So, we've all been talking about the midfield and how it needs to be set up. We're happy with Charlie, reasonably happy with BZ and now we've got Zarate so we're looking better up front (although could do with one more striker). The defence.... well, it's ok but could do with some dedicated full backs. But the midfield is an area where we're not really lacking in players. If anything, we have too many on the books, taking up the places of potential defenders and strikers. So let's talk about the midfield only. Firstly, how would you set up the midfield in terms of formation and who would be the personnel? Also, name 3 midfielders you'd have on the bench and what they might be used for. The second question is who would you bring in if you felt that our current midfield roster is inadequate and why? please log in to view this image
I would actually like our team to set up the same for both home and away. I think, when you're trying to survive your first season in the premier, you need to be a bit creative and go for broke rather than play safe. If you play safe, you're almost consigning yourself to relegation or at least a good number of batterings because a promotion defence won't be able to cope with at least half of the premier league teams. Therefore, I'd always go for pretty much the same structure and formation in every game, home or away, in order to get the team into a regular pattern and style of play. Of course, you do need to tweak things here and there based on availability of players or opposition strengths and weaknesses. So, I don't mean that it's ideal to have the same gameplan in every game but it's ideal to keep a general regular system that the players can really get into. I'd pick Henry for every game (unless we find someone better at his job). Our defence is a bit leaky at times. We need at least one person in the midfield who dedicates to helping pressurise teams, take pressure off our defence and help out with some defending. If we have that in every game, we can have at least 3 other midfielders who can concentrate a bit more on going forwards. Barton, Fer or anyone else in the team are not able to fulfill that role. And that takes me to my second point. There is no place for Barton at the moment unless Harry puts him in what is maybe his preferred position: RM. I'd actually be happy to see him there as I do actually rate Barton and think he is one of our best players, but unless he is played there he doesn't really suit our current needs, in my opinion. He is not a specialist attacking midfielder and he is not a great holding/defensive midfielder. He's an RM or CM. With a CDM like Henry playing, we can afford to have 3 more attack minded players on the pitch (who can also help out with pressuring and defending still). I don't really know what's happening with Sandro at the moment so I'm not really bringing him up. Having wingers doesn't always work. I think there are a lot of winger fans here who think that pace on the wing is the key to success. It can be but I don't think it always works and it certainly can't be the main outlet in midfield. I think it's vital to have an outwardly attacking midfielder somewhere in the middle. And that's why I wouldn't mind having Barton at RM and have only 1 true winger/forward pacing player on the left. Basically, we need a CAM behind the strikers. We have potentially 4 players who can play this role well. Taarabt doesn't exist to me anymore so please don't bring him up. Hoilett's actual position is as an attacking midfielder and he's being played out of position by Harry on the wing (thus Hoilett always tries to cut in). He's a good choice for the role. Niko is potentially our best choice for the role. I don't care about his lack of pace. He can turn like a flash and leave players standing purely based on ball skills. He's got a good eye for a shot and has decent positioning (when fit!!!). If we let him have free reign behind the strikers, without much defensive duty, he could concentrate on operating the ball around the mouth of the opposition box. We've severely lacked that this season (making defenses panick around the mouth of the box). We also have Leroy Fer who has an eye for the goal, can shoot from range and can dribble and distribute well. He could be given free range as well but he is not as tricky as Niko or Hoilett. People may laugh at this but we have a backup in the form of Matt Phillips. I actually prefer him when he plays centrally. Vargas could also be a good choice for this role. And, of course, we now have Varate, who can play as striker or central attacking midfielder. Maybe he even becomes first choice now, but we'll see how he does. So, this is how I'd have my midfield, with two strikers up front and if all players were fit: green isla - caulker - dunne - hill/yun --------HENRY--------- VARGAS--------HOILETT ---KRANCJAR (CAM)--- bobby - austin Midfield subs: FER to potentially replace Krancjar or possibly start him if the opposition needs someone to be tougher and strike from range instead of being tricky. SANDRO I said I wouldn't mention him but if he was fit, he'd be just about the only person who could play the CDM role instead of HENRY. ZARATE needs to prove himself yet but would be a good replacement for the CAM role or a striker. He could potentially be used on the right or left of midfield if needed, too. The weakness of the above lineup is that we potentially have no replacement for Henry in the CDM role if SANDRO leaves or is injured long term. The strengths are that Hoilett and Krancjar are switchable, even in mid game. VARGAS works really well with ISLA. And there are plenty of backups for each position aside from the CDM role. Maybe we can get someone in for that. Barton would do well at RM, as he showed in France. Also, Hoilett is still quite decent on the wing, even though it's not his best position. He's often the only player on the pitch that I feel can actually change something in a game that need changing. To be honest, I don't think we need any additions in midfield apart from someone to replace SANDRO if we're not keeping him, someone who can play the CDM role (which is why I think we should have kept O'Neill. By the way, the difficulty we have in figuring out a team lineup highlights how poorly QPR are at organising themselves. Firstly, we don't seem to know which formation to play. Secondly, we don't seem to have the right players to fit any of those formations. Recruitment has been poor (picking players that seem good rather than players who actually fit a philosophy (we don't actually have one anyway) and system we want to employ).
