Switch to a 442 the rest of the way

[jloome]

...because two upfront seems a more likely combo to score than one and five in the mid.

Seriously, as offensively gifted as some of our players are, the very fact that Mo Edu is leaving for the Olympics in a month means we're going to likely be moving to Guevara and Robinson in the midfield anyway. We'd be better to rotate him and robinson, or just have him back up robinson (which, based on his spotty play this year, might be the better option) than continue to try feeding one guy and a couple of marauding wingers.

It hasn't worked, which is why Carver seems interested in the 433 now. But I don't think anyone's going to expect Guevara to score 10 every season, and it makes more sense to have Ibee start working with a strike partner now, even if it occasionalyl has to be Cunny instead of Dichio or Smith.

So, for the benefit of the fact that most of these guys have been 442 players for 90% of their careers and for having two direct attacking options at all time, I suggest:

----------Sutton-----------
Velez (wynne -> olympics) Tebily-James-Brennan
Ricketts ----Robinson-----Guevara-----Robert
----Smith/Dichio/Cunny----Ibrahim.


thoughts?

[Northern Soul]

I like 4-1-2-1-2 better

----------Sutton-----------
Wynne (when avail)-Tebily-James-Brennan
-----------Robinson----------
Ricketts----------------Robert
-----------Guevara----------
--------Dichio----Ibrahim-----

Saying that...we still need a striker or 2.

[jloome]

Yeah....I'm old school brit on these things mate, so that's a diamond 442 to me (which is really what a 442 with zonal defensive coverage is anyway, if you think about it.)

But even if we don't sign someone relatively soon, I think we need two up top. Plus, Ibrahim is a scary talent -- anyone else have their feed still going last night when he threaded that 30-yard through ball to Cunningham?(insert hatred joke here).

[Ossington Mental Youth]

I think the only reason we've been losing is a) a lack of a quality striker (or two) and b) we cant clear the fucking ball c) we need to play our top 11 regardless of how a sub has done

Other then that i think our formation is fine (for the most part)

[giambac]

...because two upfront seems a more likely combo to score than one and five in the mid.

Seriously, as offensively gifted as some of our players are, the very fact that Mo Edu is leaving for the Olympics in a month means we're going to likely be moving to Guevara and Robinson in the midfield anyway. We'd be better to rotate him and robinson, or just have him back up robinson (which, based on his spotty play this year, might be the better option) than continue to try feeding one guy and a couple of marauding wingers.

It hasn't worked, which is why Carver seems interested in the 433 now. But I don't think anyone's going to expect Guevara to score 10 every season, and it makes more sense to have Ibee start working with a strike partner now, even if it occasionalyl has to be Cunny instead of Dichio or Smith.

So, for the benefit of the fact that most of these guys have been 442 players for 90% of their careers and for having two direct attacking options at all time, I suggest:

----------Sutton-----------
Velez (wynne -> olympics) Tebily-James-Brennan
Ricketts ----Robinson-----Guevara-----Robert
----Smith/Dichio/Cunny----Ibrahim.


thoughts?

I like your lineup and the 4-4-2 format

I would go with one change

I'm proposing a 4-4-2 and no coach. Ban Carver for the next game so he can't fuck up things again. Let him sit in the change room for the game.

[Laurignano]

I like your lineup and the 4-4-2 format

I would go with one change

I'm proposing a 4-4-2 and no coach. Ban Carver for the next game so he can't fuck up things again. Let him sit in the change room for the game.

LOL thats fucking hilarious

[pekduck]

^
Pure entertainment

[Laurignano]

I can't help but laugh.

[joelakeshore]

You really think Ibrahim is ready to start games regularly? I haven't been able to see a full match with him in it yet, but word is he drifts after a while. Sad to say, but Cunny may be the best striking option we have, so I don't know how we'd start a 4-4-2 with Dichio out for the next few weeks and Smith not looking like a real starting striker option.

