fulhamish I've taken this from the Team v Millwall thread because it seemed like a good topic for discussion in it's own right. To kick it off, here's a link to an insighful blog on that very subject: http://cottagersconfidential.sbnati...rn-of-bryan-ruiz-spell-the-end-for-kit-symons
That's a sensible article. I'm baffled at the number of managers who don't change tactics because it goes against their philosophy. The club comes before player but even when Ruiz wasn't playing we played terribly! So even with him out of the team it made no difference.
The thing about a Diamond formation is for it to be effective, you have to move the ball quickly from defense to midfield so you can attack their defense before they have time to regain their structure with two lines of 4 to break down. Our build up with the possession football from the back is too slow to do this.
