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Our Squad Qaulity

The final score clearly flattered them and as people have pointed out we had a host of first teamers out. There is a good 20% improvement in our performance, but I doubt they could play much better than that. Mata was and has been sublime for them.
 
Issue:

Simon_B said:
I agree that you could push Dembele further forward and revert to a 4-3-3, but I don't think Bale and Lennon are suited to plays as wide forwards in a 4-3-3.

Regarding Willian he has definately played there in the past, although with the emergence of Mkhitaryan you are right, that he has been used mostly cutting in from the left.

With a Creative MC, a skilled and pacey AMC/Winger and a striker I genuinely believe the squad would be complete. So close but yet so far.
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Solution:

SteveAWOL said:
Well he lined on the left of midfield for Fulham last season but Dempsey tended to drift inside. He doesn't have the pace to stretch play so when he starts on the left for us it requires a slight change in the system which AVB has yet to quite perfect judging by Dempsey' disappointing performances for us so far this season. Perhaps AVB will find a way to re-jig the team in order to get the best out of Clint, or perhaps he will end up being this season' Pienaar.
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Bale and Lennon as a pair aren't suited to 4-3-3, but Dempsey is an ideal inside forward who will cut in and score a lot of goals (remember he scored more last season from that position than Defoe has ever scored in a season before).


ArcspacE said:
He played in many position - only a few games on the left in fact
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Thought I read somewhere he played on the left 35 games out of 45 last season, with only 10 on the right?
 
we have some good names, but not necessarily the right players to fit in with how AVB wants the game to be played in the attacking area

-Sig and Dempsey work hard, can supply goals but lack pace and dont have a trick or two,

-Lennon is a winger with pace but lacks the intelligence and guile to play infield.

-Adebayor can lead the line but isnt a hard worker and is not a natural finisher.

-Defoe works hard, can finish, but lacks intelligence and cannot interact effectively enough the other attackers

im sure with what we have we will be challenging the top 5 this season but next summer should see further changes made to the squad
 
indianspur said:
-Lennon is a winger with pace but lacks the intelligence and guile to play infield.
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Why would he need to play infield since you've already said he's a winger?

What do you mean by intelligence and guile - he's technical ability is very good, matched with his first touch. More often than not beats his man (often 2!) and his delivery has improved substantially.


Completely off the mark comment, imv
 
ArcspacE said:
Why would he need to play infield since you've already said he's a winger?

What do you mean by intelligence and guile - he's technical ability is very good, matched with his first touch. More often than not beats his man (often 2!) and his delivery has improved substantially.


Completely off the mark comment, imv
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Lennon is a winger by trade who is now being told to play more infield. You know very well what im saying

His technical ability is good. Out of all the players i mentioned i do feel he has the best chance of surviving any cull. However he can be upgraded
 
Simon_B said:
I agree that you could push Dembele further forward and revert to a 4-3-3, but I don't think Bale and Lennon are suited to plays as wide forwards in a 4-3-3.

Regarding Willian he has definately played there in the past, although with the emergence of Mkhitaryan you are right, that he has been used mostly cutting in from the left.

With a Creative MC, a skilled and pacey AMC/Winger and a striker I genuinely believe the squad would be complete. So close but yet so far.
Click to expand...

That change would probably make Huddlestone more useful too.

I think Bale has the tools to play the wing forward. He can be very effective cutting in as long as he remembers to play as a winger most of the time. Lennon I'm less sure because of his goalscoring, but that is improving. If others can add the goals he could well fit in.

SteveAWOL said:
Well he lined on the left of midfield for Fulham last season but Dempsey tended to drift inside. He doesn't have the pace to stretch play so when he starts on the left for us it requires a slight change in the system which AVB has yet to quite perfect judging by Dempsey' disappointing performances for us so far this season. Perhaps AVB will find a way to re-jig the team in order to get the best out of Clint, or perhaps he will end up being this season' Pienaar.
Click to expand...

Dempsey seems better suited to the 4-3-3 than our current formation. Can he operate in the same way from the right. A balance of winger and inside forward on the two flanks could work better than with two wingers.

Edit: I see GB has already said essentially the same.
 
Gutter Boy said:
Issue:
Solution:
Bale and Lennon as a pair aren't suited to 4-3-3, but Dempsey is an ideal inside forward who will cut in and score a lot of goals (remember he scored more last season from that position than Defoe has ever scored in a season before).
Click to expand...

IMO Lennon and Bale are much better players than Dempsey, so switching to a tactic to accomodate a lesser player is not the solution IMO. Dempsey's last two seasons have been impressive in terms of goals, but playing for a team like Fulham is completely different than playing for a top team, where theres little space to operate in. Pace and/or flair are essential for attacking players for top teams as most opposition teams just sit back. Dempsey is a decent player with good finishing and knows how to get in to goalscoring positions, but he lacks pace and flair just like Bentley and Pavlyuchenko did.
 