[jloome]

I like your lineup and the 4-4-2 format

I would go with one change

I'm proposing a 4-4-2 and no coach. Ban Carver for the next game so he can't fuck up things again. Let him sit in the change room for the game.

ok, I gotta admit, that was pretty fucking funny.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Dont think Ibrahim is ready yet as much as some people believe he is, also remember that if we use him for 6 MLS games (not sure how half games count) we owe Dallas a draft pick. Sure hes been great while hes out there but hes 16 and still developing. Carver has said as much

[OneLoveOneEric]

I like 4-4-2, but I don't think a formation change will really do too much, TBH.
They look listless and beaten. To me, they'll look that way no matter how you line them up.
When they decided to mail in the first Canada Cup game, I don't think they realized what effect that would have on morale for the season. Forgive the Premiership analogy, but when Arsenal came to Old Trafford not caring about a "meaningless" cup tie in the middle of the season and got leathered, the wheels fell off for the rest of the year.
Winners try to win every game, because momentum is everything in sport. Our boys don't seem to play that way.

[Northern Soul]

Yeah....I'm old school brit on these things mate, so that's a diamond 442 to me (which is really what a 442 with zonal defensive coverage is anyway, if you think about it.)

But even if we don't sign someone relatively soon, I think we need two up top. Plus, Ibrahim is a scary talent -- anyone else have their feed still going last night when he threaded that 30-yard through ball to Cunningham?(insert hatred joke here).

Fair enough, and I also consider that 4-4-2, but nowadays, they have all different numbering schemes for the formations.

[jloome]

I like 4-4-2, but I don't think a formation change will really do too much, TBH.
They look listless and beaten. To me, they'll look that way no matter how you line them up.
When they decided to mail in the first Canada Cup game, I don't think they realized what effect that would have on morale for the season. Forgive the Premiership analogy, but when Arsenal came to Old Trafford not caring about a "meaningless" cup tie in the middle of the season and got leathered, the wheels fell off for the rest of the year.
Winners try to win every game, because momentum is everything in sport. Our boys don't seem to play that way.

Looks that way to me too, but I disagree with the contention that this is permanent to the player and "winners always want to win". Nobody who competes at that level doesn't want to win.

To me, their listlessness is a function of overconfidence and an overreliance on experience and talent, in a league where work ethic is at a premium. In a couple of these games we've looked like we had good jump, but aren't playing with the same defensive urgency and drive as our opposition -- and once you go down a goal in that situation, it's like pushing a rock up a hill.

But I think it's correctable. Carver can look at the video game all he wants, but I'm sure anyone who's been around the game as a long as he knows at some point he has to light fires.

[ensco]

I have never understood what Carver is doing with Dichio. If he's out there, he needs a second forward with him, as his game is winning headers and making one-touch little passes. Putting Dichio out there as a lone striker (which he's mostly been this year) has always been strange.

The problem is, going with two strikers means Edu goes to the bench. Which maybe needs to happen at this point, but wasn't obviously smart two months ago.

[MadMike]

Once tiebly is back we should try the 3-5-2 formation. We have a pretty decent crop at midfield ... i think. Defenders could be Tiebly-Wynne-James-Jim (if necessary)-or Valez/Marshall (midfield is obvious) forwards , Smith - Danny/Ibbe ???

[ExiledRed]

Winners try to win every game, because momentum is everything in sport. Our boys don't seem to play that way.

This is a sports commentators soundbite and doesn't really stab at the heart of the situation.

Sometimes winning one game and going all out to do so can cost the next game.

If the second game is a 'must win' and the first isn't, should a manager risk his best line up and push his players to go 110% in the first game?

Momentum is an intangible, or wouldn't Manchester United's 'wheels have fallen off' when they lost to West Ham?

[joelakeshore]

I think the only way we're going to get an offensive spark with our current crop is to utilize Guevara's abilities in the 'hole' to the max. When he was in form with the Metrostars he was banging them quite a bit and setting up quite a few as well. I still don't think we've seen his best yet, but if we can utilize him properly, we could see a lot more offensive production from him. With Edu out for the Olympics I'd like to see Tebily, when healthy, over Harmse for DM alongside Robbo, giving Guevara free license to roam behind Cunny and make things happen.

[Bars92]

Dikov and Ibrahim up front.

[OneLoveOneEric]

This is a sports commentators soundbite and doesn't really stab at the heart of the situation.

