The Left Side

[braineclipse]

Yeah I wasnt disputing that he got game time, Im not convinced about how much of it he was out wide on the left for though - I remember him being there a few times under AVB but to be honest the way the whole team was playing wasnt exactly the best opportunity to show what he could do. Anyway, even if he'd played there every game last season I stand by my point that he will be a big asset for us this season....

As for the Demspsey comparison, he had been playing in this league for years - that was a massive help and why its better we judge all our signings this season now theyve got a year under a belt....

I'm not saying he won't be an asset, just that for him to successfully compensate for a lack of target man on the pitch he has to change from last season.

 

[harr1984]

I'm not saying he won't be an asset, just that for him to successfully compensate for a lack of target man on the pitch he has to change from last season.

Maybe, although did we actually play a way to allow for him to be a threat in the box last season ie crosses into the box? I think we could improve in that area from the right hand side, Eriksen is the only one I can recall putting in decent crosses and they would come from the left...

 

[braineclipse]

Maybe, although did we actually play a way to allow for him to be a threat in the box last season ie crosses into the box? I think we could improve in that area from the right hand side, Eriksen is the only one I can recall putting in decent crosses and they would come from the left...

Way more to being a target man than just attacking crosses in the box.

What we lacked without Ade under AVB was someone to aim long balls at that could win headers and hold the ball up. As a result we got very predictable and easier to defend against (imo).

When Chadli did play he was often the one we did aim long balls towards, I thought he did rather poorly given his size with those. From what I remember he kept losing out or not challenging even against players he looked big enough to dominate.

 

[vkn17]

Eriksen on the left and Lamela on the right. So no crosses from the flank and congested midfield, how is this going to work. Didn't people go mental on this board last season under AVB when we played with inverted "wingers" clogging the midfield, not exploiting the flanks?

 

[Cochise]

Going by last night's display, I don't think we will have a "left side" so to speak. We will likely see one of four different players drifting out there during the course of a game

 

[braineclipse]

Eriksen on the left and Lamela on the right. So no crosses from the flank and congested midfield, how is this going to work. Didn't people go mental on this board last season under AVB when we played with inverted "wingers" clogging the midfield, not exploiting the flanks?

Full backs pushing high up the pitch and a central defender dropping in between the centre backs like most teams that play with "inverted wingers" do it?

 

[harr1984]

Way more to being a target man than just attacking crosses in the box.

What we lacked without Ade under AVB was someone to aim long balls at that could win headers and hold the ball up. As a result we got very predictable and easier to defend against (imo).

When Chadli did play he was often the one we did aim long balls towards, I thought he did rather poorly given his size with those. From what I remember he kept losing out or not challenging even against players he looked big enough to dominate.

Ok fair enough, I dont recollect what youre referring to but I do agree he could step up the physical side. Lets see how it goes this year...

 

[vkn17]

Full backs pushing high up the pitch and a central defender dropping in between the centre backs like most teams that play with "inverted wingers" do it?

Didn't AVB try to do exactly that and failed?

 

[braineclipse]

Didn't AVB try to do exactly that and failed?

Not really.

We had two central midfielders more or less holding, but none who regularly stepped in between the central defenders either to make up the numbers for attacking full backs or to dictate play.

To the extent that our full backs pushed high up the pitch they did so with little success. We have already brought in a new left back that I think is a lot more comfortable on the ball.

Also, even if it was the case, just because AVB tried something and it failed doesn't make it a bad idea.

 

[Roy1983]

I would have thought so too based on his size, but last season he provided very little power, aerial threat or hold-up play I thought. Needs to Dempsey it a bit more.



I think Eriksen is much too good and much too young to say that he can only play centrally.

I don't quite see what it is that makes Eriksen unsuitable to starting in a wide position and roaming from there whereas someone like Silva is perfectly capable of it.

But Bale didn't play as a left winger when we sold him...

He was a left winger but had just started flourishing in the centre.

At least you lot don't pick the team jeez lol!! Erikssen on the left is as pointless as Bale on the right - something some were up for as well I remember!!

 

[braineclipse]

He was a left winger but had just started flourishing in the centre.

At least you lot don't pick the team jeez lol!! Erikssen on the left is as pointless as Bale on the right - something some were up for as well I remember!!