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Gutter Boy said:
Solution:
Bale and Lennon as a pair aren't suited to 4-3-3, but Dempsey is an ideal inside forward who will cut in and score a lot of goals (remember he scored more last season from that position than Defoe has ever scored in a season before).
Click to expand...

IMO Lennon and Bale are much better players than Dempsey, so switching to a tactic to accomodate a lesser player is not the solution IMO. Dempsey's last two seasons have been impressive in terms of goals, but playing for a team like Fulham is completely different than playing for a top team, where theres little space to operate in. Pace and/or flair are essential for attacking players for top teams as most opposition teams just sit back. Dempsey is a decent player with good finishing and knows how to get in to goalscoring positions, but he lacks pace and flair just like Bentley and Pavlyuchenko did.
 
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Agree with Arcspace's initial post.

I was quite happy with our performance on Saturday given the circumstances. I'd rather lose that way than slipping to 0-1 or 0-2 defeat with little or no belief/effort. The players gave everything, we turned it around and we had them on the rack for 15-20 mins of that 2nd half. Would put that all down to AVB's pressing style - its another string to our bow. Unfortunately we couldn't keep control of the game and you have to give them a bit of credit for that. They stepped up after we'd put them under pressure. We could still have sneaked a draw in the last 10 mins as it was a very even game then. Walker could've been a hero but ended up a villain. I was happy with the efforts employed. No problem, we move on and we go again next week!
 
thfcsteff said:



I se your point, but I think what I'd like to see from Sig is more character, a little more brass in his boots. He was playing a position which is of paramount importance in the system we play, and I think he needs to show more 'front' in it. Of course confidence has a lot to do with it I'm sure; if one of his two excellent chances had flown in, it might well have developed into a commanding day for him. Again, absolutely begging he proves me wrong by easter, but I just have a feeling he won't...
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I see where you're coming from with this Steff. When we were playing QPR a few weeks ago Dempsey was wide left and Sigg central in the first half (Bale was at LB that day). We were very poor, lacking cohesion and unable to retain possession for long periods. Dempsey was getting the bird from the crowd as he'd been poor out wide but at half time I said to my mate I think I'd rather take Sigg off and move Dempsey central to move Bale up the pitch rather than taking Dempsey off. I felt at that point, 1-0 down at HT, hadn't won a home game yet, we needed characters. Dempsey strikes me as a guy with more 'presence'/character than Sigg - I doubt he'd give a brick about getting grief from the crowd. You need those men on the pitch when you're struggling. Sigg had ran around but not really got involved and the game was passing him by. It seems at the moment if the game passes him by he struggles to find a way to impose himself. Rafa used to move around the pitch to get involved. I think Sigg maybe needs to learn something similar. Anyway as Kingdawson aluded to (here or elsewhere I've read) his 2nd half performance against Chelsea was much improved. Hopefully a sign of things to come.
 
Gutter Boy said:
Issue:

Solution:

Bale and Lennon as a pair aren't suited to 4-3-3, but Dempsey is an ideal inside forward who will cut in and score a lot of goals (remember he scored more last season from that position than Defoe has ever scored in a season before).

Thought I read somewhere he played on the left 35 games out of 45 last season, with only 10 on the right?
Click to expand...

According to http://www.eplindex.com/16925/clint-dempsey-statistically-compared-top-strikers-wide-forwards.html Dempsey made 23 starts on the left of Fulham' midfield under Jol's 4-4-1-1 system.

Dempsey-Starting-Positions-Goals.png


Fingers crossed he can adjust to AVB' 4-2-3-1 system and reproduce similar stats for us this season.
 
SteveAWOL said:
According to http://www.eplindex.com/16925/clint-dempsey-statistically-compared-top-strikers-wide-forwards.html Dempsey made 23 starts on the left of Fulham' midfield under Jol's 4-4-1-1 system.

Dempsey-Starting-Positions-Goals.png


Fingers crossed he can adjust to AVB' 4-2-3-1 system and reproduce similar stats for us this season.
Click to expand...

I have seen similar stats elsewhere, might be from the same actual source though, not sure.

I actually thought Dempsey did alright on the left for as long as he played there and I thought he was the better one out of him and Sig. I thought they swapped places because Sig wasn't able to support Defoe properly at all and that and our play improved when Dempsey came into the centre.
 
Bentalab 20
Kane 21
Davies 21
Eriksen 22
Lamela 22
Mason 23
Walker 24
Chadli 25
Lloris 27
Vertonghen 27
Fazio 27

Wow, an average age of about 23.5, that was a relatively young team on saturday
 
NaijaSpurs said:
Bentalab 20
Kane 21
Davies 21
Eriksen 22
Lamela 22
Mason 23
Walker 24
Chadli 25
Lloris 27
Vertonghen 27
Fazio 27

Wow, an average age of about 23.5, that was a relatively young team on saturday
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i was thinking about this too. Saudi Sportswashing Machine also put out a very young team in the previous game.
 
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