Qwpzxjor1 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I'm still skeptical about Guzan, but I look forward to being proven wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GNeeUs Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 _________________Guzan____________________ __Lowton___Vlaar_________Clark___Bennett____ __________________KEA_____________________ _________Holman__________Bannan___________ _________________Ireland____________________ __________Benteke_______Bent_______________ Or __________________Guzan____________________ ____Lowton___Vlaar_______Clark______Bennett___ ___________KEA_____________Delph___________ ____Gabby________Benteke________Holman______ ___________________Bent______________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I would say that the only certainties should be Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar, KEA, Ireland, and Bent. The rest can rotate depending on who we are playing. Exciting times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barry'sboots Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I would like to see: ----------------- Guzan ----------------- Lowton --- Vlaar -- Clark --- Bennett ------------------ KEA ------------------ -------- Delph ---------- Holman ------ ------------------- SI ------------------- -------------- Gab --- Bent ------------- with Benteke and the Zog being used from the bench. If we need to push for a goal later on, we could take of Bennett and go: ----------------- Guzan ----------------- ------Lowton --- Vlaar -- Clark ------- ------------ Delph -- KEA -------------- Zog/Gab -------- SI ---------- Holman --- Gab/Benteke --- Bent ------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBM Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 its a tough call now with so many players good enough to rotate but saying that, we have alot of lads not quite good enough to start i would go with something along the lines of... ____________Guzan____________ __Lowton - Vlaar - Dunne - Lichaj__ Holman - Ahmadi - Ireland - Nzogbia _________Gabby - Bent_________ this is quite attacking, but i realise theres isnt a holding midfielder, maybe Ahmadi and Ireland and switch throughout the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 It is interesting how many people have picked Guzan ahead of Given now. 12 months ago it would have been a different story.Guzan has look solid since he stood in for Given around Christmas last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samjp26 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 its a tough call now with so many players good enough to rotate but saying that, we have alot of lads not quite good enough to start i would go with something along the lines of... ____________Guzan____________ __Lowton - Vlaar - Dunne - Lichaj__ Holman - Ahmadi - Ireland - Nzogbia _________Gabby - Bent_________ this is quite attacking, but i realise theres isnt a holding midfielder, maybe Ahmadi and Ireland and switch throughout the game? I think we're better off playing Gabby out wide since Zoggy just hasn't proven that he was worth the outlay, although I'd love it if he did hit form. Based on Bennett and Lowton both putting in decent performances, and Dunne returning in decent form, I'd like to see us looking like this: ____________Guzan____________ __Lowton - Vlaar - Dunne - Bennett__ ___________El Ahmadi___________ Holman______Ireland_______Gabby _________Benteke_______________ ________________Bent__________ Ireland playing further up than KEA, but Benteke playing behind Bent, so that Ireland and Benteke can create the link between midfield and attack. From what I have now seen I think Benteke has more to his game than just being a tall strong presence up front. He can clearly pass the ball and has a decent touch, and I think we can use his stature in other ways than just punting the ball up to him route one style. Hopefully some decent hold up play as well as being an aerial threat when needed will lead to some goals as well as contributing to Bent getting more chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amo69 Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I would like to see Baker at the back instead of Clarke. Seems the better centre half for to me. Doubt it will happen though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwan Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I'm in favor of rotating a first eleven, but I think PL should really get away from the diamond that he's trying to play right now. I'll highlight some of the issues below. Against Swansea and Southampton, we played a diamond that consisted of KEA at the bottom, Holman and Bannan on the sides and Ireland at the top. There are inherent issues with this. While Ireland plays his part, KEA is obviously not good enough to be the ball winner at that part of the diamond. Furthermore, he doesn't really keep good spacing when he plays this part. If Holman or Bannan gets it, he tends to drift until he's right next to the player to collect the pass. Considering that we have to keep some width, this creates a large seperation from KEA to either flank when he comes to collect the ball, thus making it easier for the opponent to press and clog the lanes. This problem is further expounded by the fact that neither Bannan nor Holman are conventional wide players. While Bannan does have a good foot on him, you'll never expect him to really beat a man on the dribble. Holman...well he's Holman and it's hit or miss when it comes to that. So, on the left side you have Bannan (unable to get past players) and Lichaj (a player with no left foot. You don't really want your LB to be cutting in all the time while Bannan hugs the touchline. A lot of our movements fail this way because neither of them are unable to take on the opponent. This would be all fine and good but when we have Benteke and Bent up front, neither of them likes to come back, collect the ball, and distribute. Benteke, in his short time, likes to play with his back to the defender and as a target man. Bent....well, he's Bent. Never quite good at providing an outlet or collecting the ball. What happens is that Bent, Benteke, and Ireland get stacked up front while Bannan and Holman are too static out wide, leaving KEA by himself in the middle. This just won't work. Weimann would at least come back and present himself as an option and keep the spacing more balanced. He's not perfect, but at least it doesn't become top heavy like it does with Benteke and Bent both in the squad. Anyways, that's a lot of rambling basically to say that I don't think the diamond with KEA should be our preferred formation going forward. If I were to have it my way.... ------------------Guzan---------------- ----Lowton--Vlaar---Dunne----Bennet -----------KEA-------Westwood--------- --------Ireland--------Bannan------------ ------------Benteke-----Bent------------ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Struggling to see why Delph isn't getting in the team, is he injured? