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Squad & tactics (2024/25)


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1 minute ago, Shak said:

Obviously not going to change anything for the final, but I wonder if Howe will consider going for a 4-4-2 / 4-2-3-1 at times during the run-in.

 

Bruno and Joelinton in CM, Longstaff the first alternate.

 

Gordon and Almiron on the wings, Willock possibly in contention for one of those spots.

 

Think you could send out a midfield four there that would be defensively very solid.

 

ASM, Isak and Wilson then fighting for two spots up front. Isak could play either the more advanced role if playing with Maxi or he could play just off Wilson. Potentially gives ASM a bit more freedom when he's not as concerned with protecting the LB.

 

Think it's worth considering given how the goals have dried up the last month. Obviously the 4-3-3 will likely be our main system but it would be good to be able to give teams something different to think about.


Was just about to post this. I feel last night with Bruno out. Just sit Long/Joe as the 2, Gordon as the 10/ or Anderson if he must.  That midfield three just doesn’t look functional without Bruno. 
 

 

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I think the biggest compromise Howe is going to have to make for the rest of the season is some potential sacrifice of some off-the-ball intensity for attacking intent. ASM & Isak are our most talented forwards but they're probably the most inconsistent for the 'intensity' mantra (albeit do parts of it well/aren't 'bad'). However, even top teams do carry some passengers sometimes, but it feels like we're so used to a side now where everyone is flying about 100% that it feels alien to think about starting players that aren't like that. 

 

As a Plan A, 4-3-3 probably still provides the best base to free up less intense attackers with a trio of Bruno/Joelinton/Longstaff as the latter 2 are great at covering wingers caught upfield. The biggest worry there is probably lack of goal support & creativity outside of Bruno. Willock is a bit more threatening if you take him out for Longstaff but he's hardly prolific these days, he can be quite passive for stretches in matches, and I'd say he has a bit less edge defensively. 

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Think after watching us with 10 men on Saturday which was essentially a 432, I wouldn’t mind seeing a narrow 442 diamond.

 

                     Pope

Trippier    Schar     Botman     Targett

                       Bruno

            Longstaff    Joelinton

                    Gordon/willock

            Maximin           Isak

 

long term would see a new DM come in and bruno move higher up, but thought ASM and Isak linked up well and both drifted wide at times which would leave space for the AM to push on through the middle. 

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22 hours ago, Kanji said:

I’m no coach but I’d have played Gordon as a 10 last night for sure over Anderson. 

Gordon was bad there in the previous match.

 

He doesn't have the ability to get the ball between the lines and keep progressing up. He kept passing it back to midfield time and again.

 

Isak's 20 minutes against Fulham in that position is the best we've seen this year. He loves taking the ball on the half-turn then linking up with a forward or a wide player.

 

I've been watching Dwight Yorke highlights on Youtube. Isak reminds me of Yorke minus the aerial ability. Bags of ability, technique and skill. A baller before anything else. But also a great finisher. But not a number 9.

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Ok, what are peoples thoughts on priorities for the squad for next season? If I remember there has been talk of some leeway in summer with ffp so we are expected to spend.

 

Dividing into Automatic starters in bold, in the rotation and backup players not

 

GKs

Pope

Karius

Gillespie

 

I'm not really sure signing a keeper is a priority, I imagine Dubs will be moved on though

 

RBs

Trippier

Ashby

 

Think this looks settled for now, want to see how good Ashby is

 

CBs

Schar

Botman

New right sided cb, preferably young high rated to come in to long term replace Schar

Possibly even another promising young CB to replace Lascelles in the squad so we have 2 players for the position

 

LBs

New left back Love Burn but a star quality attacking left back should be high priority

Burn

Target

 

Midfielders

Bruno

Joelinton

New Defensive mid to let Bruno play further forward

Willock

Longstaff

 

Left Wing

Gordon

Another exciting left winger preferably, I imagine ASM is gone this summer tbh. 

 

Striker

Isak

Promising young Striker should be signed to add options

Wilson

 

Right Wing

New star attacker

Miggy

 

Players out - Kraft, Lascelles (sorry but probably time), ASM (what could have been if you had proper end product...but you're not a happy bench warmer so goodbye), Ritchie, Fraser, Murphy, forgot, brutally Anderson tbh unless he forces his way into the squad before season end suspect he's not taken his chance. 

