Originally Posted by
Gogon
I think you're right about this. Lawrence leaving would leave us worryingly vulnerable. Mr. Inbetween, while I think you've nailed the starting XI, I do wonder about a couple of the positions, starting with left back. I had a quick look at Shane O'Neill's participation in Sounders games and then looked at his profile on footballcritic.com. Shane is a right-footed player who has never played left fullback nor left wingback. In his last 50 games he has played L-CB only 7 times (with Brad Smith as always the left wingback) and has otherwise played CB (34 times) or R-CB (9 times). So while I think you've picked our top 4 defenders, I would guess that if we do ship out Lawrence and don't replace him in-kind, you would see Mavinga and O'Neill switching spots in your setup. Mavinga played predominantly left back at both Rennes and also at Rubin Kazan. It was only when he came to TFC that Mavinga played regularly at CB. Admittedly he's on record as saying he prefers CB. But given our resources sans-Lawrence, I think he'd have to fill in out there and let O'Neill come inside. All in all, a pretty decent backline, maybe as good as any in the league. But, it does make me think there must be work afoot to find a left back, because one injury and we're pretty exposed.
I agree; the first half of the upcoming season is a big opportunity for Shaff to expand his positional options and cement his place in the starting XI. However, I wonder if it will be at left back. Is there a chance we see Shaff playing wide-right up front? Listening to Bob Bradley speak, he has been pretty clear that he favours what he calls "outside-in" attackers. He's even described scenarios where he needs the wide players to know when to cut inside. Of course, this is exactly the kind of player Insigne is - a right-footed player on the left-wing who cuts inside more often than not. A Bradley prototype. Look at how Bradley deployed Carlos Vela at LAFC over his last 50 games (also from footballcritic.com). Vela, a very left-foot dominant player was deployed on the left only 2 times in his last 50 games; he played wide-right 32 times, and up top 16 times. If Shaff continues to be deployed on the left, he will invariably become an understudy to Insigne, and I can't believe that is the plan they have mapped out for Shaff. I suspect we'll see him in the right and we'll see him being heavily coached to cut inside and exploit that rather impressive left foot of his. It just feels to me that's the Bob Bradley modus operandi.