but in a 451 you need to dominate WITH the ball, its all about possession and you need a lot of creativity to make the system work. Parker and Sandro dont really offer that, definitely not against the better teams. With Thudd alongside Modric and in behind a floating VDV, we would have a triffic triangle of talent which would help release Bale and Lennon to do their damage in behind the opposition
Sounds great but who would protect Hudd while he's lining up those passes? Or Modric to dictate the tempo? Or who would help win the ball in the middle? None of those 3 are prolific tacklers. 4-5-1 without a DM would be very naive, imv. Perhaps agianst really realy brick teams - but then again you can go 2 upfront