One of the people thinking that Bale on the right is a good idea seems to be Carlo Ancelotti and Real paid us a world record fee for Bale to play him on the right.

No kind of argumentation for why Eriksen is so unsuitable to playing on the left then?

 

[Craig_J]

yep must be eriksen left and Lamela right! or Lamela left with Eriksen off a striker!

Lamela left and Eriksen off the striker is the way I see it.

At this moment in time my team would be:

Lloris

Walker
Chirches
Vertonghen
Davies

Sandro
Bentelab

Lennon/ Townsend
Erikkson
Lamela

Soldado/ Ade


Similar to an AVB formation but with us actually going for it rather than dingdonging about hoping the oppositions goal gets chalked off suddenly.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Eriksen on the left and Lamela on the right. So no crosses from the flank and congested midfield, how is this going to work. Didn't people go mental on this board last season under AVB when we played with inverted "wingers" clogging the midfield, not exploiting the flanks?

No one has used crosses for years (except dinosaur Moyes).

Do you remember any successful team at the WC who didn't have inverted wingers?

Can you think of a top level wide player who isn't inverted (other than Lennon)? Lamela, Townsend, Chadli - all the players we are linked with for LWF - Griezmann, Depay, Kono - are all inverted

 

[Roland Beurre]

No one has used crosses for years (except dinosaur Moyes).

Oddly enough, I watched the World Cup final again last night ...

Was that a cross from which the winning goal was scored or just a pass from out wide?

 

[Roy1983]

One of the people thinking that Bale on the right is a good idea seems to be Carlo Ancelotti and Real paid us a world record fee for Bale to play him on the right.

No kind of argumentation for why Eriksen is so unsuitable to playing on the left then?

He can do a job there. Bale can do a job on the right. However, it's not their strongest position IMO. Bale on the right for us was, on the whole, ineffective. Why is he pulling up trees now on the right for Madrid?

 

[Kingdawson]

Eriksen 100%.

 

[braineclipse]

He can do a job there. Bale can do a job on the right. However, it's not their strongest position IMO. Bale on the right for us was, on the whole, ineffective. Why is he pulling up trees now on the right for Madrid?

I get that it's your opinion. My question was if you have some kind of argumentation or reasoning behind it.

Bale was ineffective on the right for us because of the system, style of play and limited time playing on the right. And that he wasn't played as far forward on the right. For me this illustrates that one should be careful about making strong conclusions about which positions are right for young talented footballers.

 

[Superhudd]

Exactly what I said in another thread, he is a powerful physical forward who still has good technical abundance - this is something none of our other wing forwards have. I dont get why some are so eager to offload him, he showed a lot of good flashes of what he can do - everything was so up in the air last season, Im not going to judge any of our signings until a good few months of Poch's reign....

agree, played well I thought. particularly vs Benfica

 

[Roy1983]

I get that it's your opinion. My question was if you have some kind of argumentation or reasoning behind it.

Bale was ineffective on the right for us because of the system, style of play and limited time playing on the right. And that he wasn't played as far forward on the right. For me this illustrates that one should be careful about making strong conclusions about which positions are right for young talented footballers.

You're wrong but that's just my opinion. Take VDV. Christian is a carbon copy of him IMO and I wouldn't want VDV out on the left. It's all opinions but I drink every Thursday with a group of 11 season ticket holders who can't understand why anyone would want him played on the left wing and they go home and away so see the play a lot closer than me.

Play him there if we're short yes but get someone in. For me a winger takes on his man, whips the ball into the edge of the six yard box for the number 9 to slot home and that isn't Eriksen.

 

[Raziel]

You're wrong but that's just my opinion. Take VDV. Christian is a carbon copy of him IMO and I wouldn't want VDV out on the left. It's all opinions but I drink every Thursday with a group of 11 season ticket holders who can't understand why anyone would want him played on the left wing and they go home and away so see the play a lot closer than me.

Play him there if we're short yes but get someone in. For me a winger takes on his man, whips the ball into the edge of the six yard box for the number 9 to slot home and that isn't Eriksen.

Eriksen on the left to me is the same concept as Modric on the left.

Your main playmaker, who is physically small and adapting to a league (and maturing as a player), out left he is less exposed defensively, has freedom to drift in as attacker.

Eventually Eriksen will be in the middle, but it completely makes sense why he's out left now.