Correct players, correct flanks. That's where I'd start, and it's non-negotiable. Under a 4-4-2, we need lefties on the left and right-footers on the right in the wide forward positions so they can get to the bye-line and deliver a competent cross to the forwards. Under 4-3-3, the reverse is true as your wide men are auxillary strikers.
Under either formation, the fullbacks should be on their natural side, which means Santon goes to right-back. I've got no time for this bollocks about playing him at left-back, no matter how competent he looks there. He simply cannot deliver anything going forward, and going forward is part of a modern fullback's job - supporting the winger, getting past him on the outside even and offering options in attack.
Therefore we need to play one of the following, when everyone is fit.
Either 4-4-2, Pardew's seemingly preferred formation:
------------------------Krul
Santon--------Taylor----Coloccini--- New Left-footed DL
------------------------Tiote
Obertan or Jonas----Cabaye-------New Left-footed AML
-------------------HBA
-------------------------Ba or Cisse
Pardew seems hell-bent on playing 4-4-2, and I must admit it's my favourite formation as well when employed correctly, but as you can see above I think we need a couple of new players to play that formation effectively. Under a 4-3-3, we can also accommodate Ba, HBA and Cisse together. We can't do that in 4-4-2 no matter what anyone says.
Ben Arfa simply must play, and he can't play as an orthodox winger in a 4-4-2. If he did, he'd have to play left wing as I'm adamant that we have to have the correct people on the correct flanks. I think he'd be too peripheral there though, which is a massive waste, so I'm putting him as a number 10 to one of our strikers. Therefore one of Ba or Cisse is dropped, sad though that is. Of course with Hatem injured, both could play, so perhaps rotation is an option.
I do think Ba and Cisse can play together, they just need the service, and the players we've been playing and the positions we've played them in have completely negated any possibility of that happening. With 2 strikers like that, you need 2 proper wingers backed up by 2 attacking fullbacks on the correct flanks. That gives you the ammunition to put balls into the box for them, and with 2 bombing forward on each flank Cabaye and Tiote will get more time in the middle as more opponents are taken up marking the runners so through balls become an option as well. At the moment, we attack so badly that the opposition can just crowd us out.
The big problem with playing 4-4-2 now is that our wingers are sub-standard (Jonas, Obertan) or non-existant (Left wing). We're just over a month from the transfer window, so I'd be looking to recruit players for those roles as a priority if we're really going to go 4-4-2 and carry any intent at all. Ferguson is a possible option for the left wing in the meantime. No idea who I'd play DL, possibly Simpson. At right-back he's good defensively, and s*** going forward. No reason either point will change if he plays left-back, he might as well fill in there for now so Santon can actually contribute to our attacks in a meaningful way. Or play Ferguson at left-back, he looks good going forward from deep but there's question-marks over his defensive abilities.
There's not a perfect answer, but that's where I'd start for a 4-4-2.
OR if we're willing to play 4-3-3:
------------------------Krul
Santon-----Taylor--- Coloccini-----New Left-footed DL
-----------------------Tiote
---------------Cabaye-----Anita
HBA--------------------------------------Ba
----------------------Cisse
This worked last year, and worked bloody well. Accordingly, I'm baffled why this isn't our default formation this season.
Well that's a lie, I'm not baffled at all, because it's looking likely that Ba is being a t*** about playing wide left. Now I love Demba, he's a great player and I'm glad we have him. But if the above is our best formation (and, given the personnel we have, it just IS our best formation) then he f***ing plays there or leaves. There's no point keeping someone happy to the detriment of the whole team, our league position and our chance to progress in cups. No point finishing 14th and keeping Ba happy, what the merry hell will that achieve? Everyone else will just f*** off then instead.
Cisse is a goalscorer, who needs others to create for him. Reminds me a lot of Andy Cole in that he's just so instinctive in everything he does. He can't play wide left, and under a team that creates nothing he'll look a lot poorer but don't for one second ever think he's a poor player, because he's not. I think he can be phenomenally important to us if we can get a good, forward-thinking team set up to play to his strengths and I'll be really rather angry if his lack of goals under a team that creates nothing for him is used as a reason to bench him and play Ba at the top of a 4-3-3 instead. Yes, as said Ba is good, but then we've got an unhappy Cisse and just as bad as that we've now got to find a left sided forward. Sammy? Obertan? We weaken the team massively by even considering that.
Again we need a new left-back though under 4-3-3. Or, as above, play Ferguson there. At least for now. Or even Simpson if we must.
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The above is probably a bit disjointed as I've just got in from work and the missus is making tea and nagging me to set the table, but hopefully it gets my point across.
However you'll note, perhaps, that I've spoke hardly at all about defence. That's deliberate, I'd suggest Pardew follows suit. We're better than 75% of the teams in the league, let them worry about us, because if we do as above they will worry and we'll win far more than we lose or draw, certainly against the likes of West Ham, Swansea, Villa, Reading and Sunderland.
