Team shape, tactics and personnel

[villan501]

Massive season for Stevie this year if and I say if he persists with his favourites either player or formation  he is doomed.

Playing mcginn mings and Ramsey in a possession based game style dosnt work all 3 are poor at ball retention and 2 of them cannot stop lumping the ball needlessly long inviting more and more pressure on the defence.

Formation wise 2up front dosnt work it's very ineffective and lacks a real punch in terms of goals.If SG persists with picking what he views his best 11 and results in playing a player out of position he will be under huge pressure by end of October.

I couldnt care less who trains the best clearly mcginn trains well this don't guarantee anything on game day. We have a squad of players fairness and trying to win games is what I want not the same picking of failing players hoping the luck changes.

Over to you SG

[Dale]

On 23/05/2022 at 05:12, DakotaVilla said:

Isn’t it blatantly obvious that he persevered with the system he wants to play (i.e that similar to  the elite teams) to fully highlight the investment needed in the playing squad to the owners? 
 

He bet it all on the summer and the early signs are that he is already attracting players that ordinarily wouldn’t even have taken the call from us. 

I mean, making yourself look like a piss poor manager to prove a point is a bold play by anyone. 

[Farlz]

I can't imagine we're going to see a 4231 any time soon now. 

[tinker]

In the middle it looks like it's Ramsey , McGinn and Kamara. I hope to god it works out for Kamara as DM, Ramsey and McGinn aren't great defensively. Unless Doug replaces Ramsey? 

[VillaChris]

19 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I think if we start with McGinn, Ramsey and Coutinho we'll lose games - you can't have three attacking midfielders and two strikers - there's no balance. Kamara is a football player not a midfield - one of Luiz, Nakamba or Iroegbunam needs to be starting next to him and I think Gerrard has to get over himself and drop one of either McGinn or Ramsey.

 

He's not giving McGinn the armband just to put him on the bench most weeks otherwise he'd have just given him the club captain role. McGinn will be starting as much as previous three seasons.

Can't see Ramsey being dropped much either. He should've been rested around mid March but Gerrard kept him in and eventually he got injured. He also is still on the rise, bigger goal threat these days than McGinn and is arguably best we have at actually linking up well with Coutinho in final third with clever one twos.

Pretty laughable that after all this talk all it will take is one injury to Kamara and we'll just have the same mid table midfield playing with all its flaws again. First big decision of the season and I fear Gerrard has got it massively wrong.]

Look at Spurs. Within six months of Conte coming in he identified them being weak in midfield. Since then they've signed Bentancur + Bissouma, that's what we needed to do and both those were players we were seriously looking at. And people will ask on here why in May we're finishing 15-20 points off them yet again.

[avfc1982am]

1 minute ago, OutByEaster? said:

I'm hoping your not right, but I can see it happening - if it does, I think he'll be forced to change it after a poor start.

 

Me too. The other thing that concerns me is putting too much weight on Kamara early doors. If things go tits up because he's getting swamped in midfield or the midfield aren't retaining the ball and recycling it enough it could drown him. JJ and McGinn aren't the best at calming play down in the middle.  

[MrBlack]

51 minutes ago, tinker said:

In the middle it looks like it's Ramsey , McGinn and Kamara. I hope to god it works out for Kamara as DM, Ramsey and McGinn aren't great defensively. Unless Doug replaces Ramsey? 

McGinn plays more of a 10 role for Scotland. Could we see something like this:

          Watkins/Ings

Coutinho          Buendia/Bailey

              McGinn

        Kamara      Luiz

 

I think I'd be happy with this formation. 

I would prefer Ramsey to get more game time and alternate the starting position with McGinn, but with him being made captain I can't see that happening.

I also cannot see us going with the same shape and team as last year but just swapping Luiz for Kamara. That would be pure madness. I'll be distraught if that's what we did. 

[sne]

It's going to be the team that started against Manure if everyone is fit.

[OutByEaster?]

11 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

He's not giving McGinn the armband just to put him on the bench most weeks otherwise he'd have just given him the club captain role. McGinn will be starting as much as previous three seasons.

I think so too - but I think Doug (or a new signing) will be playing behind him next to Kamara.

It's Ramsey who should be missing out.

 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

16 minutes ago, avfc1982am said:

Me too. The other thing that concerns me is putting too much weight on Kamara early doors. If things go tits up because he's getting swamped in midfield or the midfield aren't retaining the ball and recycling it enough it could drown him. JJ and McGinn aren't the best at calming play down in the middle.  

I agree with this, and commented on it over pre season.

Especially against Man U, you could see he will need help.

