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

Stubbo 6:39 Mon Aug 22
Team vs Villa | What would you change?

With a seemingly universal agreement that 'something' needs to be changed, how would you setup the team against Villa, given current injury situation?

I'd be thinking along the lines of:

3-4-3

----------------Fabianski

-------Kherer-----Zouma----Ogbonna

Coufal----Lanzini/Fornals---Rice---Cornet

----Bowen---Scamacca---Benrahma


Rice may have improved his ball carrying skills, but for the sake of the team he needs to revert to being a CDM first and foremost. We need some guile alongside him with someone that can receive the ball in tight spaces, keep possession, and initiate attacks in a way other than punting it over the top. Lanzini is the closest we have to that, and I'd cover the sacrifice in workrate by bringing in the extra CB.

Ogbonna is fit enough to be in the bench, and what he lacks in pace currently he can make up for in experience...I'd trust him to manage his way through a game, and with 5 subs, if he can only give us 45 to 60 minutes, it's no big deal.

Soucek, Antonio, Fornals and Cresswell simply aren't delivering, and there needs to be a shake up so some of this team start to feel they need to fight for their places.

Cornet has played plenty of times at LWB and it's a way to bring him into the side without losing Benrahma, who deserves to hold his place. Coufal remains our best RWB currently as the most comfortable of the right sided full backs going forward. If we had more CBs available, this might have been Kherer, but at present he's the best of the bunch.

And we have one proper striker in the squad in Scamacca. He has to play.

The biggest risk here is the midfield 2 of Rice and Lanzini...argument could be made to retain Fornals, sacrificing some guile for workrate. But either way Soucek needs to be left out, and changes need to happen to drive the squad to stop sleep walking.

LAF 8:29 Wed Aug 24
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Stubbo…..soz.

LAF 8:29 Wed Aug 24
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

I like your team Stubborn but not sure about Lanzini. Not the player he was.

southbankbornnbred 2:22 Wed Aug 24
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

All this talk of a shirt number equating to a particular role...I get it, of course, and it makes sense to anybody who follows the game even remotely closely. We've all got used to talking about the role of a No.10 or traditional 9.

But some of them don't quite work. So an '8' for example, has never really meant much. More often than not in the 70s it was the second striker, or inside-right if teams used one. Sometimes it was the right-sided midfielder. 8s were bastards because they never really fitted anywhere. Then in the 90s and 2000s the fuckers started cropping up as central attacking midfielders. Football's wanderers. Never trust an 8: you don't know what you're going to get.


But in the modern era, should we also be talking about what a '99' does on the pitch, or a 38?

And what about a Zamorano type striker who wears '1+8'? What role does a 1+8 perform, other than that of frustrated math(s) teacher?

CanningTownWA 10:38 Wed Aug 24
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Fab
Johnson Keher Zouma Palimieri
Bowen Flynn Rice Cornet
Sacamacca Antonio

Stubbo 9:28 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

I'd only play Lanzini now if it was as a deep lying playmaker. He's not got enough to play as the 10 anymore, but is still the most comfortable on the ball, receiving it in tight spaces and playing a pass...which I think you could do if Rice was instructed to stop trying to be an 8 and go back to playing as a 6 in the interests of the team.

It will be interesting to see what Moyes' plan is of we get both Emerson and Vanaken. Not sure where Vanaken fits into a 3-4-3, but he was looking to play that a lot in pre-season...surely he'd have to replace Soucek...which would mean Rice would have to go back to playing true defensive midfield.

If all players were fit, it starts to be an interesting effort to pick a strongest side.

Good that we'll have options on the bench...just need for Moyes to learn to start using them.

White Pony 9:03 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Quite why anybody would stick Lanzini in their team right now is a mystery to me. He’s been shit for ages. Benrahma at least looks lively and willing to take players on at the moment.

GBHammer63 6:11 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Moyes absolutely has to at least acknowledge the areas where there are problems, and before it becomes too much of a gamble for him to try something different.

Areola

Ashby, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Johnson

Rice, Downes

Bowen, Lanzini ( just ), Cornet

Scamacca


A statement of intent that the teams going to change, putting some noses out of joint worked for Ten Hag.

Would at least get us some answers sooner rather than when it’s too late. Probably should have done it for the Brighton game.

the exile 5:48 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Southbank - absolutely, chalk and cheese. The remarkable thing is that even though our recent record against them is utterly dire, somehow we have managed to finish above them in the league the last couple of years. But they came pretty close last year and the way things are looking at the moment they're on course to overhaul us this year.

Kaiser Zoso 5:45 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

It’s heartwarming that they spend time with special needs

Dr Matt 5:43 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

I spoke to David and Kevin - our team will be:

Fabianski
Coufal Zouma Kehrer Cresswell
Rice Soucek Fornals
Bowen Antonio Benrahma

boleyn8420 4:53 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Exile. Primitive and predictable you say, are you describing how we play or Departing Dave as a manager. Oh, I see, both.

southbankbornnbred 4:20 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Exile - all really good points, fella.

