Switch to 4-3-3/4-5-1

[Yorkie]

I like the formation, and I agree with several points of your analysis. I'd agree with Dr S though - Owen is the potential stumbling block. Ideally you'd want a target man, or at least someone who's good at holding the ball up.

 

Shola's a target man, and he's strong enough to hold the ball up well, but i'd dread to see him in this formation.

 

It'd be worth a try with Owen.

[Parky]

i think we should move away from 4-4-2 based on the players we have, but to a brazilian style 4-2-3-1. We'd line up something like this:

 

Owen

Duff Martins Dyer

Emre Butt

LB CB Taylor Solano

Given

 

With the width provided by our wing-backs, Duff and Dyer given "free" roles, Martins acting as a supporting striker working hard, holding the ball and linking play, and the midfielders staying deep. Martins could also play in one of the free wide roles and Emre could substitute in Martins' position. Bit of a question mark whether Martins can play this role effectively, he's shown in glimpses that he can, he just needs to do it consistently. I think he is at his best when moving about into space, dropping deep or moving wide to use his pace. When he plays on the shoulder waiting for through balls i think he looks less effective, especially as his anticipation is not fantastic.

 

Ideally this formation would see us spend big on another central midfielder or even buy two new ones, Emre is not disciplined enough to play this formation (at least away from home) and Butt's passing is not good enough/creative enough. I'd like to see us get someone like Riquelme to fill this role, though he would need a hard working player who can cover a lot of ground alongside him, to compensate for his "relaxed" style of play. The midfielders wouldn't get forward too often and would provide a defensive block of four with the centre-halves. I'm thinking of Petit and Vieira or Gilberto and Vieira as models, none of those players was a natural attacker but they played in one of the most attacking sides in english football history. They were the foundation that let the likes of Bergkamp, Overmars, Lauren, Cole, Pires etc attack at will without getting bogged down defending.

 

Owen would be our fox in the box and i think with 3 support players he'd never be as isolated as he has been in a 4-5-1 in the past, there'd always be one of duff, dyer or martins close to him. as a more traditional winger Milner could be an odd man out in this formation but he could play in Duff's role and cut inside to use his right.

 

Also a question about Solano's ability to play as a wing-back, i don't think he has the stamina to do this over a full season, so i'd like us to buy a young attacking right-back to rotate him with, Ryan Taylor from Wigan for instance.

 

Butt and possibly Duff won't be here and I'm all for selling Emre now. blueyes.gif

[Parky]

I like the formation, and I agree with several points of your analysis. I'd agree with Dr S though - Owen is the potential stumbling block. Ideally you'd want a target man, or at least someone who's good at holding the ball up.

 

Shola's a target man, and he's strong enough to hold the ball up well, but i'd dread to see him in this formation.

 

It'd be worth a try with Owen.

 

Shola needs selling.

[Yorkie]

I like the formation, and I agree with several points of your analysis. I'd agree with Dr S though - Owen is the potential stumbling block. Ideally you'd want a target man, or at least someone who's good at holding the ball up.

 

 

Owen is very good at holding the ball up if you get it into his feet, but if we did resort to long balls I agree we'd fail.

 

Bang on.

 

We'd definitely resort to long balls if it were Roeder.

 

The Big Sam option looks more attractive by the second. God i'd love it if we got him.

[KaKa]

At the start of last season against Arseanl at Highbury we went with a 4-5-1 I recall and looked very sharp with Dyer on the right and Jenas, Emre and Parker as our 3 CM's.

 

Loathe Jenas as I do, he was very good at getting forward which allowed Parker and Emre to be a solid pairing in the middle and we were looking very good that day until the ridiculous sending off.

 

Souness was a tactical genius TBH ...

[colinmk]

Imo possibly the most important thing to either a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 working would be quality fullbacks. If were playing out and out wingers then they need to know they have quality behind them and someone who will give them options when overlapping. In a 4-3-3 the flanks would be the full-backs entire responsability just about. I dont know if Nobby is good enough, he does play well but there are question marks over his defending especially in the box. A good solid central defence would help that though.

 

Being able to switch between these formations would be great, we almost have the players to do it too. A proper playmaker and Sidwell and we could play either formation easily. If i was Roeder i would sort out our defence first and foremost. A top quality left back and central defender being a must. Get Sidwell on a free for depth and also a quality playmaker, Tevez would be amazing but unlikely to sign.

 

I doubt Roeder will manage to do half of that though tbh.

[Cronky]

I like the formation, and I agree with several points of your analysis. I'd agree with Dr S though - Owen is the potential stumbling block. Ideally you'd want a target man, or at least someone who's good at holding the ball up.

 

Shola's a target man, and he's strong enough to hold the ball up well, but i'd dread to see him in this formation.

 

It'd be worth a try with Owen.

 

I was going to suggest Shola, but I didn't fancy all the grief I'd get.

[Yorkie]

I like Shola, but he's pitiful as a lone man.

 

THAT SAID, again that may only be with Roeder, where he's had long balls pumped to him all game...

 

Allardyce on the other hand - knows how to use this formation effectively.

[biggs]

4-5-1 

i think roeder doesnt have a clue how to play any fooking formation  mackems.gif

[Baggio]

Owen will struggle in any formation apart from 4-4-2, it was one of the reasons Rafa was apprehensive about buying him and it was also pointed out by a few on here (me and tmonkey to name two) when we signed him instead of Anelka, Sven even tried 4-3-3 with England in a friendly and he was awful.

 

It doesn't matter how much bulk he's put on as he's still only 5ft tall, he won't have a chance of winning and keeping possession of long balls while waiting for support from his team mates.