Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I remember seeing Townsend score from the left wing a couple of seasons ago in Europe, who is to say h prefers playing on the right as opposed to on the left? Besides even if you are right (and I am think you are wrong) he should play on the left wing because it helps the team, that is why Naughton and Verts help out at left back, and Capoue played today at centre half.

Townsend has the quality to play left wing and Lennon is only effective on the right flank so what not just roll with it?

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Doesn't do much good for the striker though as Townsend in particular likes to cut in and shoot rather than cross or slip a pass through.

And therein lies the rub.

Alternatively on the left wing he was much more effective supplying quality crosses into the danger area

 

[JerusalemMan]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

You guys are so ****ing funny.

Do you expect every one of our squad players to be this cultured, technically gifted world class player? Get a grip. A squad is not about having 25 such players but a mixture, a combination of different types of players who when fit together make up a great squad. You cant have four Ledley Kings at the back for example, you need to have those blood and thunder type players mixed in.

The composition of the skill set of our squad is important and that composition encompasses players like Dawson whilst having someone like Chichires

Blimey.

I Like this post

 

[Gutter Boy]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I would suggest you are being disingenuous, most wingers naturally favour their stronger foot, which means a naturally left footed player will more often than not cut in when played on the right flank and go down the byline if played on the left and vice versa for right footed players, which means in effect it is being imposed

But traditional centre forwards who thrive on crosses have been dying out for more than a decade now. No one really wants wingers pinging in crosses from the touchline.

I guess playing on the 'wrong' side has been imposed on Lamela, Chadli and Townsend, but it has since they were children and its what they know.

I'm the same actually in my own playing - I'm right footed but hate playing on the right because it takes you away from, rather than towards, anything purposeful.

Doesn't do much good for the striker though as Townsend in particular likes to cut in and shoot rather than cross or slip a pass through.

That's about improving vision and decision-making, rather than what side he plays on.

I remember seeing Townsend score from the left wing a couple of seasons ago in Europe, who is to say h prefers playing on the right as opposed to on the left? Besides even if you are right (and I am think you are wrong) he should play on the left wing because it helps the team, that is why Naughton and Verts help out at left back, and Capoue played today at centre half.

Townsend has the quality to play left wing and Lennon is only effective on the right flank so what not just roll with it?

Because it's not the type of service Soldado really wants. I'm sure he really wants Lamela and Eriksen cutting in and threading balls, like Mata used to do for him at Valencia.

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

But traditional centre forwards who thrive on crosses have been dying out for more than a decade now. No one really wants wingers pinging in crosses from the touchline.

Because it's not the type of service Soldado really wants. I'm sure he really wants Lamela and Eriksen cutting in and threading balls, like Mata used to do for him at Valencia.

And yet last season he excelled at Valencia, a team that played a left footed winger on the left and a right footed winger on the right last season, funny that.

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

By the way Mata tended to play behind Soldado which meant they still played with traditional wingers, just as at Chelsea Mata plays better when he is behind the main striker as opposed to out on the flank

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Now if we had the quality of Mata playing just behind our main striker or someone of that quality then he could play those intelligent through balls for our central striker

 

[africanspurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

It's not his prefered side though. My point is that inverted wingers isn't something we are imposing on our wide players, it's something that all but one of them do naturally.

how do you know its not his preferred side?

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

how do you know its not his preferred side?

Excellent question.

 

[the dza]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Townsend looks so strong on both feet, he can play either side. It's not an issue, as he showed today.

Also, Lennon is really good at coming inside from the right flank whilst keeping the ball on his right foot. He's got excellent control and so much pace that he is just very difficult to stop when he does this.

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Townsend looks so strong on both feet, he can play either side. It's not an issue, as he showed today.

Also, Lennon is really good at coming inside from the right flank whilst keeping the ball on his right foot. He's got excellent control and so much pace that he is just very difficult to stop when he does this.

And lets face it, Lennon ain't great on the left

 

[the dza]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

And lets face it, Lennon ain't great on the left

I reckon it's because not only will he not go on the outside with his left foot, but the opposition know that Lennon can't shoot on his right either. Show him inside, they know he won't shoot and they know he won't go outside down the left. And we don't have any left-backs that want to get down the left flank either, bar Rose who is injured...so the space created from him coming inside (whilst having no shooting threat) is useless.

From the right, he can murder them down the outside. So they want to give him loads of room to come inside, but they are so scared of him getting down the right, they give him too much room coming off that flank...and then we have Walker filling the space left on the right.

