Our left side...

[braineclipse]

From what ive read Eriksen played in the middle 3 for Ajax - not in an advanced 3 in the way we set up - but then is there much difference between 433 and 4231?

Perhaps the wrong thread for this discussion, but I think we might see more 4-3-3 in the coming weeks after we did so well at the start of the second half in what looked to me much more like a 4-3-3 than a 4-2-3-1 with Sandro clearly the deepest of the 3 central players and Eriksen and Paulinho more or less in line with each other switching it up who pushed on the furthest.

If my memory serves me we've looked good in 4-3-3 in the past to under AVB and it was his preferred formation at Porto. It also gets Townsend further up the pitch if he starts.

The differences aren't massive, but they're there.

 

[braineclipse]

I think asides from the goals he hasn't done enough to command a starting position

Asides from the goals he hasn't been anywhere near doing enough to command a starting position. I still want to see more of Chadli on that left hand side, not sure if he's still carrying an injury or just out of favor.

 

[NaijaSpurs]

i dont think its a pace issue. i think its more to do with moving the ball quickly and occupying spaces quickly.....i mean , city manage fine with nasri and kolarov when they play together.

in arsenal i wouldnt say their players are fast either, and alot of times players like gibbs dont really go about sprinting al over he players

they have nippy players and players that are in the right places at the right time

i just think AVB is a good coach. but he isnt in the same class as the best ones

Siggy played all his career before we signed him in the hole behind the striker, so play him on the left go figure.

 

[africanspurs]

Gibbs has pace though, which is always a threat. Kolarov is almost a winger playing at left-back and Nasri is much more mobile than Sig, imo (though in terms of pure pace, perhaps not much in it).

Look how much better Vertonghen was against Everton. Having Lennon ahead of him (who didnt even play that well) gave him room to play imo. Today, Saudi Sportswashing Machine could go tight to Sig and push up into the space infront of Vertonghen. No threat of anyone doing anything with the space they might leave.

There's certainly a reason why the players had much more room to attack on the right, and it's because we carried the threat of pace over there.

nasri isnt more mobile than sig though...he just has a lower centre of gravity but as far as actually moving into a position / space that you need to occupy they are about the same.

verts and kolarov BOTH dont have blistering pace , and yet you seem okay with kolarov just because he plays further up the field than verts....but dont you see thats a positional issue....despite the fact that niether of them have speed that much one of them makes it acceptable for you and the other doesnt ..it just so happens the one you are okay with averages about A zone or two further up the field

the same with gibbs, he doesnt use his speed that often ...he just gets into position early and urgently....and gets into those positions a lot more than our guy

i will say one thing that seems to be forgotten......verts is actually playing well out there. i am not sure what the problem with verts at left back is..he is doing a great job right now

i am not saying that pace doesnt have its benefits, but thats not the root cuase of our problem...it just papers over the problem

 

[africanspurs]

we miss Rose, or at least an attacking full back. Especially if we're going to be playing Sigurdsson or Chadli on the left.

Personally, I'd rather we play Townsend on the left, just tell him to attack the full back, beat his man and whip the ball in the box. Gives us a bit of natural width which we miss too. I mean we need to start getting Lamela into our team in the league, we're 11 games in now and our record signing can't come onto the pitch in games for some reason, he needs to start, get an understanding with Walker down his right handside and the likes of Soldado and Eriksen when he's coming inside.

what we miss is someone making our players regularly occupy attacking positions.

ramsey is NOT fast , arteta is not fast, tainio is not fast, krancjar is not fast, ...yet for arsenal, everton, tottenham and tottenham / pompey respectively all these guys were menacing from the left position drifting in

good movement and early urgent movement put them in a space / position that made them dangerous

 

[Mumorn]

what we miss is someone making our players regularly occupy attacking positions.

ramsey is NOT fast , arteta is not fast, tainio is not fast, krancjar is not fast, ...yet for arsenal, everton, tottenham and tottenham / pompey respectively all these guys were menacing from the left position drifting in

good movement and early urgent movement put them in a space / position that made them dangerous

quite surprised you didnt mention Pires. He was the master of this.

 

[africanspurs]

Agreed. I don't think he likes playing there either. Has he ever played on the left anywhere else by the way? He never played there for Swansea, pretty sure he doesn't play there for Iceland and never really saw much of him at Hoffenheim or Reading. Or is he simply out there because he can cut in and has a good shot on him, because I feel that is the only reason, which is a shame really, because I think he has potential.

the question is, has he ever been an attacking playmaker though? or has he just been a second striker from midfield? if you play him in the middle you're asking him to do things that i dont think he is good enough to carry out primarily on his own....but on the left you limit his tasks to things he can do...finish off moves and provide the last ball for others to score from

this isnt a problem with pace or trickery, its a positional and urgency issue

its why when KD asked before, in the middle of the townsend heat wave i would have still had lamela on the right ahead of andros...if there is one thing that was evident from the beginning is that the boys is very intelligent and positionally aware.

