Great song by the mighty Radiohead - discuss.... OK, my point is that our possession stats have dropped without him (not factually backed but I'd put money on it) and surely that, by its own merits, prevents the opposition doing anything. We played our tidiest football with him and Granero in the middle and he gives the ball away a touch less than our record signing (admittedly tries a bit less to but still has an assist to his name). Diakite has been awesome post double yellow but does Faurlin cost something in his defensive work that would mean his tired performance against West Ham (after lengthy absence and not the only one to look jaded) warrants a spell on the sides or is it as simple as formation and tactics? Personally I'd start him every week but am interested in the thoughts of others on one of my favourite players.
Faurlin should be in the team alongside Diakite & Granero. No places for SWP or Park. Taarabt & Hoillett must be accomodated. Every team has got to play its best players.
Faurlin will be back with Granero pushed forward at the expense of SWP, that's what I'm hoping anyway
Frustrating isn't it? Always a fan of managers who pick their best players and find a formation that suits. This formation should be etched into the contract of the next manager.
Agree. It always means that we are set up to counter opposition strengths rather than playing our best 11 and let the opposition worry about us.
Hughes is Warnock like in that hes so stubborn and never believes he is wrong, even when it stares him in the face. Id fall out of my seat if we played that formation at any point this season.
I know, we beat a lot of top teams last year buy just doing that. We approach every game like we are a BS North team playing at old trafford and trying not to lose by a cricket score but never trying to win the game.
I have posted this so often now....but as Flyer says, I can't see Hughes playing this: -----------------------Cesar----------------------- Bosingwa---------Nelsen-----Hill/Ferdy--------Traore ------------------Diakite----Faurlin----------------- Hoilett----------------Granero---------------Taarabt ----------------------Cisse-------------------------
Exactly! This is what we should build on. I'd have Cisse or Mackie up front with Adel and Hoillet too, rather than Zamora, they both are far more mobile. If we reach a stage where there is an "easy" game again another more attacking player could replace one of Ale or Diakite (as he normally plays).
Feel like I been posting this (or close) before every game this season. Never wanted Park or SWP in the team, and never 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1. It is also the team (or close) that I expect Colin would have used if he were still our Manager, it is the formation we used with a lot of success under him. We'd be comfortable in mid-table if we used this with most half decent Managers, with a bit of spirit about them. Hughes is too stubborn to change I fear.
We don't have Colin or anyone else as our manager though, do we? This time last year many on here were demanding that Warnock switch to 4-4-2. All this formation stuff is a red herring, the formation changes during the game, constantly. You pick players who can understand their role in different situations during the game and execute it, who show form and attitude in training, and you pick a team according to what you want to achieve against the opposition you are up against. I'm not saying Hughes has done a great job of this, but I don't buy this 'always play your best players' mantra. On those terms Cisse would always be in and he has been very poor in form and attitude this season. Alf Ramsey didn't believe it either which is why he left out Jimmy Greaves, England's greatest ever goalscorer, and played Geoff Hurst in the World Cup Final.
A 4 2 3 1 is much more flexible than 4 4 2, and is readily changeable throughout a game to 4 5 1 in particular, and also allows the front 4 to switch positions constantly as we did in the Championship, and at our best first 3 months of last season. I have never wanted 4 4 2 SB, it hasn't suited us since Colin took over, and don't now, and it often leaves us getting overun defensively in midfield. In fact with our lack of quality in the back 4 it is a suicidal formation for us IMO.
The only formation I have ever really been interested in is Total Football, where all outfield players should be able to exchange nominal positions at any time, as exemplified by Ajax and Holland in the seventies, developed by Jack Reynolds at Ajax and perfected by Rinus Michels. Best English exponents - QPR 73-76, thanks to Terry Venables. Shame we don't quite have the personnel for this at the moment.....
I agree with the golden formation (especially in games we should be attacking from the off) so I'll rephrase my original question. IF we are only going to play 4 in midfield, should Faurlin automatically miss out? Is he definitely worse than Granero and Diakite no matter what situation we find ourselves in? Does our extra possession at the expense of one of the other two come at such a price that it isn't worth considering (even if I get nervous every time either is on a yellow)? Over to the tacticians.....
To be honest with you Matt, I can see where Hughes is coming from on this one. I like Faurlin. I also think he should start. ( Here comes that fantastic word... ) But, he still hasn't learnt from last season or Granero for that matter. On the ball he is very good, up there with the best. It's when he hasn't got the ball that has me perplexed. Last season Warnock berated him for not taking out West Brom's Morrison ( I think? ) after Buzsaky lost the ball .. they broke... Faurlin let Morrison brush him aside and set up a goal for Shane Long. I can't at this time of night specifically remember where he let the same thing happen this season, but the opposition has again on at least a on a couple of occasions. He has let the other team brush him aside on the counter far too easily. If you watch Granero , this dosen't happen. He will subtely ease a player off the ball or at least disrupt his progress. Not enough to warrant a yellow card but just a stern warning from the ref. Granero knows how to use gamesmanship to break up play whereas Faurlin is far too innocent/naive for his or the teams own good. Faurlin needs to realise when to be more cynical IMO.
Bit petty to pick Faurlin up for two individual incidents. He is one of if not the bestg ball winners in he premiership and the tackling stats back that up. If you were at the Spurs game you should have noticed the clever fouls that Granero and Faurlin were committing which often were cynical. One bad game against West Ham (understandable considering he wasnt eased back in after a serious injury) and Hughes changes his opinion of Faurlin entirely. In any case as you say he should start and it seems obvious to everyone but Hughes and his backroom team that we are a stronger team with a system that includes Faurlin rather than SWP. Hughes stuborness to belatedly recognise what has been known on here for some time that the 4-2-3-1 system would be the best use of the players we have may cost him his job
Have you heard the one about the Argie that needed to be more cynical? We need him in the team, only 30% possession against the Arse, nearer 50% when he has played against City , Chelsea & Spurs . Not hard is it Hughes?