All this talk of coming inside and shooting...dear oh dear.

 

[Cochise]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

But traditional centre forwards who thrive on crosses have been dying out for more than a decade now. No one really wants wingers pinging in crosses from the touchline.

Who says that the wingers have to ping the ball in the air though. Being on your stronger foot means you can cross accurately first time, no need to check back and cross. Fizzing a ball across the 6 yrd line is still extremely effective, Bale used to do it effectively up until a couple of years ago. There is more to a winger than aiming for the tall bloke, then again Navas and Negredo are doing just that at City.

 

[THFC6061]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Chelsea FC Premier League points from first 15 games under André Villas-Boas in 2011-12: 31

Chelsea FC Premier League points from first 15 games under Jose Mourinho in 2013-14: 30

 

[braineclipse]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

But traditional centre forwards who thrive on crosses have been dying out for more than a decade now.

(Cut out the rest of your post as I wanted to discuss this particular point)

What you say might be true to an extent if the traditional centre forwards you're talking about are limited to this and a couple of other abilities. The Andy Carroll type centre forward.

However there are quite a few "complete" centre forwards out there that have height and strength as well as a wide range of other abilities. Berbatov at his best, Drogba, Lewandowski, Mandzukic, Giroud, Llorente, Balotelli, Zlatan, Cavani, Lukaku and so on.

What is somewhat worrying to me is that a lot of the strikers that are or have been successful at top teams that play a lone striker can be classified as this kind of complete centre forward. They give their teams that aerial presence in the box from crosses, holdup play and flicks when forced to play it long etc. This type of striker is very much the modern striker to me and is someone capable of thriving on many types of service including crosses.

That's not to say that a striker like this is a prerequisite to success when playing a lone striker. But it does make things a lot easier, particularly when your buildup play isn't quite working.

 

[Hootnow]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

(Cut out the rest of your post as I wanted to discuss this particular point)

What you say might be true to an extent if the traditional centre forwards you're talking about are limited to this and a couple of other abilities. The Andy Carroll type centre forward.

However there are quite a few "complete" centre forwards out there that have height and strength as well as a wide range of other abilities. Berbatov at his best, Drogba, Lewandowski, Mandzukic, Giroud, Llorente, Balotelli, Zlatan, Cavani, Lukaku and so on.

What is somewhat worrying to me is that a lot of the strikers that are or have been successful at top teams that play a lone striker can be classified as this kind of complete centre forward. They give their teams that aerial presence in the box from crosses, holdup play and flicks when forced to play it long etc. This type of striker is very much the modern striker to me and is someone capable of thriving on many types of service including crosses.

That's not to say that a striker like this is a prerequisite to success when playing a lone striker. But it does make things a lot easier, particularly when your buildup play isn't quite working.

How many top clubs have a small striker as their main option at the moment? Or someone who doesn't have at least some physical presence? Barcelona? Athletico? I don't want anywhere as much football as some others on here...

Certainly the Carroll/ Crouch type of forward is dying out. But strikers with physical presence are going nowhere.

 

[THFC6061]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

The most successful teams usually had a little & large combination of strikers, such as Bobby Smith (or Alan Gilzean or Martin Chivers) & Jimmy Greaves.

When you only play with one striker, the options are much more limited and clubs try to have a player who combines all the attributes of both.

 

[BrainOfLevy]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I wouldn't discount inverted wingers just yet...I think they can still have a use.

I think the reason we take a lot of long shots is because when we are in a phase of the match which is about establishing control and retaining possession, you won't see our players bust a guy to get in behind a defence...they will be set to receive a pass in a safer area. In these instances, the onus is on the player with the ball, often one the front 4, to make something themselves and playing on the inverted side helps with that. Similarly their inclination is to play a pass inside, rather than go outside, and again being inverted lends itself well.

Then, when we decide to flick the switch and go for it, we can then put Lennon back on the right, Townsend over to the left, stretch teams and give them the support of the full backs as well as the midfielders all breaking through. It's at this point we create clearer chances, as we saw yesterday.

 

[THFC6061]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

 

[Spurs_Bear]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I really don't think those stats paint a fair picture at all, AVB took over a top 4 side, there's no point showing him in a list with other managers that took over teams at the bottom of the league (Ramos for example) and using his win percentage to rank him higher. Just doesn't stack up for me. I would expect a manager that has taken over a top 4 side to have the highest win percentage just by doing their job properly.