4-3-3 showing it's benefits for Cabaye and Anita.

I was impressed with Anita's work yesterday. He's still getting used to the pace of the PL, which is why we're yet to see defensive splitting passes and better runs on the ball, but the lads defensive abilities are unquestionable.

In time he could be our most reliable holding/defensive midfielder. I know he doesn't possess the same physical strength as Tiote, but his pace and sharpness make up for that. He gets a foot in very well, and his ability to mark a man is superb. He does this at fullback and defensive mid.

This is why the 4-2-1-3/4-3-3 formation works much better than a flat 4-4-2. The two defensive midfielders know their place, and are always in defensive positions, reading to cover fullback positons when the wingers go forward, or just their at the back to do their duty. Where as in a flat midfield, Anita looks far less effective, like Tiote.

Also, did anyone notice a pattern leading up to the goals vs Sunderland and Liverpool? Ben Arfa on the wing, making a run, skinning players, two strikers in the box and Cabaye doing what he does so well and finding space, and finishing brilliantly. Cabaye's goal tally totally doesn't do him justice, he's been unlucky not to have scored more, and he could have done so if we kept playing a more attacking line up.

We don't need wingers to track back that often, because in a 4-3-3, the defensive midfielders are there! Anita will be so useful because his pace from DM means he can rush to the fullback position to aid in defense, and so can Bigi and Tiote.

 

I'm sorry but this is laughable as soon as Anita has one good/bad game he's either got the potential to be our best holding midfielder or "one of Carr's weakest finds" Give the lad time to settle IE a season then make this thread or he'll have a bad game next week and people will jump on his back again.

My opinion is yes he does have potential but hasn't shown it enough as of yet, he seems to have calmed down a touch, just like perch did when he started to improve instead of trying to hard to impress us

 

For starters, don't put words in my mouth please. I wasn't one of the people saying Anita was a weak signing, and I've been one of his supporters since he arrived.

I've given him some negative feedback at times, but I've pointed out what I saw in him, and I've also said quite a few times he's the sort of player we needed, he just needed time, and he seems to get better with every game.

I am not easily changeable. It would take more than one game for a player to do it for me, but I've never thought he was poor. I've given him a lot of praise since being here, I just thought yesterday was his best performance and he's showing that he can be great.

 

At what point in my reply did I say that it was you who has said that?

 

You used the term laughable and refered to my point about him potentially being our best holding midfield player (I actually said most reliable, not necessarily best), and strongly implied that I was one of the many who's opinions on players are too easily changed based on a single game. And you also said I should have waited until the season finished to make this thread, which basically says quite clearly that you think I'm being too hasty to judge the lad, and I was one of the ones saying he was weak prior to yesterday's game.

 

Anyways, lets keep this on topic, I don't want a conflict.

 

To be fair I thought Anita was still fairly poor overall, but it was certainly better than what we've seen so far. I'm not sure what possessed Pardew to start him at right back. Simpson has done little wrong and we immediately looked better when he came on. Anita was getting torn a new one by Sterling. He undoubtedly improved in midfield but it was still just an average performance. give the ball away a fair bit again.

Having said that, judge him next year once he's had a chance to adapt to the league.

On formations, as usual I'm of the opinion Pardew is, we need to be adaptable depending on the opposition.

 

Personally for me, Anita has been solid since joining the team. Looked good, not great, since he's arrived and hasn't made any massive mistakes. Would much rather Anita lined up in CM than Jonas or Gosling. Agree with MagpAye though, need to give him a season before people start labeling him. As I've said before this is the lads 2nd ever club and 1st season in this league but he seems to be coping well at the moment. The thought of Tiote and Anita sitting in behind a front 4 diamond of Ba Cisse HBA and Cabaye is some prospect.

Back to the main point of the thread though, 4-3-3 is way more suited to our players styles of play and allows Cabaye so much more freedom its unreal we we're even trying 4-4-2. Hopefully yesterday showed Pardew we need to stick to this formation in the long run.

 

4/3/3 simply has to be the way forward.

 

http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/proof-positive-4-3-3-is-way-forward/

If there was any doubt or questions with regards to how we should be setting ourselves up for the majority of games for the rest of the season, then that brilliant performance at Anfield must surely allay any doubt that 4-3-3 has to be the future.

Ba was fantastic, Cabaye was back to his old best, Colo was given a thorough testing by Suarez but still held strong til he stupidly got himself sent off, Ben Arfa was always a threat, Jonas did a good job in the middle of the park, Stevie Taylor was great…the only average performer was Cisse having been pushed out on the left like Ba had to last year…he’s just not on his game at the moment but that will soon change.

