Football Forum | Ticket Forum | Off-Topic Forum | All

GreenStreetPlayer 11:51 Mon Feb 15
Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

The debate who plays up front goes on.
Seems we have no one suitable or capable of filling the role.
What’s the point of punting the ball up front for the opposition to easily mop and turn into attack. Barring Antonio, we just have not got the personnel.
But what we do now have at last is fast attacking midfielders able to support each other on the break.
I always think play to your strengths, why weaken a player playing him somewhere to no effect.
With Lingard, Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma and Soucek helping out on occasions, there’s enough on offer there to keep the opposition defenders guessing and busy who they should be picking up. You can then add Johnson, Fredericks and Lanzini when need be.
Without Antonio, for now two banks of five for me and hit them on the break.
Play players in positions they are good at.

threesixty 2:25 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

I dont think its a silly idea. People get wedded to what they think a players position is. Its bollocks really. Best to identify the skills of a player and look at what system your trying to play.

I'd like us to keep the ball more and that means having more of a midfield presence. Wing backs give you that.

So given that we have both Lingard, Lanzini and Benny that can play as a number 10 and can dribble etc.. only 1 of them any experience playing on the left i.e Benrahama.

If we want to play the best formation we have played this season (back 3 with Arthur), then its logical to put benny there. Its not as if Benny is scoring a ton either.

I think it could work maybe..

Anyway its not going to happen. Just a thought thats all.

boltkunt 2:20 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Only on WHO would you read someone talking about making our most creative player a fucking wing back.

Staffs-Hammer 2:17 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

"Arthur wasn't exactly defending heavily when he played as wing back."

He's an absolute liability defensively. Playing at wing back with adequate cover "behind" him is his best position. I personally never want to see him in a defensive position for us ever again. It's amazing that he was played at LB so often when it was clear to anyone he couldn't defend.

Effective going forward though and we've missed him in terms of giving us another option and his form before the injury.

goose 2:00 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

sorry wrong season.

15th - 42% BP.

goose 1:58 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

of course he was defending loads.
i've not checked but i'd guess that over the course of the season we spend more time out of possession than in possesion.
that means defending more.

- just checked, 45% possession ranked 16th in the league.

Lee Trundle 1:56 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Hold on a minute, you're actually being serious about playing Benrahma at wing back?!

LOL

threesixty 1:54 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Arthur wasn't exactly defending heavily when he played as wing back. The thing with the back 3 is that its an attacking formation not a defensive one.

What is really happening is that Benny would be playing more in attack, which is what Arthur was doing. We will basically overload the opponents midfield.

Didn't Benny spend most of his time at Brentford on the left wing as well??

El Scorchio 1:42 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Benrahma isn't particularly fast or physical. he'll get bullied out there and I don't see him having the stamina. IMO it's a round peg in a square hole.

Also you're taking away our most creative player from the middle of the park (where he was linking well with Lingard) and sticking him out on the flank where he can't do half as much, so you're weakening two positions at once. If he's in any sort of wide position it's got to be as one of the wide attacking players.

goose 1:36 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

so you wanna take our most creative/flair player and make him defend more?

threesixty 1:29 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Not sure Benny would be wasted as a left wing back. We have Lingard that can play as a 10 and then we can accommodate Fornals on the left who offers a bit more energy.

The key with Benny as a wing back is that just like Arthur he can dribble and keep the ball which allows Creswell to overlap. Benny can track back as well to provide defensive cover.

I think it makes that whole left hand side really hard to defend against in attack.

theaxeman 1:15 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

If you played with wing backs you could play bowen up with Benrahma with Lingard in behind i suppose. Still have to retain possession or it will just come back endlessly

El Scorchio 1:09 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Is he right footed as well? He's not going to have a lot of joy bombing forward on the left then as someone will always have to be wide ahead of him in order for him to not have to stop and cut back to pass the ball infield. And Cresswell is an excellent crosser of the ball so it seems silly to have someone else trying to to that.

Benrahma would be completely wasted playing as a wing back.

Vexed 12:53 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

I like Johnson but his crossing is generally goes the stand.

El Scorchio 12:52 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

If we don't have Antonio, then it's got to be Bowen with his pace. At least he can stretch the game outrun defenders and run on to through balls.

The others are just going to have to bust a gut to get up there with him so we can hope to retain possession.

Alternatively of course, we could just not drop so pathetically deep as we did against liverpool and man u. Actually press high (higher than the edge of our fucking area) to put some pressure on the opposition try and get our foot on the ball, control possession a bit and play further forward on the front foot. That will at least negate a bit he issue of having no proper striker. Then there's some hope of making a false 9 work. Probably in that case Lingard. They CAN play- they've shown it this season at times.

threesixty 12:51 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

The thing I feel we are not doing so much of is using the back 3 / overlapping wingbacks.
I feel like we were one of the only teams doing that at the begining of the season. Thats how we destroyed Leicester and Wolves.
It was really hard for teams to cope with Arthur and then Creswell overlapping to get a cross in.

Since then we've been trying to accommodate Haller or deal with Arthur missing and have gone to a more normal 4-3-3. Which seems to just match most of the teams in the league.

We have done well, but I dont think we look as comfortable as we did with a back 3. I just dont know why we dont put Johnson in Arthurs position and carry on? Or Benhrama there?

goose 12:43 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Bowen is probably the closest thing we have to Antonio.
someone needs to offer a threat in behind otherwise their centre backs play 5 or 10 yards further up and squeeze the game.

without someone playing up there the ball will just continuously keep coming back at us.

theaxeman 12:35 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Point is without antonio we have to play a different way

theaxeman 12:30 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

Yea he is but not a battering ram if you see what i mean. You wouldnt just lump it at him

GreenStreetPlayer 12:30 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

goose, who said about them all breaking out and leaving a gap. They share the attacks and when we do push up and back five move up as well, keep as a unit.

goose 12:27 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

if you've got that bigger gap between the two banks of 5 you'll get eaten alive.

Neal Maupay is 100% a centre forward.

Takashi Miike 12:24 Mon Feb 15
Re: Why Do We Have To Play One Up Front If No One Is Capable?

greenstreet, totally agree with you about noble and it isn't a recent thing either. during allardyce's time he would be used in that central role and be basically sitting on the laps of the two centre backs and in doing so, welcome pressure as we never push up enough. the great thing about rice/soucek is the box to box ability and the way they have an understanding as to when to go. having that cunt behind them was like taking your grandmother along on a date with a supermodel

Page 1 - Next