http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16329505.stm Well done Rafa for preventing further serious injury, is the good news, but the article is to focus more on the bad...Lennon. Harry's quote in the very last sentence, pretty much says he has no faith in the players in the squad supposedly to cover this position. You'd have thought it was the reason he bought Pienaar, who seems condemned in that statement. I think this situation now is just as important to address this TW as the striker issue. If every time Lennon's out we're all lopsided, it can't be good. Width stretches back 4's, this is my argument for 'like for like' players in the wide positions, 'do a job's' with no pace are not the answer imo. As much as I hate to admit this, but United have 3 in Nani, Young and Valencia, so thats what you call squad depth. Another alternative is using forwards that can play wide, Sturridge for example, quite happy and equally effective centrally or wide. Thoughts.
I've never thought we needed like for like re Lennon, as I don't think we need two wingers. Chelsea did well at our place with no conventional wingers, and won trophy after trophy with one winger as did Arsenal. England famously won our only major trophy, the World Cup to boot, with no wingers. How many wingers do Barca have? I'm no expert on them, but I don't think they play with two wingers. However, if Harry thinks we need two wingers or at least two pacy wide men, then we have problems with Lennon out. Walker is one possibility, so is Townsend with Bale on the right. It's up to Harry to utilise his squad. The only game we've lost recently was with two wingers, and Lennon was subbed at half-time and we played considerably better thereafter. So there's maybe a clue as to how to deal with the situation. To me we need three goalscorers at least out of the front six on the pitch at any one time. Despite his record I don't want to include Pav as one of them, as he does my head in. We have Bale and ADe ready, one of JD and VDV should be as well. I'd play both if they were fit and firing, but if Harry 'rested' one of them, fair enough. I still think cover for Ade is our number one transfer priority, but if Harry thinks we can't operate successfully without Lennon or a like for like cover, then that's a priority too.
Looking at our squad, we don't really have a like-for-like replacement for Lennon: Pienaar - Signed for his interplay with the full back rather than ability as a winger Walker - We may have converted Bale to a winger, but Walker is clearly a full back GDS - Out the door in January Townsend - Far too inexperienced, but we should at least try Rasmus Elm - Not coming until the end of the season
If you're looking at like for like, then for me, the only one in our squad with Lennon's pace, apart from Bale of course, is Walker. VDV is at hie most effective just behind the main striker - not stuck out on the wing, IMO.
I can see what Redknapp means, but we're far from having nobody that can play on that side. Kranjcar played there when we beat Liverpool 4-0, for a start. I wouldn't have picked the Croatian out there when his compatriot was at full-back, but now that Walker's replaced Corluka I think it would work. Pienaar might do a decent job out there too, especially if he swapped wings with Bale every so often. Keeps the defence guessing and having to adapt to different threats.
Junior Hoilett is the answer. Good cover for either flank and could even push Lennon for a starting spot. Sell Pienaar and Kranjcar in January if Harry has got no faith in them and we could end up with a more balanced squad and make some money.
What I cant fathom is why (whenever he has had a chance), Pienaar plays down the left when he is predominantly right footed and is useless with his left. I am no fan of Pienaar (yet), I still cant see why we bought him. A squad player at best.
I would agree with what Luke and KH have said. Neither Pienaar nor Kranjcar are replacements for Lennon. If we want that pace out wide, it's either Walker, or bring in a replacement such as Hollet. As we have seen many times, nothing scares defenders like pace - they have no legal response to it. I agree with Luke that it makes no sense to play two of our most talented, and effective, players - Modric & VDV away from their most effective positions, unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
Hi GH10, from what I've seen Barca seem to play with a front three (e.g. Villa-Messi-Pedro), but the two wider men aren't traditional wingers in that they cut in a lot and don't really stay out wide. However, this narrows the opposition defence and leaves a lot of space out wide for the fullbacks, and Alves tends to play like a winger anyway, so they still have the option of using width to stretch the defence. I don't think this would work as a backup formation though, we rely on getting wide a lot more and it's quite a tricky balance to get right.
I think when you have the talent at your disposal that Barca have, you can play just about any "system" you want - I'm not entirely sure that there is a system to the way Barca play, as such.
Agree with you on that but I do think their wide players behave rather differently from ours. If Bale were at Barca I reckon he'd probably fit in better at LB than LW.
Sorry GH, but to me you haven't taken in what I've wrote, why quote me Barca??? Barca no wingers? no they haven't, they are encompassed with what I then said about forwards playing wide, Messi, Villa, Pedro are all comfortable wide, both sides, not job doers, effectively comfortable and able to go outside of FB's not cut in at every opportunity, its not about doing the wingers job its about creating space as Luke says for central players Mod and VdV. Also this from you... "The only game we've lost recently was with two wingers, and Lennon was subbed at half-time and we played considerably better thereafter. So there's maybe a clue as to how to deal with the situation." And just what does one game prove? 5 out of our 6 wins in a row from the Blackburn game were with Lennon...so there's a clue how important what I'm talking about is. I'd like the discussion to move forward instead of having to backtrack explaining basics.
Adding to this, hen he was at Everton it was his interplay with Baines down the flank that made them a good pairing - so why don't we stick him on the right to interplay with Walker in a similar fashion, and let Bale be Bale on the left?
I think, at least until we rectify this in the transfer window, Walker is the closest we have. He may not have the trickery of Lennon or as much ability to make something of posession when shown inside, but he has pace in abundance and he does have a greater physical presence. He can deliver a decent cross too, so we need to go with him. I think Kaboul at rightback (or even Charlie against lesser teams) and Walker on the right. It is the only option that gives us balance with reliable personnel and allows us to play the game we want to. Without that balance we drop points at precisely the time we need to consolidate our position.
This. As even Lidls has correctly pointed out, having VDV and Modders playing in their normal position is more important than having a 'quality' player out wide, for the simple reason that they are little more than a 3rd wheel when stuck as right wingers. Arry's logic in this respect seems a little odd: He's basically openly admitted that Walker, Townsend, GDS, Pienaar etc aren't good enough. Why? b/c VDV and Modders are better players. Yes, that happens to be true. But according to that reasoning, they should be picked in front of Lennon (when he's fit) too, b/c- ultimately- VDV and Modders are ALSO better players than Lennon! However, both have a natural tendency to drift infield, where the CMs and CBs can deal with them, leaving the opposition full backs acres of space to exploit. Look at what happened against Chelsea. Cole wasn't distracted or preoccupied by defensive duties (b/c there was no-one actually attacking their left flank), and as a result was given free licence to swing in an inch perfect cross for sturridge to bury. Anybody who won't drift infield constantly would be an improvement; it would free up VDV and Modders to do what they do best, and at least give the left-back something to think about. Heck- even I could do it, just stick to the flank and make a general nuisance of myself while the opposition get ripped apart down the middle and the left-back wonders what he possibly could've done to deserve such an annoying winger!
