Had some time to myself today and got thnking about this. Could we actually emulate the Barcelona-style 433/460 with Ramirez as our Messi? Something like: --------------Gazzaniga Clyne-----Fonte-----Yoshida-----Shaw ----------------Morgan ------------Cork-----Davis ---Puncheon--------------Lallana ----------------Ramirez Right now I'd stick to being more conventional to pick up points, but is this something that we could actually do to be formidable in possession? Could we use it to play keep-ball to see games out? Could Mayuka and Rodriguez play wide for a more attacking side? Does this have legs or is it a stupid idea?
The thing is, Ramirez has designated duties within the Saints team. Messi has the freedom to do what he chooses for Barca.
In all seriousness, it takes serious class and quality to be able to play that style and still maintain an attacking threat. Even Spain stuttered with it a touch during the early stages of the Euros. Could we play that way? Maybe. Should we? Probably not. Personally I wouldn't want to be the first team after two of the best teams in the history of football, Barca and Spain, to try that style, maybe if a few others take it up and show it can function without the likes of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and so on. For seeing out games though, possibly. Doesn't give you Rickie's presence for defending set-pieces and for winning the ball from clearances. Personally if we're clutching on to a lead I'd rather we were knocking it up to Rickie to distribute to others rather than trying to Barca it out from the back and getting caught with our pants down. Not that Lambert often makes 90 minutes these days anyway I suppose!
It would be a waste of time. You don't see others try and emulate Barcelona, they play their own game. We need to play to our strengths. That team has very few goals in it that you've posted. You have to play Lambert in any Saints team
I'd much rather we played like West Ham if we were leading a game, especially late in second half, and booted it to Lambert. I'm not one for caring about how we play. I'd much rather we won ugly than drew playing pretty tippy tappy football. Same goes for finishing as high in the table as possible
Just an idea and probably a bit of a silly one in truth. For what its worth, I wouldn't touch it either, except maybe in specific circumstances where we needed to see out a game.
Put Mayuka in for Davis and you do perhaps have a sort of Barca - light. Interesting idea, but in reality you don't leave your top goal scorer out, because a top striker is a rare asset. As Mikey has pointed out, even Spain looked a bit lost at times without Torres.