The balance is so much better, Liverpool for the first time in years didn’t have the run of the Park against us and although they created a fair few chances (which you would expect with them being the home side), we defended valiantly and they had very few clear cut chances with their goal coming from a long through ball brilliantly finished by Suarez…sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and applaud good play…Suarez took his chance brilliantly.

So did Cabaye though…what a goal! He took his chance brilliantly and having soaked up the pressure for the first 25 minutes, we slowly got back into the game and were absolutely fantastic right up to half time.

The Game was unfortunately turned on its head with Ba having to go off injured and all of a sudden we were soaking up the pressure again. We still created some decent chances on the break but once Colo was sent off it was backs against the walls again but we held on…all in all a great result!

 

Anita got stuck in and there is hope for sure he can produce, however our tactics were very strange up tops Cisse, Ba and Ben Arfa for some reason seem unabe to link up whatsoever.

Pardew needs to earn his crust and get a system that works and fast!!! you can see how many different ones he's tried but none have been very staight forward.

 

In principal, I think it's about the front three needing to understand each others game, as they're the only ones without really specific jobs. It will take a little time, but I really liked what Lawro (yep, Mark Lawrenson) said on MOTD3, that we are now on another level in the sense of there's actually something pretty significant in the Premier League in playing badly and winning, or playing dreadfully and picking up points. My fear is that we actually don't improve, but this point really made me sit up and think - he's right. It IS difficult to win in the PL, yet we've got better results - year on year - at both Goodison, Anfield and home to Spurs/WBA. The top 3 should beat us home and away, so I don't really worry about it. We've got something from games where we probably shouldn't have and you can visibly see the players confidence growing.

Point of all this is we are starting to find our feet with the formation, even if it's primarily with the 4 at the back and the 3 in the middle. The front three will find their rhythm and the point is that each one is capable of something extraordinary. I like where we're headed - one day, we'll sodomise someone and our old mates from East London are up next week...

 

exactly soon we will start losing games!!!! Pardew thinks we should have won the game????? no chance I'm afraid he's starting to get silly about performances and will stick with the tactics he's employed this season. Hopefully the players will all of sudden make it work and I'll be proved worng, however I don't think the system involving in the middle will ever work.

 

I'm not convinced it's just a formation issue after watching and analysing each game again afterwards this season!!!! we swap players around all over the place and have no obvious shape or tactics from 1 minute to the next. I'm concerned Pards is playing the orchestra from the sidelines too often but maybe its just me.

At times yesterday Cisse was in the left back position? the nex right wing for eg is going on

Nobody appears to look like the know what their role is!

We are a better team than our performaces suggest so for me it has to be tactics and coaching that is to blame.

we seem afraid to go and lose a game playing well

Don't get me wrong I love Pards and Carver etc but they are getting things slightly worng this season and if they dont get ot right soo were in for a come down over the next two transfer windows and beyond.

 

please note: the quote to which you repleid "exactly" is:

"Point of all this is we are starting to find our feet with the formation, even if it's primarily with the 4 at the back and the 3 in the middle. The front three will find their rhythm and the point is that each one is capable of something extraordinary. I like where we're headed - one day, we'll sodomise someone and our old mates from East London are up next week..."

 

If Ba, Cabaye, Tiote, and Colo miss that game I think we will lose! We have no replacements for these players and if we did we would be a top 4 side

 

All just a load of negative horseshit. Someone shag your missus this weekend? You're back to normal and all I can say is it must suck to be you.

 

No I was in hospital all week - just got out Friday. I perhaps am too negative as we are still in a good position somehow, however our performaces have been dross all season in the league now and it's something that needs correcting over the next few eassier looking fixtures. I will not revert on my opinion that if we lose 4 of our best players we can still mix it with anyone in the league.

 

Your opinion is that if we lose our 4 best players we can still mix it with anyone in the league ?

My, even I'm not that optimistic.

 

I'm saying the opposite and it doesn't matter who you are even City would have issues with that type of loss!!! I'm on here listening to you all talk us up but your all just like religious fanatics that cant accepts we die and get eaten by worms.

We are need to think West Ham have more points than us and no injury converns and will come to St James in good fettle.

The last thing we need is to have 4 world class players out and that along with the fact we have played ****e all season makes me think there is a major chance of negative results.

In a nut shell I'm saying that we need to play better to win games and the fact we never have our best players out there is not a good thing at all.