 

Roughly in order of priority

 

Three big expensive ready to start stars imo, Defensive mid, Right Wing and Left back

Promising young striker (I would maybe say experienced striker but they cost a lot and if they're going to be on the bench a lot...

Experienced back up options for left CB and left wing

Young promising right hand side centre back

 

May be over ambitous but we need to upgrade various areas and need to have a bench that can seriously push the first team. We need to be more threatening. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Tiresias

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As things stand there is no spare squad spot for next season is there? Since Gordon/Ashby will take the spot of Shelvey/Wood

 

Ritchie is out of contract so that frees up 1, Krafth isn't in the squad is he? So that is that spot

 

Then after that it will be people leaving 

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On 27/02/2023 at 15:00, TheInfiniteOdyssey said:

Out of contract

  • Ritchie
  • Dummett
  • Gillespie 
  • M. Longstaff
  • Clark

Sell

  • Dubravka
  • Darlow 
  • Lascelles
  • Manquillo
  • Lewis
  • Kelland Watts
  • Hendrick
  • Hayden
  • Fraser

Loan

  • Anderson
  • Kuol

Some of your ‘sell’ section might need to be release on a free or pay their contract out. 

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Said it before, but getting rid of all the current deadwood in our squad will cost us hundreds of billions.

 

Shite like Hayden and Darlow still have 3,5 years left on their deals:lol:

 

Jacob Murphy will be due a testimonial if he finishes his current deal:lol:

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I can't show any working for this opinion but am I to guess for FFP purposes, its better to spread out the cost of the deadwood by subsiding wages while on loan over paying them off to get them of our books immediately? Or does it not make much/any difference? 

 

 

Edited by wormy

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Been wondering over the weekend what people's preferred XI and formation would be these days ignoring current injuries/suspensions?

 

I have a feeling most will be on similar lines, but there are some difficult decisions to be made when you sit down to think about it.

 

Pope

 

Trippier Schär Botman Targett

 

Guimarães Joelinton

 

Gordon Willock Saint-Maximin

 

Isak

 

I'm tired of seeing Burn, Longstaff, Almirón, Wilson in the XI at this point and I think we could do with getting away from 4-3-3 just to freshen our patterns of attack up. However, the lack of a proper #10 in the squad makes things tricky there.

 

I still think this selection gets all of our best footballers on the pitch together and in positions where they can hurt the opposition, but the front four still doesn't really look that strong to me on paper. There's plenty of pace and individual threat there, but not sure how it would function as a collective.

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The only real place I'd look at stepping away from your lineup is having Wilson on the pitch at the same time as Isak. Doing that for a few minutes got us our only league win in 2023 against Fulham.

 

I still hope Wilson can turn it around with additional support; the alternative is pretty devastating as it implies us going overnight from having one of the best strikers in the league to a waste of a squad space. Dealing with that will eat up quite a bit of our summer resources.

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I'm in danger of going Schar into defensive midfield here, but if we were going to dabble with 4-2-3-1, I wonder if you could get away with Bruno as a 10. 

 

The upside is that it doesn't leave us short in the middle and he could be absolutely devastating in and around the eighteen yard area, picking out those cute passes to Isak and the wide forwards. The downside is that you're relying on other players to effectively progress the ball up the park, something we struggled with when Bruno was absent. 

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As much as Wilson has been doing my head in recently, I do think we should try and keep him in the team and try Isak in & around him for the next couple of games. They're the 2 goalscorers we have in the squad who display natural movement in & around the box and can free up space for one another. I actually think we get really good numbers forward but have few players who make proper runs when we're in the final third. Whether Isak plays as a wide forward or #10, either are decent options & changeable in-game depending on how things are going.

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What I want to see v Wolves: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Targett, Bruno, Longstaff, Willock, Gordon or Murphy, Isak, ASM.

 

I would take: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Targett, Bruno, Willock or Longstaff, Gordon, Isak, ASM, Wilson

 

When everyone's available: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Targett, Bruno, Joelinton, Willock, Gordon, Isak, ASM

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