After the Fulham & Everton games one thing i noticed was that we were much stronger when we went with a second striker. Its not for me to question our leader, but i have raised an eye brow recently when we keep going with just one striker. Saturday we never looked like getting much until Wilbs came on to take the presure off Holt and gave him the chance cause problems for a very good Everton defence. Away i can maybe see why we do it a bit more, but at home we have to start with two front men, & i hope today with the presure off us a bit we go with Holt & Wilbs to start with and really have a go at Spurs, maybe even get something from the game. But as always ILWT.
I certainly hope he does go with two up front from the 1st whistle because you are right, we are more of a threat when there are two options available. It's all well and good trying out numerous permutations to create more and more elaborate formations to baffle to opposition but they have to work for us too and not be ineffective as has been the case all too often from the Leicester game until now.
I don't think he tinkers with the formation for the sake of it, we have to be realistic and appreciate the fact that we are coming up against some top quality sides full of internationals midfielders so quite often Lambert will feel he needs an extra man in midfield to make us more competitive. It's not like the good old days of League One or even last year when we could start with three up top and regularly end up with about five or six there when chasing games. We'd get punished all over the place if we left our defence that exposed and I personally don't have a massive problem starting the game with one up front with a stronger midfield to soak up the pressure and then changing it for the last half an hour, which is what tends to happen. The game is played over 90 minutes and very, very rarely are our games done and dusted by the 60th minute so I'm sure Lambert, as do I, sees the game in stages and if we are still in the game as it approaches the final third then that's the time to put an extra striker on to take advantage of tired legs and look to push forward more. Spurs have one of the very best midfields in the Premier League, if not the best when they're on song and in Modric they have a magician who can dictate the whole game if given the freedom to do so. And that Bale chap with the big ears ain't too bad either
He's got to be well ahead of Moro now for the second striker position, i asked my self one thing at the Everton game, would Moro have battled and won that ball to tee up Holt for the second or simply have thought well i worked the keeper job done ?
I do sometimes wonder if this is the case or not, or if he is trying to be 'too' clever or 'too' creative? It also begs the question, in general does he know the best XI for any given formation? I am not so sure he does as it is not just formations he changes, it the players he picks to play those formations as well. Sometimes it looks like it's working, other times it clearly does not.
But, he's got us in a position where we have 40 points in the premier league and we have a squad with strength and depth. So, I trust him and culverhouse to pick the formation and players to fill those positions every game. And they aren't so stubborn to stick with it when it doesn't work, and will change it early on if it doesn't. Unlike reoder and grant who would leave it until 88 mins to change something that didn't work.
I can not take away the fact we have 40 points under his leadership and we are almost certainly safe from relegation. In the first half of the season he got it right more often than not and we gained most of our points up to the end of January, it's after that time I think he has tried to make more radical changes, almost as an experiment. I am not posting this as an anti Lambert thing but I do frequently question his team selections and formations, more than ever in the last 2 months. Edit - I am thinking about changing my user name to Controversial Canary
I think we're all guilty of a bit of head-scratching at times! What I really think is, despite his statement to the contrary, he believes we are safe and he's looking at different options for next year!
It has crossed my mind and I guess we really wont know until next season. If he keeps making wholesale changes every week and it doesn't appear to working I may become more critical of him.
This. Just because we don't win a game doesn't mean Lambert had the tactics wrong - we have League One players and everyone was expecting to us be bottom of the league!
I'm with you on this one. I think the tinkering is overdone. I am sure our mid season form was based on certain partnerships that were forming in the team. I know injuries can ruin that at a stroke but if everyone apart from the long termers is fit today, I would like to see the last six games, win or lose, be a period of forming a real nucleus.
is the tinkering also down to the fact we have a lot of players that are of a similar ability? we don't have a many star players. This is especially true in midfield. Also there are injuries. i think as above, it will be different next season. even today, there are what 3 changes?
