This thread isn't about the youth team as such, but rather the tactics we want to use going forward and the system being implimented from the bottom up. From the limited clips I've seen of the youth, their style is to boss midfield and press hard and high as a team to force opposition into sloppy mistakes or whacking it long into nobody. This is what Barca do to remain solid with a team of mostly small, attack minded players. From an attacking point of view, Sinclair leads the line and tends to be in a position to finish things off. He tends to offload the ball quickly to get into a better position and rarely fends off defenders with strength. Doesn't sound like Lambert. Some of that is probably because Sinclair is rather spindly, but even with that taken into account, he's still a very different player and always will be. Lambert is clearly a very talented player. What we use at the moment is very much a 442. We're not going to stack up in midfield against good teams with that (we don't at the moment). My question would be, how do we get the best out of him in a style that's condusive to the way we want to play? Played as an out and out goalpoacher would for me be such a waste of many of his better qualities. Also that Sharp is a better goalpoacher.
A pot of teams focus both their CB's on lambert and we have scored countless goals from him pulling wide and creating space in behind. However we haven't scored as many as we could've when he does that and I think we are missing a goalscoring midfielder which we will had to add next season. Pace would compliment Lambo with his flick ons and inter play as we saw with ox chambo but atm we dont have much pace and de ridder is an out n out winger whereas chambo was so much more. For me they are 2 positions we need to improve on next season if we are to get any more out of lambert than we haven't already done.
To b frank, I wouldn't worry too much. We may have Sir Rickie for 2 more seasons only. I may be wrong, but it'll be hard with his frame to put in hard long seasons beyond two more years. So, I think we'll be making the most of him and then gradually introducing a different style of play.
Morgan, Hammond and Cork all have sledgehammer shots on them. Might it be that none of them is willing to gamble because it would leave us exposed in the middle? The U18 midfield 3 have a whole load of goals. The extra man in the middle allows one of them to gamble without leaving the door open.
They are all capable but I don't think they have worked it out between each other. We do see glimpses but we need more just to give the opposition another thing to worry about.
I see under 18's won their final game and are top of the league. However they have to wait until next Saturday to see if Fulham win their last game and pip them by a point. Next Saturday could be a great day for the club all round or a very depressing one.
Schneiderlin has a decent long range shot on him and he's been unlucky not to score a couple more, but Hammond's shooting is often wild and Cork's is even worse frankly. As for the youth team tactics, they play to their strengths in the same way that the first team does, it doesn't necessarily indicate a club strategy that they're hoping to bring into the first team long-term. Hopefully they're being brought up to be adaptable because it might turn out that with a few different players, and having developed themselves, a different way of playing again will be required to bring out the best in them in future.
Might Lambert be able to play as a trequartista (anyone who plays FM will know what that means)? Lambert produces his best quality when he's facing the goal with the ball at his feet. He wouldn't score as many from peeling off at the back stick, but he would be able to make hs quality count.
Yeah I can see him dropping further back into an advanced midfield role, to make better use of his vision and proficiency at shooting from distance (and it means his lack of pace won't matter). We'll lose his aerial goal threat but I guess we'll be playing a different style then.
We beat Bristol City on Saturday 2.1. They aren't in our league and it's called an Inter match...does anyone know what that is? Is it a between league match?
Yep, the format is that each team in a group plays each other twice, and then they play 10 inter-group matches. Not sure how they work out who plays each other in those, maybe drawn out of a hat?
It's his vision and technique that really set him apart. He started his career in midfield and only converted because of his power and size. He's scored and set up some excellent goals with his fluid inter-play.
One Academy coach says the present trainees could be our golden generation...let's hope we keep them, they carry on improving and circumstances give them the chance to prove it for Saints.
I'd love that. Would we be able to pad out the midfield with some extra runners, as I can't see Rickie doing too much up and down. It could be a bit like Le Tiss was... the others running around to fetch him the ball.
[video=youtube;L1rdrS0yIII]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1rdrS0yIII&feature=BFa&list=PL43E55341501D0E63[/video]
At the moment I think our 442 is quite dynamic and flexible, with our two central midfielders tending to sit behind the ball holding, while Lambert drops off into 'the hole'. This has worked well but there have been times when we've struggled to win the midfield battle and as a result I think if we go up we'll need a have more solidity in the middle of the park against the better teams. Realistically I think we will need to play 5 in midfield- either a 451 or a 4231. As a few people have mentioned above it would be interesting to see Lambert play in a deeper role, similar to how Rooney plays for Man Utd. I'd also like to see how Lallana would do in the central attacking midfield role. Seen him on occasions play there this season when we've switched to a diamond, and I think he could be great there. I do remember Poortvliet and Wotte playing a 4231 though..!
