Yes, he can play as a right-sided CB in a 3. Cifuentes seems fixated on 4-3-3, which in practice becomes 4-5-1. He should at least give 3-5-2 a chance.
Warnock did brilliantly with 4-5-1 but he had Adel to count on and in Derry and Faurlin, players who could win the ball and keep it. Also he was not rigid in his tactics and certainly had plans B and C up his sleeve. And of course he had Helguson not Dykes who seems to lack the instinct to be in the right place for the balls that do come in to the box. The much fabled passing game does not work if all that happens is sideways passing across the defence. There has to be a purpose to possession and at the moment it's like the bad old days of Mark Hughes where the players seem to believe they 've achieved something by just holding on to the ball and, in some cases getting rid of it as quickly as possible. Too much 'not my responsibility' in this team.
By the way, did nobody show El Cif before the game Armstrong's performances against Cardiff at HQ last season and away this season? If ever there was a game where he should have started and been told to do what comes naturally to him this was the one.
I think the more pertinent question is, can Dykes play centre back? He sure ain't a centre forward so maybe Marti could convert him to world class defender!
Yes, we're not as grim to watch as we were under Ainsworth (anyone would have brought an improvement there), but our passing is so laboured and our movement to provide passing options is almost non-existent. We shouldn't need to bring different players in to improve these aspects - it's down to the coach to get them moving the ball more quickly. It would also be nice if he could get them doing the basics right, like taking and defending corners.
I beg to differ strolls. We basically have a set of midfielders all with a defensive approach and all lacking any pace to speak of. The key to moving the ball quickly is all about movement and speed of thought. Field and Dozzell take up the same spaces, Colback usually joins them when fit or not banned. Dixon- Bonner, although has been half decent, looks like he's walking when he's running. I believe we definitely need some new players in to achieve what Marti wants to achieve. A coach can't get players moving and passing quicker if players aren't capable of doing it, just like you can't make someone faster or jump higher to head a ball. We have limited players and limited depth.
As for formations, that's always been my favourite subject. 9 times out of 10 it's the players that play within the formation that's the issue and not the formation itself. Lose something to gain something elsewhere and vice versa
Agreed a solid defence is the foundation. But there’s no point having a foundation if you’re not building anything on it. Looking at the table we have a mid-table defence at best. However we have the worst attack in the league. No goals will only ever at best get you a draw and one point (unless a defender pops up with one of course - which has happened).
Smyth and Paal, if played as wing-backs, and Armstrong, if played up alongside Dykes, should be able to provide the pace and passing options for our CBs and DMs in a 3-5-2 and Dykes would be more effective as an out ball from the back if he wasn't so isolated. Chair would also be available to pick up a pass in the centre. As for the midfielders' defensive approach, sometimes it's better to pass it forward to someone who appears marked rather than back to the 'keeper all the time. Just tell them that's what you want. You can't coach someone to run faster or jump higher, but you can coach them to think more positively. Dozzell is a case in point - he has the ability to pick a great pass, but instead almost always passes it sideways or back. I agree that we lack someone with pace in the centre, but I think Cifuentes should be trying to make the best of what he has rather than insisting on trying to play in a formation and style which, as you say, the current squad are probably not suited to.
Grim ... “We have an uncanny, unbearably frustrating ability to raise and drop our level to just shy of whoever we’re playing against. Southampton and Leicester were probably both a good 8/10 at Loftus Road, so we played at a seven. Ipswich are around a seven, we’ve played them twice at a six. Millwall are a three, we went there and belched out a two. Same at Sheff Wed. Cardiff will be around a six in two days’ time, and I suspect we’ll knock out something around a five. “If we’d played like this on Boxing Day, we’d have won. If we’d played like this at Hillsborough, we’d have won. If we play like this on New Year’s Day, we will win. We won’t though, and that’s the frustration with this group.” The season of evil begins with the birth of a new year – Report - Queens Park Rangers News | Loft For Words (fansnetwork.co.uk)
4pts right now would be great. However if we scored one more goal in each of those games we’d have 5pts. It was definitely two shocking defensive errors against Cardiff for sure. But overall it’s not the defence that’s losing us points. Goals change games. Goals pressure the opposition to open up. If we could have two players right now most of us would take a striker and attacking midfielder - that’s where, I feel, the most improvement could be made. Can’t see anything happening though to be honest. Feels like we have what we have for the rest of the season.
