That is down to a large degree to the 2 centre backs, who statically have most of the ball, they need to find the midfielders more often rather than continually going wide. They need to vary it, as we are too predictable at present. However, the midfielders also have to move and find space in order for the CB to have that option.
I don't know why Zambrano didn't play in the last game Have we had some more news about a potential ban ?
I suspect it was purely a tactical decision to help against Sheff Utds aerial threat and physical presence.
I don't think there's any evidence of that at all. 3-5-2 is rarely used by modern, footballing sides. Rosenior always said he'd never do it because it stopped you pressing high which is needed if you're going to be a possession side.
I’d drop Giles due to him showing nothing all season and being generally gormless all round. Not sure if it’s a confidence thing but he lacks intensity in everything he does and someone who sleepwalks through games is the last thing we need at present. Coyle and Cody fullbacks for me, I’d like Zambrano back in too. Usually value performance in the early stages but for Tim to get time, he needs results so I’ll take 3 points regardless of how we play on Friday.
We don't press high though, we sit back and then bomb forward in possession. When out of possession, which is when we inevitably turn the ball over, we're out of position and exposed. For what it's worth, I think this type of football just doesn't work in the Championship. It sounds cliche, but it's like half the footballing world looked at Man City and went "yeah, we can just play that way", ignoring the fact that they don't have the players with the ability to do it. It's like when Phil Neville took a throw in off the back of Ryan Giggs (think that's who it was, was definitely Man U) and then carried it up the field, then the next day at school everybody was trying it. I get that managers have a certain way of playing, but there seems to be an increasing amount who have a "set way" and don't deviate or adapt. Like, if I took over at Alloa Athletic in Scotland and tried to play like Pep with those players, we'd get murdered.
Separate conversation perhaps but personally I like the idea of playing it on the ground, and I think it's just a bit of a backwards English thing that we think it's so adventurous and unusual to not want to kick it long. I also think it's funny that we still complain when the England team can't compete with the best technical sides like Spain, even though we complain all year about our club sides trying to play more technically. What's definitely frustrating is that in two years of City sides trying to play this way we've still never really seen the fruit of it in terms of it leading to lots of goals and exciting attacking play. Other clubs certainly do though. As for Walter's tactics right now, I can live with the risk-taking but it has to work. Belloumi having the ball as the last man close to their box is risky, but it's only a problem if he loses it, and we could've taken steps to prevent that. He shouldn't be hanging onto it as he's being pressed and he certainly shouldn't be inexplicably dropping to the floor under very little contact. I'm prepared to accept these risks and to give him time to fine-tune it so that it becomes less of a risk and we get more reward (we went down a similar path with Rosenior's goal kicks). But there are things we have to be doing now regardless of any of that if we're to avoid being marooned at the bottom of the table, like playing with belief and fight.
Walter has never really played with a back three/five. At Holstein Kiel he used a midfield diamond/4-1-2-1-2 and then at some point at Hamburg started playing 4-3-3 with two fast wingers either side of a striker. Possession-heavy teams don’t really use back threes/five formations out of possession because it sacrifices a forward or midfielder for an extra centre-back. Man City play a 3-2-5 in possession but out of possession they press in a 4-4-2, which is what a lot of possession-heavy teams do.
Walters whole idea is to overload in wide areas to create space in midfield so the keeper has a direct line to the edge of the opponents box. So that is a direct consequence of his system, it's what the players are being told to do.
Love to see a Championship coach with the cojones to fill his team with giant bruisers and play the old Wimbledon way. With even League 1 teams now playing out from/fannying around at the back, I reckon they'd walk this division. (NB. The coach would almost certainly need sacking once they'd got promoted mind).
Although I agree most of the long of post, changed formation should mean end of Walterball myth. If we are not going to play certain style of football, why do we even bother to change manager, or even keeping this one since he will not deliver what has been promised?
The CBs at the moment do not have midfield to pass to. Or CMs were literally running away from them and not even looking for the ball the last game.
Sorry I disagree, so you're saying TW is a long ball strategy, as far as I have seen that is not the case.They are being forced to go wide, because the 2 centre backs are too slow to get the ball forward, the opposition then has time to get behind the ball and mark our midfielders. Seeing Walters passing styles played in Germany, either the CB break the line into midfield or they get the ball forward much quicker than we are doing. We are being forced wide because of the slowness of the CB getting the ball forward.
It is good that this is an evening game, there is a Galatasaray derby at home for Fenerbahce next day, so Acun will probably fly there right after game, may even stay in Istanbul for weekend to boost morale and spending time with new young wife (3rd or 4th?). That means plenty of time for Tim to pack his bags if we lose until Acun returns.
I find the whole pass your opponent to death football boring as ****e. I also think it’s the emperor’s new clothes of modern football. Sure, the best teams look great playing it because they have great players. Usually the team with the better players wins the match. Old Man United or Newcastle teams were much more exciting to watch and they didnt have to fanny about it for 30 mins at the back to win the game.
