the DCM has committed himself.

[KMitch]

11 hours ago, MaVilla said:

its almost certainly a personnel thing, but i have rarely seen us play a 433 and thought "that works well", it always seems to not work well for us, we seem to look much more stable in a 4231, but as i say, prob a personnel thing.

Personally, with Buendia and probably the signings we havent yet made, i still think a 4231 will be our best bet again.

As many have said, we do need a top level DM.

If we can get one classy proper DM, and a CAM or winger, i think that would drastically improve our team, (ie: from midfield forward)

 

            DM (NEW) -  DM (Luiz/Sanson/McGinn)

     NEW RW - Buendia - Grealish

                       Watkins

 

Obviously, Buendia could be RW and we sign a new CAM, whichever, but if we could do this, it would be a top window for us imo.

 

 

We played 4-3-3 in the Championship consistently and it's Deano's preferred set up.  Here is the lineup we played against Bristol City in the middle of our 10 game winning streak.  We'd sometimes replace Hourihane with Whelan, but this was our go to set up when we played our best.

McGinn - Hourihane - Grealish

Adomah - Abraham - El Ghazi

When we started the following season in the Premier League, we played 4-3-3 until Grealish was moved from CM out to the left wing against Burnley in week 7

McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Grealish

Trezeguet - Wesley - El Ghazi

We switched to a 4-5-1 after Project Restart, which tightened us up a lot defensively.  

Trezeguet - McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Hourihane - Grealish

                                          Samatta

We started the 20/21 season returning to a 4-3-3 like this (the 3-0 Fulham Lineup)

McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Hourihane

Trezeguet - Watkins - Grealish

We switched to 4-2-3-1 only after Barkley was added to the team during that 7-2 destruction of Liverpool and stuck with it whenever he played.

McGinn - Douglas Luiz

Traore - Barkley - Grealish

             Watkins

It's no coincidence that McGinn and Dougie both dropped off in form a bit last season, because the tactics were changed to accommodate Barkley for his 24 appearances, but he was so inconsistent for us that it looked like our entire midfield was lackluster.  Sanson was bought in January to allow us to swap back to a 4-3-3 this season, as he's similar in style to McGinn.  Trez has the workrate to play 4-3-3, but he's very poor technically and with his decision making that we struggled to rely on him creatively. Traore is an upgrade, but he was a bit lacking in the pressing side of his game and shines in a 4-2-3-1 with a creative player central to him.  Buendia has both the work rate and footballing ability to be asked to run, press, and create on his own out right in a 4-3-3.

As it stands now, I fully anticipate us to line up like this for most of the upcoming season, unless we sign another "Number 10" this summer.

McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Sanson

Buendia - Watkins - Grealish

[Greenfly]

2 hours ago, KMitch said:

We played 4-3-3 in the Championship consistently and it's Deano's preferred set up.  Here is the lineup we played against Bristol City in the middle of our 10 game winning streak.  We'd sometimes replace Hourihane with Whelan, but this was our go to set up when we played our best.

McGinn - Hourihane - Grealish

Adomah - Abraham - El Ghazi

When we started the following season in the Premier League, we played 4-3-3 until Grealish was moved from CM out to the left wing against Burnley in week 7

McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Grealish

Trezeguet - Wesley - El Ghazi

We switched to a 4-5-1 after Project Restart, which tightened us up a lot defensively.  

Trezeguet - McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Hourihane - Grealish

                                          Samatta

We started the 20/21 season returning to a 4-3-3 like this (the 3-0 Fulham Lineup)

McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Hourihane

Trezeguet - Watkins - Grealish

We switched to 4-2-3-1 only after Barkley was added to the team during that 7-2 destruction of Liverpool and stuck with it whenever he played.

McGinn - Douglas Luiz

Traore - Barkley - Grealish

             Watkins

It's no coincidence that McGinn and Dougie both dropped off in form a bit last season, because the tactics were changed to accommodate Barkley for his 24 appearances, but he was so inconsistent for us that it looked like our entire midfield was lackluster.  Sanson was bought in January to allow us to swap back to a 4-3-3 this season, as he's similar in style to McGinn.  Trez has the workrate to play 4-3-3, but he's very poor technically and with his decision making that we struggled to rely on him creatively. Traore is an upgrade, but he was a bit lacking in the pressing side of his game and shines in a 4-2-3-1 with a creative player central to him.  Buendia has both the work rate and footballing ability to be asked to run, press, and create on his own out right in a 4-3-3.

As it stands now, I fully anticipate us to line up like this for most of the upcoming season, unless we sign another "Number 10" this summer.

McGinn - Douglas Luiz - Sanson

Buendia - Watkins - Grealish

Great post. You can actually see the incremental improvement over time.

If you're right about next season, that's a front 6 that will put the jeebies up most teams in the league, no doubt.

[CVByrne]

I agree I think we don't want to set up with luxury players in midfield like we had with Barkley. Jack does his high pressing, Watkins obviously does as will Buendia. If we have a McGinn, Sanson, Luiz or new signing in the midfield 3 they will keep the press on when they don't have the ball. I'm sure this is how we will play most of our games next season when players are fit and in form.