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwan Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Delph would be good there too. The more I think about it, the more I don't like our current squad playing the diamond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted September 24, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 24, 2012 Interesting post Kwan. You've put some thought into that. You might be right. I think we'll see quite a few changes on Sunday off the back of the Southampton defeat and potentially enforced through Ireland's injury. Maybe even a new system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwan Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 It's a learning process and I'm sure PL has his own belief of how he wants the team to play, but the key is spacing. Whereas we had a good structure vs Swansea, we lost it all vs Southampton and that's why you saw a lot of our back line kicking it up to Benteke. Once Ireland was gone, KEA got moved to the right while Westwood took the middle. Holman's simply not talented enough to play the fulcrum at the top of the diamond while KEA is just Bannan on the left. The diamond won't work without raiding fullbacks and center mids tryin to play as outside mids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 -----------Guzan Lowton Vlaar Clark Bennett --------KEA--Bannan -----Holman-----Ireland --------Bent----Gabby Can easily bring Delph/Herd/Westwood into that, move Bannan forward and reshuffle a bit as needs be. The important thing though for me is that someone plays alongside KEA because he doesn't have the discipline to sit and hold. I'd avoid playing Benteke from the start in this formation, but if you started with Albrighton instead of Holman you could make a case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBM Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 i usually like these topics to see what everyones opinion is, but its a tough one at the moment, weve got so many players out or unavailable who we would expect to see like dunne, makoun, petrov and now ireland, but unpredictability is what makes things interesting _____________Guzan_____________ __Lowton - Vlaar - Dunne - Lichaj__ Holman - Ahmadi - Ireland - NZogbia __________Gabby - Bent__________ Clark in for Dunne Albrighton maybe for Holman shame to put the back up right back at left back, stevens and bennett just arent ready Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 NZogbia :? Really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I don't think we have a set first eleven. There are certain players that are 'first choice', then others that can be rotated depending on opponent/ system/ form. First choice: Lowton RB Vlaar CB El Ahmadi CM Bent ST IMO all the other spaces are up for grab week by week. (I would put Bennett in 'first choice LB' but we haven't even see him play for us yet) Yes agree with that. Lowton aside from Saturday has looked fairly comfortable to me at premier league level but it's not like we have a huge amount of Right backs in our squad is it? I would add Ireland to the list as I think he's in Lambert's good books now although would understand him being left out for the odd tough away game to the top 4 when more defensive steel is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born-Not-Made Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 It's a learning process and I'm sure PL has his own belief of how he wants the team to play, but the key is spacing. Whereas we had a good structure vs Swansea, we lost it all vs Southampton and that's why you saw a lot of our back line kicking it up to Benteke. Once Ireland was gone, KEA got moved to the right while Westwood took the middle. Holman's simply not talented enough to play the fulcrum at the top of the diamond while KEA is just Bannan on the left. The diamond won't work without raiding fullbacks and center mids tryin to play as outside mids. Agreed, I'm not convinced either. I also noticed KEA doesn't seem disciplined enough to play the foot of the diamond thus far. On more than one occasion I noticed Clark having to step into midfield to plug a gap left by him. This is fine if eveyone else can quickly adjust, but lichaj stood there like a spare prick at a wedding, rather than tuck in. If there's one thing I've been slightly disappointed with Lowton for, it's been his attempts at getting forward. We don't know his orders from Lambert, of course, but a fairly fundemental part of the diamond is the requirement for the full backs to add attacking pressure further up the pitch. My only worry is that our 'wide men' don't seem any more suited to this formation than our centre mids. Albrighton could be coached into it, I've no doubt, but N'Zogbia is just an enigma. He seemingly just plays where the **** he wants. Back to the original topic, I'm not sure of my first XI. Having said that, I'm not sure Lambert is yet, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHV Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Given how utterly abysmal our midfield is I think we should try the italian 3-5-2 system with everyone fit I would try ----------------------------guzan----------------------- --------------dunne------vlaar--------clark--------- lowton--------kea-----ireland-----delph------nzogbia ----------------------bent---------gabby------------ Subs:given,bennett,bannan,baker,benteke,herd,wiemann. I think this would give us a better balance and more width. the diamond formation is bollocks which is why no one plays it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I actually quite like the look of that KHV, but there's probably a reason why not many successful English sides use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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