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rochesterjohn 2:41 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

You work with what you have not what you don’t!
To say the midfield should work harder is nonsense, we have what we have and have to work with that not against it! If we had an athletic centre mid then maybe but we don’t and saying try harder isn’t going to make a lot of difference!

Passerby66 2:37 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

But having your holding midfielder just dropping back to centre back does not solve the defensive problem - it just invites the opposition onto you.

If we play a back three then we still keep a defensive midfielder in the middle to try and break up the opposition before they get through to the centre backs and we provide attacking width through the wing-backs.

Our forward three who all perform better in slightly free roles in the centre rather than on the wings can then stay in the middle and potentially even attack some of the crosses coming in (assuming that they beat the first man).

Defensively a back three also solve the problem that Wolves caused us yesterday of overloading our left side by pulling in the full back to cover the centr forward and leaving their winger free for a long crossfield ball.

Nobody is saying that the midfield should not work harder but there are definite benefits to a back 5 with wing-backs.

rochesterjohn 2:37 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

Taking a player out of midfield to play as a centre half defeats the object completely of a 3-5-2.
It is a flexible formation depending on whether you have the ball or not if a midfielder drops back to centre half it restricts the attacking options.
Massive difference of a centre half bringing the ball out and commiting players to one going the other way to make the numbers up.

Mex Martillo 2:31 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

Rochester, at times we were five at the back or 3 CBs with the full backs pushing forward, as you want to see it, Sanchez taking up a CB position. I really do not think more defensive players is the solution. As many others (master, Iron 2010) are saying we need the midfield to work harder and attack and defend.

rochesterjohn 2:21 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

I’ll say it till I’m blue in the face, we do not have the full backs to play a 4-4-2 or any variation,of, until we go 3-5-2 we’ll continue to get over ran in midfield and exposed out wide, it’s as clear as day!
We have the players for 3-5-2 but it means playing an extra centre half (which goes against the geniuses principles) even if we have the perfect ball playing candidate in Rice to play there!
It does mean sacrifing one of the marquee signings but so be it, if we carry on with a 4 he’ll be gone by October anyway!

Hammer and Pickle 2:18 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

Don't agree about Noble - the leadership factor is the main key missing element and at least he provides that.

David L 2:04 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

FFS sake, Noble is part of the problem. Bringing him back is not an option. The fact that he supposedly would "put a shift in" is not the solution. That Chilean wanker needs to do some serious work. Its not just the players that dont care, its him too.

master 2:02 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

Anderson started in the centre.
The reason he ended up left is coz snodgrass and Antonio werent covering the wide areas well enough. Antonio the main culprit as snodgrass was moved over to the left to try and plug the gaps Antonio was leaving.
Basically every combination of players we have for midfield has a severe flaw, be it pace, power, aggression, creativity, stamina, skill, movement etc. Anderson sanchez and possibly yarmolenko may be better than the others but without a complete midfield 5, we're always going to struggle.

Iron2010 1:56 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

The spine of Fab, Balb, Diop and Sanchez actually looks very good.

The problem is that the full backs and and attacking midfield players are either not being told to press high or are refusing to do it. I get the feeling that individual plans are being misinterpreted.

Mex Martillo 1:51 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

Putting more defensive players on is not going to help. It was not the problem.

Playing like Barca? In some ways we did that, but it does not work for us, cannot happen because it involves slow build up that gives time for the defense to get positioned and then you need skillful short passing players (Iniesta, Messi, Suarez) to get through and creat goals.

Our players did the slow build up no problem, but we do not have the players to get through a well set defense and they do not play well enough together, needs some understanding.

We need fast, pressing football to catch them out and force mistakes. So we need our midfield to work harder attack quickly, press players on the ball and defend. So far this season thay have done one or the other or even neither. Yesterday they concentrated on defending and did not show much desire to press and attack fast. Problem is we do not have anyother players, we need the ones we have to play better. I am very disappointed with Wilshere, he should be dropped. Noble could be better, but is slow as well. I think we need to start Yarmolenko, keep Anderson in the middle. I also thought Chicharito and Arnautovic showed some promise together. But really we need that they work harder and show desire to fight and win.

