Having seen Spain win the World Cup and two European Championships and also watching Pep Gaurdiola win something like 14 out of 18 possible trophies/titles (feel free to update exact figures) with Barca I can't help but wonder if we will ever see a return to the staple of English football - 4 at the back, 2 in the middle, 2 wingers and two strikers. A few of the blokes at work have kids at various levels of football clubs and they are all reporting that scouts are moving away from looking at the biggest kids and are more focused on the smaller and skillful players who can demonstrate good holding and passing skills. Maybe this is a reaction to how the game is moving on the continent. If Spain can win without always using a target man or couple of traditional centre forwards is this likely to be replicated across other international sides and filter down to domestic football? AVB at Spuds has already laid out his plans to only play one up front. Is it the case then that Sparky isn't so bothered about getting another striker in and has brought in the likes of Park and Granero to hold and pass the ball with an emphasis on possession rather than hit and run? If so then maybe we shouldn't be surprised if another front man isn't signed and that Hughes believes Cisse, Zamora, AJ and Mackie are enough.
I have pictured RangerCol with a big smile on his face (perhaps the only time that will ever happen!) because we have to be playing 4231 now or a 433/451. Barca and Spain would have won no matter what the formation, they simply had the best players.
Football coaches do seem to be a bit like sheep in all doing the same thing at the same time so it wouldn't surprise me if this were the case. I have to say however that I have rarely seen a QPR side play better with 1 up top rather than 4-4-2. In a few years time someone will put the right resources together to do a Wimbledon at which point it will all change again.
Mate, you have definitely got the wrong idea about me. I'm a happy go lucky type of guy!! (He is.....really - Mrs Rangercol )
and only that, i dont think we changed formation at all, even when we were losing. however we have not looked good in any formation with 1 up front with Hughes in charge.
Well we have the players for it, maybe a 4231 to attack and a 451 turning into a 433 for the tougher games although the 451 from the Holloway era still gives me nightmares. No one within 50 yards of the forward just led to 1 way traffic.
Yep....the 3 behind the forward HAVE to get up in support, especially the central player of the three!
I dont think that will be a problem if Taarabt plays there, i think hed love to get away from defending!
I was thinking the same. Just tried to put together a 4-2-3-1 with Granero and Mbia signed. Couldn't get everyone in the team........had to leave out some big names!! Interesting times ahead!
We weren't so bad with just 1 up front at the end of last season - at home anyway! I rarely see us doing well with 2 up front, only time I remember was home to City last season, but we still lost and let in 3, which typifies the problem with this formation for us.
Mbia to CB to partner Kjaer -------------Cesar Boswinga---Kjaer---Mbia---Fabio ---------Faurlin----Diakite Park--------Granero------Taarabt ----------Zamora/Cisse We could have a totally non English team, thats still better than the load of 1 cap wonders we had.
Green Ferdinand/Onuoha/Nelson Traore Mackie/SWP/Dyer Hoilett Zamora/Cisse Johnson Thats an insane bench!