If we just leave him exposed with unreliable partners in the middle he will just be another pormising player we've made look like shite.

The warning signs are there, plus some footballing sense should tell us this.

The lad can't do it all on his own.

Edited July 27, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[VillaChris]

10 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I think so too - but I think Doug (or a new signing) will be playing behind him next to Kamara.

It's Ramsey who should be missing out.

 

Ramsey may not be perfect (or England world cup ready) just yet but he was playing at a higher level between December-late Feb than McGinn has anytime recently.

And any top half team needs someone from central areas to chip in with 8-10 goals and Ramsey's also the best bet for that.

He should not be benched instead of McGinn.

[OutByEaster?]

3 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

And any top half team needs someone from central areas to chip in with 8-10 goals and Ramsey's also the best bet for that.

He should not be benched instead of McGinn.

I get where you're coming from, and he's a very good option, but I think of the two he's the one that's a touch too attacking for the balance - if we were to sign Sangare for example, I'd be quite happy to play Doug, Sangare and Kamara behind Coutinho - three 6's and a 10. I think Ramsey is a bit more of a 10 than McGinn and we've already got one of those in Coutinho.

The key is to get two in front of the back four so that we can control the ball and protect against teams breaking - at the moment Doug simply has to start with Kamara - unless we're playing with no strikers, there just isn't room for everyone else as well.

 

[VillaChris]

Thinking about it Kamara-Luiz-Ramsey would be a nicely balanced three. Good defensive nous and technical ability. And still leaves space for three attackers or two inside forwards.

Something that can't really happen with todays decision. Well done Steven.

[tinker]

37 minutes ago, MrBlack said:

McGinn plays more of a 10 role for Scotland. Could we see something like this:

          Watkins/Ings

Coutinho          Buendia/Bailey

              McGinn

        Kamara      Luiz

 

I think I'd be happy with this formation. 

I would prefer Ramsey to get more game time and alternate the starting position with McGinn, but with him being made captain I can't see that happening.

I also cannot see us going with the same shape and team as last year but just swapping Luiz for Kamara. That would be pure madness. I'll be distraught if that's what we did. 

Maybe, harsh on Ramsey, Louis is going though or he's not signing a new contract. Gerrard has shown he ain't bothered about upsetting players if he thinks it will get him results. 

[ciggiesnbeer]

Martinez, Cash, Digne, Carlos, Chambers, Kamara, Ramsey, Buendia, Coutinho, Ings, Bailey.

There is your starting 11, Gerrard, over to you to make it work tactically

 

 

 

[MaVilla]

2 minutes ago, ciggiesnbeer said:

Martinez, Cash, Digne, Carlos, Chambers, Kamara, Ramsey, Buendia, Coutinho, Ings, Bailey.

There is your starting 11, Gerrard, over to you to make it work tactically

 

 

 

well, im fairly sure El Capitan will need to be in there somewhere......

[ciggiesnbeer]

1 minute ago, MaVilla said:

well, im fairly sure El Capitan will need to be in there somewhere......

Oh I agree. I also think Buendia will be on the bench and Watkins will start but this is our actual best 11 (imho obvs) based on preseason and in Chambers case the back end of last season.

[MaVilla]

18 minutes ago, ciggiesnbeer said:

Oh I agree. I also think Buendia will be on the bench and Watkins will start but this is our actual best 11 (imho obvs) based on preseason and in Chambers case the back end of last season.

Yeah I don't disagree on the whole who you selected.

[TRO]

On 22/07/2022 at 20:59, MWARLEY2 said:

The only thing that gives me hope this isnt the team is Konsa at the back.

After a poorish half v Leeds he was back to his best against Brisbane. 

Whereas Coutinho did a couple of hip wiggles. I love Phil but he can be stylishly anonymous. 

. This is the problem with managing a friend. He wants to go to Qatar and Gerrard will not stop him achieving his goal. 

I think its more to do with creators being a target for the opposition....they go after them , to shut them down.

We need players who can go after them......and free up our creators, to feed the strikers.

We need to win the ball further upfield to feed the likes of Buendia and Courtinho......and in doing so, stop the oppositions raids through the middle, after we have lost the ball.

its great having an attacking 3 in front of a 2 but one of that 2 may have to come forward and leave one holding....in order to turn the ball over, higher up.

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by TRO

[Tomaszk]

4 hours ago, sne said:

It's going to be the team that started against Manure if everyone is fit.

He's got one more chance to show he understands what's happening on the pitch in front of him.

If that Man Utd XI starts against v Rennes it will kill my excitement for the season. No way Gerrard makes it as a PL manager if that's the read of the game he has.