Team shape, tactics and personnel

[DaveAV1]

6 minutes ago, TheEgo said:

That's to do with low confidence, a lack of understanding in the plan and perhaps poor coaching. I'm one of a few that doesn't think our  midfield is the drizzling shits. Get Luiz settled and then Ramsay and one of Mcginn and Sanson and I think we have more than enough, All worked to a degree last year. Players arent fit enough sadly and DS has never corrected that. I think we may see a few double sessions in the weeks to come. 

What he just said. 

[nick76]

2 minutes ago, TheEgo said:

That's to do with low confidence, a lack of understanding in the plan and perhaps poor coaching.

Hmmm…low confidence I give you

3 minutes ago, TheEgo said:

Get Luiz settled and then Ramsay and one of Mcginn and Sanson and I think we have more than enough, All worked to a degree last year. Players arent fit enough sadly and DS has never corrected that.

Luiz injured last game and the only South American outfield player to play after last internationals. JJ injured early last game.  Sanson injured almost since we’ve had him.  Players aren’t fit in midfield because they are either injured and out or flying around the world monthly and flying into games.

I’m fine saying our midfield is playing poorly, it’s missing attributes we need, struggling with the system and low on confidence but to be fair to Smith and his coaching team the availability of these midfielders plus the attacking players like Bailey and Buendia has been extremely limited this season for Smith to have a settled midfield, so some context is needed.

[Jas10]

5 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

Apart from regularly breaking our transfer record you mean?

Would’ve been nice to spend a fair bit on a midfielder…

Not saying there is no ambition in the club, it’s just an overused word - by everyone. Used in/for different context too.

I just doubt whether we can expect drastic improvements from some of our midfielders… I hope we do.

I expect a lot from our attackers though… glad we signed Buendia and Bailey, just haven’t seen the best of them yet. Give Ings and Watkins the service and they will score…

Our defence was solid last season and they can get back to that standard. If it needs a revamp, best to do that in the summer. We could get an upgrade on LB though, to suit Gerrard’s system. I

[DaveAV1]

4 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Would’ve been nice to spend a fair bit on a midfielder…

Not saying there is no ambition in the club, it’s just an overused word - by everyone. Used in/for different context too.

I just doubt whether we can expect drastic improvements from some of our midfielders… I hope we do.

I expect a lot from our attackers though… glad we signed Buendia and Bailey, just haven’t seen the best of them yet. Give Ings and Watkins the service and they will score…

Our defence was solid last season and they can get back to that standard. If it needs a revamp, best to do that in the summer. We could get an upgrade on LB though, to suit Gerrard’s system. I

I agree on the midfielder. I think we tried but couldn’t get it done JWP and ESR appear to have been on the radar. Until at least January though, we have to use what we’ve got. As you say I doubt we’ll see massive improvement on an individual basis, but perhaps collectively as a unit a few percentage points of improvement could make a big difference. If the midfield improves, as a vital part of the pitch we would hopefully see improvements to the defence and attack. 

I agree the LB position hasn’t been great this season either, which is strange since Matt Target was one of our best players last season. I’ve said for a while that something just isn’t quite right this season. Obviously Joe left but it’s not just that, many people took the view that the squad is overall better now. I’m not sure, but a can see the argument. Basically I think the problems have been on the training ground and hopefully the change will go a long way to sorting it out.

We’ll spend money but depending on the next couple of months the bulk of the spend will probably be in the summer. 

[Jas10]

4 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

I agree on the midfielder. I think we tried but couldn’t get it done JWP and ESR appear to have been on the radar. Until at least January though, we have to use what we’ve got. As you say I doubt we’ll see massive improvement on an individual basis, but perhaps collectively as a unit a few percentage points of improvement could make a big difference. If the midfield improves, as a vital part of the pitch we would hopefully see improvements to the defence and attack. 

I agree the LB position hasn’t been great this season either, which is strange since Matt Target was one of our best players last season. I’ve said for a while that something just isn’t quite right this season. Obviously Joe left but it’s not just that, many people took the view that the squad is overall better now. I’m not sure, but a can see the argument. Basically I think the problems have been on the training ground and hopefully the change will go a long way to sorting it out.

We’ll spend money but depending on the next couple of months the bulk of the spend will probably be in the summer. 

If JWP and ESR were targets for us, then why didn’t we have alternatives? Why did we waste time with lowball offers? Quite embarrassing really. Imo, there are better/superior players out there anyway but so many love the “PL experience” line so let’s leave it there.

Targett was great, was awarded player of  the season. He shocked and surprised many of us with his transformation, a solid, tough tackling LB which was great to see. Once again, credit to Dean for improving his players… I hope Gerrard can do something similar, more with the midfielders than anything.

I still have faith in that back 4, I like them all. And our magnificent GK of course.

I really like the Mings and Konsa (what a player) partnership. They just need to refocus and Ty in particular needs to regain his discipline…

I wish we hadn’t disrupted them and messed around with a back 5 but that’s in the past now.

