If you was AVB what would you have done differently (either tactics, formations or players chosen) given the games that we have played so far?
Saudi Sportswashing Machine (A)
West Brom (H) - Adebayor start for Defoe
Norwich (H) - Adebayor start for Defoe, Dembele start for Livermore, Towsend on for Ekotto and swap Bale and let him attack from deep.
Reading (A) - What comes next? I would go with Adebeyor for Defoe, Dembele for Livermore, Dempsey for Sigurdsson, Carrol on the bench
For me we have just been too predictable. Livermore and Sandro should not be playing together other than very few games or to close a game out. They just don't know what to do when we have the ball, don't have the movement to create space or receive and don't have abilities to create chances. Their individual passing stats might be high but they are playing safe all the time.
I think AVB has also been too loyal to Defoe. There is a time and place for that but for me now is the time to get brutal. Adebeyor starts with Defoe coming off the bench when suitable. Overall I dont think AVD has done that much wrong but now with Dembele and Dempsey available we now have options that were not initially.
Firstly let me say that I think Ade isn't match fit yet and that is why he isn't starting. That pretty much only left us with Defoe.
Secondly, we have to be patient but I am already getting tinkled off with the posters claiming the last two results are acceptable because we are in transition. Transition or not we have the quality of players in that first team that should be beating WBA and Norwich at home. If these were away games I'd be saying both results were decent results, but they aren't. They were at WHL. Transition or no, how many WBA or Norwich players would make our first XI? Hell, how many would even make our bench?!!
What I would have done differently is simple. 4-5-1? gonads to that. I said all season that I hate the formation. It's negative, and unless you have exceptional players it's not condusive to attractive football (e.g. Mourinho's Chelsea were a superb team but brick to watch, even Chelsea fans got fed up of it). Almost all teams that try and play attractive football with it end up being inconsistent. Emirates Marketing Project last year are another prime example. City play with their two holders and score plenty of goals bludgeoning teams (and IMO playing attractive football isn't just about scoring goals. George Graham's Arsenal teams were fudging awful to watch and scored plenty of goals for example). Mancini then tried to switch to a prettier style of play and it almost cost them the title. Utd play 4-4-1-1 and have dominated English football for years playing it. Even City seem hellbent on switching away from 4-5-1 this season (perhaps an order from high that they have to be more attractive?).
So my first difference is simple. Play 4-4-1-1 (or 4-4-2 as it used to be known until FM/Sky completely brainwashed the macaronic with so called different formations). And that means playing VDV is his best position. The Sheringham/Cantona position. I always felt that Modric's presence in the side sort of held VDV back anyway. The best way to play a 4-4-1-1 (IMO) is to lock up central midfield a little bit and allow that "number 10" to pull the strings. Utd did it with Keane/Ince. One of our most effective teams was the first 12 months under Francis. That first few months we had Popescu/Howells in the middle for example. By having a balanced team and playing with two banks of four, you could still play two up top with one of them being VDV roaming and get the ball to the wings fast. Basically the team AVB should have been looking to play this season should have been (although I freely admit I'd replace both full backs if I could):
--------------Friedel--------------
Walker---Dawson---Verts----Ekotto
Lennon--Hudd-----Sandro------Bale
---------------VDV---------------
--------------Ade-------------------
That team right there is a top four challenging side. Even taking out Ade for Defoe for the first few games is STILL a top four challenging side. One thing we lack is playing early balls from midfield (it allowed us to keep possession last year mind you) and Hudd rectifies that by playing the ball early to the flanks. That should theoretically mean the wingers get the ball earlier and there have more space to run at defenders. Then you consider Parker is to come back too. Dembele's signing means he could replace Hudd in the centre and you have a team that looks good for 4th.
But that is gone now. VDV's departure has changed everything. The only two formations we can realistically play now are 4-5-1, and a the old fashioned 4-4-2 (big man, little man) up top. So with that in mind our midfield central three has to be Sandro/Huddlestone/Dembele.