E3 1:16 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

Apart from the total lack of effort the body language from certain supposedly BIG time players (Arnie and Anderson) is fukin me right off. Pellegrini doesn't look like he has it in him to inspire this lot.

moorethanjustananon 1:12 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

Well he played the first half in the middle of the park and was pony so...

Sven Roeder 1:11 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread FT 0-1

He has struggled playing from the left
He played well against Arsenal in the middle
So we put him back on the left

Genius

Passerby66 12:59 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

I have no objections to dropping Anderson if he plays as shit as he did yesterday again - but (although I did not see the matches live) I thought that he had been our best player against Arsenal so it seems s a bit premature to bin him straight away.

Passerby66 12:56 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

moorethanjustananon

I don't have any inherent objections to that formation but I would just worry that it means that we would have 7 defensive players on the pitch as it doesn't lend itself to the fullbacks getting forward and Cressewell is no longer that strong about doing it anyway.

Yes, if the full backs did bomb forward then Rice could drop back into the defence but then it essentially becomes a back 5 anyway.

I definitely agree about pushing Masuaku further forward but just think that he would be better in a back 5 rather than a 4.

I also worry that Yarmalenko, Arnie (and in my case Anderson) play much better when they have something of a free role rather than playing as wide players - as well as that when we cross into the box that there is nobody there to be on the end of it.

Agree with you on the workrate and the fact that we were second to everything in midfield though.

Alex V 12:41 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

>>> Everyone wants to play like Barcelona these days and point to the fact that Inesta and Xavi were small so it shouldn't matter... It does matter - They were once in a generation geniuses...

The key is that it simply wasn't just Iniesta and Xavi. It was Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets/Mascherano. It was a 3 in central midfield.

moorethanjustananon 12:37 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

Not a bad shout Miike

My only thought on Noble after yesterday is, at least he’d put a shift in and fight for the shirt.

Given the lack of quality on the pitch I think we could do with Noble back in there for the next 3 games on work rate alone.

Takashi Miike 12:31 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

Rice should be alongside Sanchez or Obiang. If Pellegrini has to play one of either Wilshere or Noble, play them in the advanced midfield position and move that cunt Anderson back out wide

moorethanjustananon 12:29 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

Passerby66

Not for me - doesn’t address the main two issues from yesterday that were 1) workrate and 2) bodies in midfield.

Actually thought the back four was the least of our worries.

For me the change would be:

——————Fabianski——————
Fredericks Balbuena Diop Cresswell
— Sanchez —- Rice ——- Noble
Yarmolenko —-Arnie — Masuaku

Passerby66 11:58 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

Actually - scratch that I would put Rice alongside Sanchez for this:

---------------Fabianski---------------
----Balbuena---Diop---Ogbonna---
Fredericks-----------------------Masuaku
------------Sanchez---Rice------------=
-----Yarmalenko----------Anderson-----
----------------Arnautovic-----------------

Passerby66 11:55 Sun Sep 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Wolves - Official Match Thread

I have seen everyone mention three at the back and was wondering how it would work 0 but maybe it would in this formation:

---------------Fabianski---------------
----Balbuena---Diop---Ogbonna---
Fredericks-----------------------Masuaku
------------Sanchez---Noble------------=
-----Yarmalenko----------Anderson-----
----------------Arnautovic------------------

5 essentially defensive players (plus goalkeeper). Fullbacks who have to work hard in both defence and attack and a front three who all essentially have a free role to try and pull apart the opposition defence.

This would mean the front three and wingbacks having to work like dogs all game (and I don't know if they have the fitness for this) but would also mean that we could look both attackingly potent and defensively sound if we transition properly.

Obviously this formation would make Snodgrass, Chicarito and Antonio totally redundant as they could not play in the three. It would mean no room for Zabaletta who could not play as a wing back and it would mean no place for Wilshere (though he could slot in easily enough for Noble if he were prepared to work hard).

It still leaves us very reliant on Arnie to have a good game every game unless Perez could cover his role though. So aside from Cresswell who could probably slot in for Masuaku easily enough it would leave us very light on subs without changing the formation.

Thoughts?

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