I'd liken having Parker, Sandro and Modric in the same midfield to old Chelsea with Makelele, Essien and Lampard. It'd work well if Modric had the goals in him but I'm not so sure he has, perhaps VDV would fit in there better but we'd need more creativity to come from one of the wings to supplement it.
Why can't our players cross a ****in ball with any consistancy, it drives me mad, all of em yesterday, rubbish.
For me it stifles Modric's space, Having Parker in gives Sandro the idea he can burst forward more. You want Modric doing that, its when I feel he's at his most effective, driving past one or two, taking them out of the game, giving the next nearest opponent a decision to make, and thats when things happen, space opens up etc. Sandro's was a great run yesterday, but I don't see him doing that regularly.
They don't often look up I find and tend to simply hit into a "good area" so perhaps our forwards are to blame. Bale for me does the same thing too often, nearly always drilled low across the six yard box which if you're expecting is easy to defend against and Lennon is guilty of relying on cutbacks too often also. I'd like to see Bale in particular, not settle for corners as he kicks the ball into dead ends or when he knows the player closing down can block him, I think he should try to cut inside like Lennon does and look for VDV or Modric arriving late. In short they could both do with taking a leaf out of eachother's books. That said Sunday the crosses were nearly all dire and the fullbacks were largely to blame.
I'm talking about the first mans leg or in the crowd YV...these are not good areas! Good areas I'd be happy with, as you say its up to the strikers to read their wingers, or show where they want it, and get understandings going. This most basic of things seems horribly absent with our lot, its almost hit and hope, and I think our wingers are some times wrongly slated as our strikers movement is generally poor, Ade's is good, but you can't keep aiming for one man. Just an ex forwards view.
As i said yesterday, our final ball is invariably a poor one. All that build up is far too often wasted with a poor final pass.
Yeah, Ade isn't strong enough to really cause problems on his own in the box, you need a brute like Yakubu or Drogba. What I was getting at is that our wingers and fullbacks often cross head down with only Ade in which doesn't work because they can't possibly know where Ade's going to be everytime unless he keeps doing the samething and then the defenders know. Either get them to look up properly and try to pick him out or get more in the box so putting a good cross in is always dangerous. Preferably both will happen
I've said it for years about Lennon YV!, but yes, ours are a little guilty of not looking up enough, in some situations its difficult too, especially when doubled up on. Its up to the forward line to spread itself in the box maximising a target area. This worked very well when Saha was given a couple of games with Ade when he first signed, they had a good understanding and awareness straight away I thought,and it produced goals for both. Harry's never used them since...odd!
You want three non-creative midfielders playing? Are you expecting Adebayor to have to do all the work himself?!?
Are you including Modric as non-creative? I think the suggestion is Modric/Jake/Sandro behind Rafa/Bale/Ade? I like the idea of Gio playing, as we will probably have more posession tomorrow and need to break them down.
Given how Ghoddle always advocates we play with two defensive midfielders, despite results and performances proving what an utterly backwards plan this is, my first thought was he wanted a midfield triumverate of Parker, Sandro and Livermore...
Sandro and Scott should not be paired together in the same first eleven. It's a tactic to be avoided for more reasons then I care to recite. The results have proved this. Sandro himself has proved this. I suspect that Scott knows this also. Harry ?. Having both these player on the pitch at same time, in short, frustrates and congests the whole central midfield, and positive passing options become limited. Modric also gets less space in which to work his magic,. is then also thwarted and reverts the safe short pass. So, if i were to choose tactics in oposition to Spurs., I would overcrowd the central midfeild area and limit Spurs to the short sideways passing game (which we are becoming too familiar with). I would do this all day long, if I were part of the opposing team,. then hit long balls and come out with a least a point. Modric needs targets up ahead of him in order to show his best qualities. He simply can't opporate in congestion or without assistance up ahead of him. Ade is woefully tired and is opporating on empty, this is borne out, by the amount of first touch failures he produces during the latter stages of games. Maybe Ade should now do less running and concentrate on scoring goals. Anyhow any unnecessary congestion in midfeild nullifys Spurs's strength, and we all know what they are.
Well if Parker is fit, it will be a tough call to drop either Sandro or Parker. Personally I'd like Sandro and Livermore to play, because I'm a big fan of Jake, but I can understand why he shouldn't. I'm not a big fan of Lennon, but he played well v Rovers. I still wouldn't play him at Bolton though. As usual, tough calls for Harry to make. Absolutely key is that Gallas/Nelsen and Kaboul play.
Is Parker definitely back? If he's fully fit I'd start him and rest Sandro, if not don't even take him and play the same team. There's no other changes really worth considering at this stage of the season.
I think Sandro and Parker would be ok if Modric was not playing. Those 2 behind VDV/Bale/Lennon/Ade would be effective. Sandro is showing signs of great skill going forward and playing beside Scotty would give him more license to attack (and vice versa). But I agree with Bajan that those 2 plus Modric is too congested.
Against poor teams I could agree, but against someone like City, we need to find a different plan. I still think that actually playing that new way all the time is the best way to make sure it works when needed. This isn't about whether players are defensive or attacking. Midfield players need to be able to do most of the following things: tackle, block, cover space, run, pass, beat players and score. (Most English midfield players can do all of the above in a mediocre way so they are called 'box-to-box'. Lampard is the best example - he can do most of the above well above average, but crucially he is nowhere near the best in the world at any of it (possibly the last?), which is why he never stands out at the very highest level. But that is a digression). Whoever you play you need your four or five midfielders to have a good combination of the above. The 4411 midfield of Lennon, Parker, Modric, Bale, VdV is a bit light on the first three qualities and involves Modric concentrating too much on them. Replacing Lennon with Sandro and going 4231 is much stronger for me because you get a lot more of the blocking/tackling/covering without giving up too much of the creative stuff. But they have to learn to play it without getting in each others' way!