Being flippant, I'd say the reason Brighton can do it and we can't is because they sign players who are capable of playing that way. By and large, we don't. We've got the odd one or two - Fornals, Lanzini etc. But mostly under Moyes we've been a big, strong, well-organised and counter-attacking side happy not to have the ball for much of the game.

Brighton are a possession-based side (and a surprisingly good one at that). Chalk and cheese. If you play our way, you sign the likes of Soucek - guys who do their best work off the ball. If you play Brighton's way, you sign tippy-tappy players who can pass and are more comfortable on the ball.

the exile 3:49 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Everyone's going on about the personnel, but I am far more concerned about the way we play. Of course, I appreciate that solving that is more of a long-term solution.

Brighton gave us a footballing lesson at the weekend. Their passing was precise, but the work off the ball was way more important than that. Every player was working hard to be moving into space and be available for a pass, which was making life much easier for the player in possession. It really isn't rocket science.

In contrast, we were constantly hitting long balls for Antonio, Bowen and Benrahma to chase. Obviously, 90% of those were dealt with easily by Brighton's defenders. It's the percentage approach and it's fucking primitive and predictable, easy to defend against. We do it right from the kickoff with a ball back to one of our defenders who then lumps it long for Soucek or Antonio. I would be surprised if there is another PL side that kicks off in this way every time like we do. It's down to the manager and the training and it's either based on an insufficient prioritization of passing or an admission that our players aren't up to the demands of a passing game.

But if Brighton can do it with the players they've got, why can't we?

southbankbornnbred 3:35 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Sorry, that last post was supposed to go on the thread about Moyes staying or not!

southbankbornnbred 3:34 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Don - I'm sure that is a rumour, so it is factually accurate that a 'rumour is going around'.

Unfortunately, it's a rumour most likely started down the pub by some disgruntled fans or a pretend ITK bullshitter. So I'd give it a wide berth.

How, for example, can any credible source know that we'd go after Rodgers when he is still at Leicester (higher up the table than us, more recent trophy winners) and Moyes is still here? That's just some drunken fans thinking ahead and assuming both men 'might' get sacked.

southbankbornnbred 3:27 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Yep, big question marks (in terms of the risk) against players like Scamacca (£35m), Aguerd (£30m) and Cornet (£15m).

Famously, none of those guys were our first choice targets. That doesn't mean they are bad players - in fact, I think one or two of them could turn out to be good for us. But our failure to land a single one of our primary transfer targets is only going to look terrible while we're languishing in the relegation zone having spent £130m.

onsideman 3:17 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

I agree

It does make our recruitment all the more strange when it feels as if everything is a bit trial and error just 3 games in.

southbankbornnbred 3:15 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

What really worries me is that, if the Emerson deal goes through, we will have recently spent £130m apporximately.

And yet we clearly don't look any stronger right now than before we spent that cash.

Obviously, new players will take a while to settle in, so that should change. But these are risky times for Moyes. This spending has to work for him. Soon. And I say that as somebody who thinks he should stay.

southbankbornnbred 3:12 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

OSM,

Difficult one, innit? We don't have many options which, for us as fans, makes it all the more galling.

I think Moyes has to try a few different line-ups - quickly, in the next few games - and see what works and doesn't. He can't keep on the same path, and we don't have too many options anyway. So try both Benny and Antonio out left in different games (with Scamacca down the middle). Try Downes in a few games to light a fire under Soucek etc. Get Emerson into the side ahead of Cresswell (good player, but legs are going).

At the moment, we've had one win in 11 games in the league - and we have no points, no goals and therefore no assists. Despite recently having spent the bigger part of £130m once the Emerson deal goes through.

Some changes have to follow.

onsideman 2:14 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

I get that too southbank, but never with a 6'5" centre forward who possibly needs someone more nuanced alongside him. There have been 2 occasions this season where Bowen would've had a tap in had Antonio seen the pass and not gone for goal

I don't know what the answer is but I agree that the Italian should start

southbankbornnbred 1:34 Tue Aug 23
Re: Team vs Villa | What would you change?

Onsideman - Antonio played as a wide attacking player for Nottingham Forest, as we all know. He's played that position (usually down the right, but not always) probably more often than striker.

I watched him destroy QPR (I think it was) a few years back playing out wide on the left. They couldn't cope with his strength, speed and aggression cutting in from the left. The right back just bounced off him.

Admittedly, it was a Championship game.

I have no idea whether these changes would work. But the thread is about what we'd do on Sunday. One thing is for certain, I wouldn't go with the same. So, for me, that rules out a front line of Benrahma-Antonio-Bowen. Mix it up, go a bit anarchic (so we're less predictable) - and start the big Italian.

Page 1 - Next