Sometimes winning one game and going all out to do so can cost the next game.

If the second game is a 'must win' and the first isn't, should a manager risk his best line up and push his players to go 110% in the first game?

Momentum is an intangible, or wouldn't Manchester United's 'wheels have fallen off' when they lost to West Ham?

I agree with the spirit of your comment, but to me you have to be a real top team to be that selective. TFC aren't good enough to pick and choose. United can because they are a top team. TFC need to scrape and claw for wins anywhere they come. It might be a sound bite, but teams need to "learn to win". United, or any other proven team, can be selective because they have utmost confidence in their ability to turn it on when needed. Our lads don't have that at all at this point. You need to learn to win when you're not the best team on the pitch too.
And, yes, I think this situation is correctable. But I disagree with the other posters view that we rely on talent and skill, because I don't think we have such a deep stock of either.
Kanu would help :)

[arbogast]

I like 4-1-2-1-2 better

----------Sutton-----------
Wynne (when avail)-Tebily-James-Brennan
-----------Robinson----------
Ricketts----------------Robert
-----------Guevara----------
--------Dichio----Ibrahim-----

Saying that...we still need a striker or 2.

Right on dude, Diamond formation all the way.

[Wooster_TFC]

Right on dude, Diamond formation all the way.

The problem I see with the diamond and two up front is that you usually use that formation when you want to funnel your attack through the middle with the top of the diamond player being the playmaker. This is no problem for TFC as Guevara will be up top.

The real concern I see here is that you general have a DM and a LM and RM which usually have to be two way players. Neither Robert or Ricketts have shown a propensity to track back, so the diamond puts a lot of pressure on whoever the DM is (Robinson) as well as your back 4. I'm not too fond of putting even more pressure on the defence.

I would prefer a 4-5-1 as we have been playing it but slightly modified.

Wynne----Marshall-----Tebily-----Brennan
--------Edu---------------Robinson-------
-----------------Guevara-----------------
Ricketts----------------------------Robert
-----------------Dichio-------------------

Really, Ricketts and Robert are out and out wingers, and should be pushed up more. Put a two man DM line out there, and have Guevara as the creative link up man between the back line and the attack. Then get a proper striker to line up on this, and suddenly Robert and RR will look fantastic.

[arbogast]

The problem I see with the diamond and two up front is that you usually use that formation when you want to funnel your attack through the middle with the top of the diamond player being the playmaker. This is no problem for TFC as Guevara will be up top.

The real concern I see here is that you general have a DM and a LM and RM which usually have to be two way players. Neither Robert or Ricketts have shown a propensity to track back, so the diamond puts a lot of pressure on whoever the DM is (Robinson) as well as your back 4. I'm not too fond of putting even more pressure on the defence.

I would prefer a 4-5-1 as we have been playing it but slightly modified.

Wynne----Marshall-----Tebily-----Brennan
--------Edu---------------Robinson-------
-----------------Guevara-----------------
Ricketts----------------------------Robert
-----------------Dichio-------------------

Really, Ricketts and Robert are out and out wingers, and should be pushed up more. Put a two man DM line out there, and have Guevara as the creative link up man between the back line and the attack. Then get a proper striker to line up on this, and suddenly Robert and RR will look fantastic.

yep, but DM is Robinson's natural position and can handle the pressure. besides, he's gonna have to when Edu leaves anyway. I think the key is to put Tebily in at CB because VElez is a liability already and even more so in a diamond. I can only see us using 4-5-1 on the road b/c our defense has shit the bed on the road. At home we MUSt play 4-4-2.

[Wooster_TFC]

yep, but DM is Robinson's natural position and can handle the pressure. besides, he's gonna have to when Edu leaves anyway. I think the key is to put Tebily in at CB because VElez is a liability already and even more so in a diamond. I can only see us using 4-5-1 on the road b/c our defense has shit the bed on the road. At home we MUSt play 4-4-2.

The way I see the 4-5-1 lining up is more of a 4-3-3 if you will. Personally I don't think anyone we currently have can play well up front in a 4-4-2, which is why I want Ricketts and Robert playing wide in a 4-3-3 type.