Sorry awjm, you put a lot of effort in trying to show supreme analytical skills which the length of your prose and repetitiveness of broaching the same subject only serves to highlight enormous contradictions in your own thinking. You state in your opening gambit that we are reasonably satisfied with our defense and attack only needing the touch up of some full backs and one more striker. You then go on to state that the midfield is the issue due to too many players in that area creating a dearth in Defense and Attack!! In fact, I'm sorry, I'm not going to write much more as the whole piece is so poor and devoid of any realism that I suggest you get back to your recently acquired FIFA 15. I'll leave you with your own piece de resistance which is that you view Zarate of being able to play Central Attacking Midfield or on the right or the left of midfield, or the striker position!!! Nothing more to add M'lud, for wasting valuable NOT606er viewing time we see the maximum sentence as suitable punishment in this case. It is not the first time that the offender has offended, and we agree a documented caution may and should have been documented and not done so but nevertheless bring out the Black cap!!!!
Anyone noticed our midfield yet … I haven't because it's too fragile at times In short it's Karl Henry fighting as many fires as he can Test: count how many times Barton finds himself on the wrong side on the opposition's midfield multiple that by how many times he ttys to close players down far too late. What this team has got however is spirit I cannot fault that we have no one to unlock a game
Sorry Awjm, to answer you and why our midfield is not performing as it should on the goal creation side of things, I have to mention it is largely missing the 2 players in our current Squad who would change that if/when fit IMO, Adel and Niko.
I have a feeling that you're wanting a reaction so I'll go in lightly and declare that I won't respond after this one. Firstly, I specificly separated my opinion from the original post of this thread, to leave it open. Secondly, at no point do I consider myself anything more than an amateur and supporter who says what he sees and has been to hundreds and hundreds of games via many season tickets. I'm not an expert but I've seen quite a few games and I've seen the players in question live many times. I didn't suggest that our defence is in need of anything aside from full backs. I merely meant that I don't think there's much we can do to improve it at the moment without sacking Harry or buying players web cant afford. I did not express an opinion about the midfield part of our roster being too full. I said one could argue that it was as I've heard people say this. I personally think the numbers are ok but could do with better or more appropriate personnel. I didn't say Zarate would be good in all those positions. You could play a player anywhere. There's no law against it. Whether he would play well in those positions is the question. But he has played CAM before and he has played as striker. I don't think its out of this world for him to play on the wing. I didn't say "he could play on then left or right", as you said. I made this thread because a lot of people have been agreeing that the biggest problem lately has been lack of goal scoring opportunity coming from creative midfield work. You say that my post unwelcome but mine is at least a personal opinion on a football matter. Yours is merely an impolite attack on someone. I think I known how people will judge your post.
My preferred team with our existing players would be; .............Green Isla, Dunne, Caulker, Yun ..............Henry .........Fer...........Niko ...Hoilett................Mutch ...............Austin Henry to cover whatever full back attacks.otherwise sitting in front of our back four to breakup opposition counter attacks. Fer and Niko passing and running from central positions as neither are wingers. Hoilett and Mutch offering width and attempting to stretch and turn opposition defence. (IMO, priority 1 to get new pacey winger to replace Mutch). Austin getting support quickly from Fer and Niko who must attempt to get up to and past him. Austin getting crosses in from wings. Austin not necessarily running the line stupidly and wasting energy.
awjm, you can post anything you like on here as long as it fits with our esteemed and valued moderators - very true. You are entitled to your own opinion - that's also very true. But, and this is a big But - If you want to have those opinions taken seriously then do yourself a favour and read it before posting - You haven't even bothered to re-read this dribble, I on the other hand have had the utmost manners to respond to this dribble after having 5 mins of my time wasted. I have no problem with free speech, opinions, beliefs - I take exemption to having my time wasted. Take it as you will, but anything you write that is over 10 lines long in the future - I certainly will not read, so that's a shame. If you also cannot take the criticism, which I might add, you still use contradictions to address then that's a shame for you. But waste my time again - you will not Sir. Please do not bother replying on my account or referring directly to me, it will not be read and I will be then as guilty. I'll leave you with you're own piece de resistance - "You could play a player anywhere. There's no law against it."
I'm questioning what some of you are watching when I'm seeing the likes of Jordan Mutch and krancjar in a thread about our strongest eleven/midfield. Come on lads.
I think you pick a good team but there is one issue with it. Austin really doesn't like playing up front alone. That's why I struggled to pick my lineup and make it the way it is. In a way, your lineup is better than mine (except for Mutch... I really don't like him at the moment). But I just don't think the one up front option will work for us. Harry does actually have a hard job at the moment. I wonder if we can put Taarabt, Hoilett and Traore into a blender and reconstitute them as a player as fast and strong as Traore, as daring as Hoilett and as skilful as Taarabt.
I think if we don't bring in someone with a modicum of creativity we're done for. We have so many under-performing and mediocre players that it is difficult to prescribe a formation that will do anything effectively. The fact Charlie has 12 goals this season with the supply chain he has received from our midfield is nothing short of miraculous...
-----------------Green------------ Isla--------Dunne----Caulker--Yun ------------Henry---Sandro------- Vargas--------Zarate---------Fer -----------Austin---------------
Ach don't be so fatalistic Soops. You were the same last season and everything worked out just fine and dandy. We'll be grand
