After watching us struggle with 4-2-3-1 last season, and seeing us still not finding it easy to ball the round thing in the net this season, I think AVB needs to bite the bullet and go for a 4-3-3 (or 4-1-2-3 if you like). Using Livermore and Sandro as DM's or destroyers leaves only a handfull of options to bring the ball forward - 1 - Gylfi 2 - Bale 3 - Lennon 4 - Defoe 5 - Fullback Against newcastle tiote was on gylfi continously, and Defoe was not able to hold up the ball in any way to help maintain posession and build play, lennon and bale had no one to cross too, and bennie was very poor (being kind) moving forwards and so our best chances came on the break. Imo we have two attacking midfielders in VDV and Gylfi who have proven records of scoring from midfield (or a withdrawn striker role in VDV's case) which opens up the option to Sandro/Livermore/parker to pass to either. We had a centre midfield of 3 against cabaye and Tiote, and lost, which is awful however you look at it. The main reason was we did not hold on to the ball very well beyond gallas - Kaboul ad friedel. VDV is one of our best players at retaining possesion (along with Modders) so I think it is vital we keep him in the team. If AVB wanted to go concervative away, in a very tough fixture then I can appreciate that. But at home we need to be taking the initiative which I feel will be much easier and will make us more potent lining up 4-3-3. (as an aside, somone needs to have a word with Bale and teach him a few tricks,so that next time his full back is given a yellow in the first half, he can actualy go about geting him sent off, rather than just running around like a headless chicken like he did vs Newcastle)
Also Ade will make a big difference to us attacking, and if we sign Will.i.am then a front three of Bale - Ade - Willian with Defoe, Lennon and Potential new striker able to come on at the end is very promising.
Didn't Harry play the more rigid 4-4-1-1 95% of the time? And then go to either 4-4-2 or 5-3-2 (depending on who was fit), if we had to chase/defend a game? Personally, I'd like to see us play 4-2-3-1 more often, as it offers us far more fluidity in midfield, and plays to one of our major strengths, namely the fact that we have three or four outstanding DMs. It would have worked against the Toon, last weekend, if we had Ade on the field, instead of Defoe. Also, it's easy switching to 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 (the latter, by bringing on VDV behind the striker, in place of one of the DMs). I'm not adverse to 4-3-3, but I'd like to know that our back 4 can take care of defensive duties before we used it wholesale.
Our back four is never going to be watertight, look at the chances Newcastle had vs goals scored, so we need a goal threat and to my mind, we offer very litle with one supporting midfielder who is easy to mark out of the game. I've only seen city and Madrid make this formation work, look at utd's attempt! whereas barca, utd and chelsea have swept all before them with a 4-3-3 as it still gives them something moving forward, which in turn protects the back four. Livermore, parker and sandro are not good enough moving forward to keep posession, so they can only knock back to cb's, who then get pressed and knock it to GK, who then lumps it.
I'd still like us to give 5-3-2 (or 5-3-1-1) a go, using Walker and Benny/Rose as WBs. I'm not saying we should use it all of the time, but it could be used strategically, especially away from home.
I don't think we should judge 4-2-3-1 till Ade plays though for WBA Sandro - Lennon Siggy VDV Bale - Ade would do for me - call it what you want
I'm with HIAG. I wanna see 4-2-3-1 more. The players need to get used to the formation before we can rule it doesn't work. That formation, with our players, will make it very hard for opponents to mark everyone and we should, should, regularly have midfielders arriving late into the box. Midfielders who can finish. The 2 DMs also need to get a bit more clever and used to playing as a duo. There will be times when 1 should provide an extra man going forward and times when they both need to sit.
who are these midfielders? If gylfi is man marked, the we will have only lennon and Ade if bale is attacking the box. Lennon is hardly a deadly finisher. That is why I believe we need both gylfi and VDV. Sandro and Livermore will not get forward enough to do any damage. cetainly not like modric used to in the not dis-similar 4-4-1-1.
Parker and Sandro should be a good pairing, as Sandro likes to stray forward, whereas Parker is more at home blocking off the root to our back four.
4-2-3-1 is a superb tactic but in it the 2 DM's must be ball players not just destroyers. This Is why I think Parker's days could be numbered and we are interested in M'villa. Upfront Ade will hold the ball up,something Defoe cannot do. This will allow the 3 attacking mids to make constructive runs as oppose to hoping for scraps left by Defoe and his pot shots thus resulting in the 3 attacking mids looking more accomplished than they did on Saturday.
Fair enough SG - I tend to think in terms of the front 6, but it's pretty clear that Ade would be at the front and Sandro the back of it, so 1-4-1 is fine by me.
4-1-4-1 I'd like to see, I think that could work well for us with what we currently have available. The 4-1-2-3 someone mentioned earlier is clearly a slight variant on that that would be well worth exploring. If we had Huddlestone then I could see a 4-2-3-1 working very well as Thudd can be used as a deep lying playmaker as one of the '2', but I think without him or a player of his ilk then we would lack that creative link that is needed between the defence/defensive midfield and the attacking players. Livermore, Parker and Sandro occasionally play good passes (Sandro especially) but they can't be relied upon to be creative in the same way I think Hudd can for us. 4-3-3 makes good use of our wingers but I don't think it makes best use of VdV or Sig, and those two should be some of our greatest assets for us in front of goal if we can get them both working well together somehow.
Bale, vdv and Gylfi all have goals in them, do you not agree? Although I do feel bale may eventually end up at left back under the AVB system
that might noy be a bad thing he can still run at defenders,probably faster,and draw more fouls,in and around the penalty area.