I just think, if Gerrard favours a more attacking LB with pace to burn then he may need to pursue one. Although, Young did win Serie A as a LWB so could be an option (but a pointless signing imo, I know many disagree).

[Jas10]

12 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

I agree on the midfielder. I think we tried but couldn’t get it done JWP and ESR appear to have been on the radar. Until at least January though, we have to use what we’ve got. As you say I doubt we’ll see massive improvement on an individual basis, but perhaps collectively as a unit a few percentage points of improvement could make a big difference. If the midfield improves, as a vital part of the pitch we would hopefully see improvements to the defence and attack. 

I agree the LB position hasn’t been great this season either, which is strange since Matt Target was one of our best players last season. I’ve said for a while that something just isn’t quite right this season. Obviously Joe left but it’s not just that, many people took the view that the squad is overall better now. I’m not sure, but a can see the argument. Basically I think the problems have been on the training ground and hopefully the change will go a long way to sorting it out.

We’ll spend money but depending on the next couple of months the bulk of the spend will probably be in the summer. 

We had no preparation, preseason was a shit show. JG leaving when he did was a major disruption. Covid has hit us hard, on multiple occasions, we’ve suffered the most out of PL teams…

I can’t forget how we were flying last season until Covid hit the squad and derailed us, some players completely lost form and couldn’t regain any semblance of it. Then there were the injuries too…

We have to get these players fit, sharp and firing asap. 

Edited November 14, 2021 by Jas10

[DaveAV1]

1 minute ago, Jas10 said:

If JWP and ESR were targets for us, then why didn’t we have alternatives? Why did we waste time with lowball offers? Quite embarrassing really. Imo, there are better/superior players out there anyway but so many love the “PL experience” line so let’s leave it there.

Targett was great, was awarded player of  the season. He shocked and surprised many of us with his transformation, a solid, tough tackling LB which was great to see. Once again, credit to Dean for improving his players… I hope Gerrard can do something similar, more with the midfielders than anything.

I still have faith in that back 4, I like them all. And our magnificent GK of course.

I really like the Mings and Konsa (what a player) partnership. They just need to refocus and Ty in particular needs to regain his discipline…

I wish we hadn’t disrupted them and messed around with a back 5 but that’s in the past now.

I just think, if Gerrard favours a more attacking LB with pace to burn then he may need to pursue one. Although, Young did win Serie A as a LWB so could be an option (but a pointless signing imo, I know many disagree).

100% agree on your none alternatives to JWP and ESR point. Especially given how important that position is and how the lack of a decent CDM seems to have really hampered us. 

[DaveAV1]

3 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

We had no preparation, preseason was a shit show. JG leaving when he did was a major disruption. Covid has hit us hard, on multiple occasions, we’ve suffered the most out of PL teams…

I can’t forget how we were flying last season until Covid hit the squad and derailed us, some players completely lost form and couldn’t regain any semblance of it. Then there were the injuries too…

We have to get these players fit, sharp and firing asap. 

I agree on many of these points, but the glaring drop of form came as it always does when Joe was out of the team. It’s happened too many times to be a coincidence. 

[DaveAV1]

1 minute ago, DaveAV1 said:

I agree on many of these points, but the glaring drop of form came as it always does when Joe was out of the team. It’s happened too many times to be a coincidence. 

Obviously he’s been permanently out this season but we have to find a way without him. He’s not here to ride to the rescue. 

[Jas10]

4 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

100% agree on your none alternatives to JWP and ESR point. Especially given how important that position is and how the lack of a decent CDM seems to have really hampered us. 

The low offers were embarrassing… if we really wanted a player, we should’ve been serious about it rather than trying to save a few quid here and there…

There should definitely have been alternatives but afaik we didn’t bid for anyone else…

Wasn’t great was it?

[Jas10]

Just now, DaveAV1 said:

Obviously he’s been permanently out this season but we have to find a way without him. He’s not here to ride to the rescue. 

? JG?

This may help Gerrard… he’s not “scarred or tainted” by JG’s loss or departure and can work with a fresh, new team…

Give us a whole new identity and way of playing I hope…

[Jas10]

9 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

I agree on many of these points, but the glaring drop of form came as it always does when Joe was out of the team. It’s happened too many times to be a coincidence. 

It wasn’t just down to JG. Barkley’s absence and , upon his return and thereafter, complete loss of form derailed it too. He became useless, a complete and utter liability. There were several factors…

We were on song during the start of the season, even the midfield was not an issue back then. And with all those games in hand we had a golden opportunity to achieve something special… but circumstances went against us and luck abandoned us. We’ve had a really shit time with VAR and referees too… could that possibly change under Gerrard… dunno.

Edited November 14, 2021 by Jas10

[Jas10]

 

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 hour ago, nick76 said:

Hmmm…low confidence I give you

Luiz injured last game and the only South American outfield player to play after last internationals. JJ injured early last game.  Sanson injured almost since we’ve had him.  Players aren’t fit in midfield because they are either injured and out or flying around the world monthly and flying into games.