play townsend at left back for a bit when teams are stubborn

 

[africanspurs]

quite surprised you didnt mention Pires. He was the master of this.

i do miss some of you great posts mate.

top post indeed...#

yes..think Pires

although pires in his younger days was fast-ish, but he never really used his speed like that...he was just positionally aware

there is a reason why wenger converts wingers to full back with a regularity that makes him serial by nature....is that they understand how to occupy positions further up the field that regular full backs

 

[Modric THFC]

Agreed. I don't think he likes playing there either. Has he ever played on the left anywhere else by the way? He never played there for Swansea, pretty sure he doesn't play there for Iceland and never really saw much of him at Hoffenheim or Reading. Or is he simply out there because he can cut in and has a good shot on him, because I feel that is the only reason, which is a shame really, because I think he has potential.

He's played there occasionally for both Hoffenheim and Reading. He does prefer playing in the middle but he doesnt do enough there as far as i'm concerned.

 

[africanspurs]

Siggy played all his career before we signed him in the hole behind the striker, so play him on the left go figure.

this is a different league to swansea and reading though to be fair. different style as well

 

[NaijaSpurs]

He's played there occasionally for both Hoffenheim and Reading. He does prefer playing in the middle but he doesnt do enough there as far as i'm concerned.

I thought we bought him on the basis of his performances and goals for Swansea where he played in the "hole"

 

[NaijaSpurs]

But we are playing a loan central srtiker who thrives on crosses, yet we have not given him the service this season

 

[Modric THFC]

I thought we bought him on the basis of his performances and goals for Swansea where he played in the "hole"

No Levy bought him on the basis he was young and cheap. He thought the new manager would find a place for him somewhere.

 

[Mumorn]

No Levy bought him on the basis he was young and cheap. He thought the new manager would find a place for him somewhere.

weren't we linked with Siggy when Redknapp was here. Redknapp was then sacked replaced with AVB but we still signed him. Same with Vertonghen.

 

[Modric THFC]

But we are playing a loan central srtiker who thrives on crosses, yet we have not given him the service this season

Adebayor or Mido

Because Soldado doesn't thrive on crosses.

 

[the dza]

nasri isnt more mobile than sig though...he just has a lower centre of gravity but as far as actually moving into a position / space that you need to occupy they are about the same.

verts and kolarov BOTH dont have blistering pace , and yet you seem okay with kolarov just because he plays further up the field than verts....but dont you see thats a positional issue....despite the fact that niether of them have speed that much one of them makes it acceptable for you and the other doesnt ..it just so happens the one you are okay with averages about A zone or two further up the field

the same with gibbs, he doesnt use his speed that often ...he just gets into position early and urgently....and gets into those positions a lot more than our guy

i will say one thing that seems to be forgotten......verts is actually playing well out there. i am not sure what the problem with verts at left back is..he is doing a great job right now

i am not saying that pace doesnt have its benefits, but thats not the root cuase of our problem...it just papers over the problem

Verts is doing a good job, he did a great job with Lennon infront of him though. Verts and Sig is a crap partnership and my reasoning is a lack of pace. Perhaps I should add pace AND natural width (i.e. a player who will get to the by-line at some point).

Partnerhips I think are/would be decent for us down the left:

Rose LB, Sig/Chadli/Eriksen infront
Vert LB, Townsend/Lennon infront
Naughton LB, Townsend infront (my least preferred option).

IMO, the other partnerships = non-existent left side going forwards. I don't give a f**k what other teams do, that's what my eyes tell me when I watch our players.

 

[Modric THFC]

Verts is doing a good job, he did a great job with Lennon infront of him though. Verts and Sig is a crap partnership and my reasoning is a lack of pace. Perhaps I should add pace AND natural width (i.e. a player who will get to the by-line at some point).

Partnerhips I think are/would be decent for us down the left:

Rose LB, Sig/Chadli/Eriksen infront
Vert LB, Townsend/Lennon infront
Naughton LB, Townsend infront (my least preferred option).

IMO, the other partnerships = non-existent left side going forwards. I don't give a f**k what other teams do, that's what my eyes tell me when I watch our players.

Townsend left back behind Chadli would be my preferred combination.

 

[the dza]

Townsend left back behind Chadli would be my preferred combination.

Lennon as a right-back in games where we are pouring it on (but can't break through) is something I'd like to see tried. Infact, I think African Spurs might have posted about that in the past.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

We had loads of room there today but Siggy kept in drifting into the middle - I've rarely been impressed by him but if this sing his position then I'm not sure what is as he deviant strike me as a number 10

Either way why don't we play players on the side that suits their strongest foot and see?!?!? It worked alright a few seasons ago and means we have some pace wide with Townsend on the left and Lennon on the right. I'd love to see us try some old fashioned simple football rather than this inverted wingers ********

 

[Moby]

Lamela will score goals, and help link up closer with our poor abandoned striker. Therefore for me, i'd like to see;

Lennon (RW) Lamela (2nd ST) Townsend (LW)
Soldado (ST)