I’m fine saying our midfield is playing poorly, it’s missing attributes we need, struggling with the system and low on confidence but to be fair to Smith and his coaching team the availability of these midfielders plus the attacking players like Bailey and Buendia has been extremely limited this season for Smith to have a settled midfield, so some context is needed.

For me the first half against Arsenal was where it was looking the beginning of the end. 10 minutes in we could see the system was getting ripped to shreds and players looked really uncomfortable. Whilst I get why he didn’t want to change it until half time we were very lucky to be only 2-0 down even if the second goal shouldn’t have been allowed. 

[QldVilla]

2 hours ago, TheEgo said:

That's to do with low confidence, a lack of understanding in the plan and perhaps poor coaching. I'm one of a few that doesn't think our  midfield is the drizzling shits. Get Luiz settled and then Ramsay and one of Mcginn and Sanson and I think we have more than enough, All worked to a degree last year. Players arent fit enough sadly and DS has never corrected that. I think we may see a few double sessions in the weeks to come. 

The players fitness levels have more to do with not having a proper pre season since before COVID. You look at all the soft tissue injuries some of the players are receiving and that can be a direct result of the non stop playing and players not having a proper recovery.

The only thing double sessions will do is increase the chance of injury.

Low confidence does not stop the ability for a player to pass the ball, nor excuses that they don’t understand the plan, because they have been playing a similar system for two seasons. But poor decisions eg passing can be attributed to fatigue.

Every week of training you miss, you lose three weeks of fitness, so players who have long term or multiple injuries are always playing from a compromised fitness level until they get time on the pitch to get back to the level required.

All the international players haven’t had a proper break and not only is there physical preparation compromised but also psychological profile which can also lead to fatigue and poor decision making eg McGinn, Luiz, Martinez, Mings etc.

To lay it all at the feet of the ex manager is simplistic.

 

[Jas10]

16 minutes ago, QldVilla said:

The players fitness levels have more to do with not having a proper pre season since before COVID. You look at all the soft tissue injuries some of the players are receiving and that can be a direct result of the non stop playing and players not having a proper recovery.

The only thing double sessions will do is increase the chance of injury.

Low confidence does not stop the ability for a player to pass the ball, nor excuses that they don’t understand the plan, because they have been playing a similar system for two seasons. But poor decisions eg passing can be attributed to fatigue.

Every week of training you miss, you lose three weeks of fitness, so players who have long term or multiple injuries are always playing from a compromised fitness level until they get time on the pitch to get back to the level required.

All the international players haven’t had a proper break and not only is there physical preparation compromised but also psychological profile which can also lead to fatigue and poor decision making eg McGinn, Luiz, Martinez, Mings etc.

To lay it all at the feet of the ex manager is simplistic.

 

Well explained… but why do you think we’ve been affected more than most? Other teams seem to have been able to get on with it and done ok… I dunno, maybe we’re just unluckier?

McGinn recently said that he’s in the best form/shape of his career but he’s still been fairly atrocious since we lost to Wolves (). Our most frustrating player imo, mainly because he’s capable of much better but boy does he annoy me. He so loose, sloppy and clumsy on the ball and his hit and hope passes make me sick.

[QldVilla]

2 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Well explained… but why do you think we’ve been affected more than most? Other teams seem to have been able to get on with it and done ok… I dunno, maybe we’re just unluckier?

McGinn recently said that he’s in the best form/shape of his career but he’s still been fairly atrocious since we lost to Wolves (). Our most frustrating player imo, mainly because he’s capable of much better but boy does he annoy me. He so loose, sloppy and clumsy on the ball and his hit and hope passes make me sick.

McGinn was attributing his improvement to a change of diet etc, I believe that’s what it relates to. I can’t comment on other clubs, but they all seem to be getting the same type of injuries. 
 

We had a poor pre season, new players who haven’t hit the ground running, change of coaching staff etc etc, it all plays a part. I’m probably one of a few who thought Smith would eventually turn it around. At the same point Smith would know all the issues outlined and in some instances planned poorly and in other instances some of his players let him down.

[TomC]

On 14/11/2021 at 11:07, Zhan_Zhuang said:

I have a feeling (or hope) that Gerrard sees something in Jacob Ramsey that reminds him of himself and builds him up into The Terminator.

Or, as someone called Ramsey in another thread, Rambo.

[Zhan_Zhuang]

5 hours ago, TomC said:

Or, as someone called Ramsey in another thread, Rambo.

But we already have a Rambo, used to love this guy when I was a youngster! Actually I still like him....

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

More than likely posted already, but I like it. also the mention of Sanson being a relentless presser, which will suit Steven " PRESS " Gerrard as well.

Also, he can escape the Ollie as out and out striker, and finally have him as a " Wide Forward " on the left with Ings central and Buendia right. I reckon that's the right way to play those 3.

Lucid Leon can hopefully work his way up to full speed, and be an impact sub, until his opportunity to arrive. Him and Buendia battling for that right side, on current form/shape, Emi starts IMO.

4 - 2 - 1 - 3 / 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 ?

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN