One up front next season

[BigBed]

We had to play with a tennis ball at junior school, otherwise your tactics bring back some good memories

Us too!
I remember going for the header many times, and then realing in pain, and sitting all afternoon whilst your head throbbed, or your eye slowly turned into a plum!!

 

[Davalon]

Tbf goalie wag seems to be all the rage in the Prem these days

 

[Woodwardfan]

I think Norwood and Fleck will have all on to cope with counter attacks if we don't adapt. I wonder whether Lundstram's time has come. Holding midfield should be well within his capabilities and that would save cash for elsewhere.

Yes, for away games and certain home games we will have to be pragmatic for long spells of games but there can always be a Plan B and C, not necessarily just with the formation but also with the players from the bench.

 

[Geordie Blade]

I hope we stay true to “the Sheff United way” [(c) John Egan 2019]. It’s been fantastic to watch for three years and I’d much rather go down fighting our way than slip into Pulis style ‘half-success’. I think we’ll surprise a few too. Yes, we’ll come up against some good sides, but a lot of them really aren’t that good. Positivity and team spirit count for a lot more than people realise.

 

[fireblade]

I hope we stay true to “the Sheff United way” [(c) John Egan 2019]. It’s been fantastic to watch for three years and I’d much rather go down fighting our way than slip into Pulis style ‘half-success’. I think we’ll surprise a few too. Yes, we’ll come up against some good sides, but a lot of them really aren’t that good. Positivity and team spirit count for a lot more than people realise.

Couldn't agree more. Lets play to our strengths as often as we can, and make the opposition adapt to try and counter our system. That way, they will have players not playing their usual formation/position, which in turn will nullify some of their threat.
I'm sure there will be established Prem players just as baffled by our system as some of the Championship players were, even after viewing videos and knowing what to expect.
Eden Hazard already shat his pants at the thought and moved on.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

I’d hope for some games we’ll tweak into a 3-5-1-1 or even a 3-3-3-1, with the addition of a mobile DCM, flatter MF and a loan lone forward. For the majority it’s a case of as you were.

 

[AnglesWithDirtyFaces]

It is going to be fascinating to watch the tactical formations/plans that CW/AK come up with to try and win matches in this league

Yeah Fred, it will be interesting to see formations we do play. I don't think we should change to suit other teams, we should stick to what we are doing well and let the opponents worry about us.

 

[beatific blade]

A concern I have is that last season,as good as it was we were sometimes outplayed in midfield, at home against weaker opposition, I'm not saying the majority of matches or time but it happened more than I was comfortable with

Given that we were behind for less than 60 minutes of 23 home games combined, I am struggling to understand your ‘concern’.

When did this happen?

In which home games were we ‘overrun’?

Which ‘weaker teams’ overran our midfield at home?

Perhaps in periods of games against the likes of Swansea, West Brom and Leeds, but it’s a game involving an opposition so this is expected within games...

Your concern seems to be a complete myth, given the evidence.

We had the best goal difference in the league, the joint-best defence and the best home record.

Put a nappy on.

 

[super_pig]

Agreed. The overlapping CBs are great but they leave you exposed elsewhere (oo-er!) and Prem sides have the pace to rinse us on the counter. A huge step up IMHO, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.

where did all of this let in goals to the counter attack schtick come from? how many goals did we concede to counter attacks last season??

none.

 

[beatific blade]

where did all of this let in goals to the counter attack schtick come from? how many goals did we concede to counter attacks last season??

none.

Probably the 4-5 Fulham game at home after the Coutts injury.

Perhaps people could point to the 4-1 cup game against Leicester when they blew us away with pace.

It’s a fair point though. Our biggest weakness in my opinion is if a team with an equally bold approach goes 3v3 up front against us (like Liverpool with Salah Mane & Firminho).

Apart from that I think we have been able to deal with all other types of set ups.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Given that we were behind for less than 60 minutes of 23 home games combined, I am struggling to understand your ‘concern’.

When did this happen?

In which home games were we ‘overrun’?

Which ‘weaker teams’ overran our midfield at home?

Perhaps in periods of games against the likes of Swansea, West Brom and Leeds, but it’s a game involving an opposition so this is expected within games...

Your concern seems to be a complete myth, given the evidence.

We had the best goal difference in the league, the joint-best defence and the best home record.

Put a nappy on.

We were overrun by Brentford at home, if I remember correctly. It was like they had an extra man in there.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I accept we have a way of playing but would playing one striker with Mcgoldrick in an advanced midfield or anyone else for that matter be a good option? We are obviously going to be up against it and playing five in midfield could be a good option, need the players to fit in obviously but I wouldn't see it as being negative

For the ones that listen to what CW says, he has already mentioned about possibly having to tweak how we set up next season.

For me that means one of two changes - perhaps both.

One is a deep sitting midfield player, in front of the three centre halves - ie: John Obi Mikel type of player.

The second is a 3421 formation. To be fair McG has dropped deep a lot last season, so in effect we have inadvertently played 3421.

As mentioned before, i'd like Bowen from Hull as one of the 2 no 10's and the other to be shared between Duffy and McG. The up top player ideally needs to be someone new also - loan or purchase.

It's vital we score goals, it's vital we don't get picked off by pushing on and then hit on the break with pace.

I'd love to see 3421 initially, get some points on the board, gain some confidence early so that our players can see that we actually can belong in this league.

UTB

 

[BritishSteel]

If we are playing one up front may I suggest the club puts in a cheeky bid for my dog Yuki , a Japanese Akita. Tell him the ball is his and that he is a good boy. Nobody from any opposition side will dare go near the ball for the full 90 minutes.

Forget all this £40k a week nonsense. He will do it for a 1 big steak and 2 hours of belly rubs a day.

 

[Boxer Blade]

Given that we were behind for less than 60 minutes of 23 home games combined, I am struggling to understand your ‘concern’.

When did this happen?

In which home games were we ‘overrun’?

Which ‘weaker teams’ overran our midfield at home?

Perhaps in periods of games against the likes of Swansea, West Brom and Leeds, but it’s a game involving an opposition so this is expected within games...

Your concern seems to be a complete myth, given the evidence.

We had the best goal difference in the league, the joint-best defence and the best home record.

Put a nappy on.

I'm saying tough guy it was at times in certain games, Bolton was one, not for the majority of the game but for too long, my "concern" is to do with the coming season, hence a comment about playing five in midfield, now go and hide behind the sofa.

 

[blade too long]

We will go with our current system

Let them worry about coping with us

Why fix something that's working

 

[Sheff de party]

No way, he drops deep himself more times than not. If you are playing one up front Goldie is not that player.

Agreed. If McG is up top on his own we’ll never score. Billy would be a far, far better shout. He can hold it up and is a natural goal scorer. McG needs to pick the ball up deeper.

 

[beatific blade]

We were overrun by Brentford at home, if I remember correctly. It was like they had an extra man in there.

Which is an exception, given that we had 10 men for 65 mins and therefore allowed Brentford more space in midfield to be more compact in our own final third.

We weren’t ‘overrun’ in the game. It was just the state and nature of that game and the circumstances within it.

The only team that has ‘overrun’ us in midfield a team home was Swansea. And that was the first game of the season. And our midfield that day (including L. Evans & Lundstram?) only played for two games before being transformed with Norwood.

The team we have has not been ‘overrun’ by anyone at home.

We were behind for 60 mins out of over 2000 mins played at home this season.

You don’t do that by being overrun in midfield on an ‘uncomfortable’ number of times.

This assertion is bollcks which is why I questioned the logic and evidence behind it

 

[beatific blade]

I'm saying tough guy it was at times in certain games, Bolton was one, not for the majority of the game but for too long, my "concern" is to do with the coming season, hence a comment about playing five in midfield, now go and hide behind the sofa.

Not sure we should change the way we play against any PL sides based on your fear of how we played against relegated Bolton

Still don’t understand your concern. There’s no evidence to support it.

Again, we were behind for 60 mins out of over 2000 mins played at home last season.

Why worry about the tiny minority of negative when we have been overwhelmingly the best home team in the league.

Sorry but this is bed-wetting stuff.

I’m off to hide behind the sofa because you don’t agree with me

 

[Boxer Blade]

Not sure we should change the way we play against any PL sides based on your fear of how we played against relegated Bolton

Still don’t understand your concern. There’s no evidence to support it.

Again, we were behind for 60 mins out of over 2000 mins played at home last season.

Why worry about the tiny minority of negative when we have been overwhelmingly the best home team in the league.

Sorry but this is bed-wetting stuff.

I’m off to hide behind the sofa because you don’t agree with me

Ok, fair enough

 

[Harry's Game]

If we think defensively we will certainly go down.

We need to attack the League, particularly at home against teams other than the big 5, and try to pick up wins. I will be very disappointed if the “Leeds away” formation and tactics is employed regularly at home.

 

[JJ Sefton]

where did all of this let in goals to the counter attack schtick come from? how many goals did we concede to counter attacks last season??

none.

We weren't playing the same caliber of team last season. I do hope I'm worrying about nowt. I feel more confident than I did when Warnock took us up.

 

[A Storm of Blades]

The paradoxical magic of tuftyball. You can see the areas of the pitch where we should be getting caught out, but we weren’t. It shouldn’t work, but it does.

I honestly think a portion of it is teams tripping over their own feet trying to counter or exploit our ‘weakness’ even if that isn’t their strength.

 

[blade67]

Agreed. The overlapping CBs are great but they leave you exposed elsewhere (oo-er!) and Prem sides have the pace to rinse us on the counter. A huge step up IMHO, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.

tbf, the overlapping CB trick has been used ever more sparingly as the season went on.

It's certainly been heavily mixed up with options since January.

He's no 1 trick pony, this lad wilder

 

[blade67]

TENNIS BALL.
We 'ad ter mek do wi' an owd sock stuffed wi dead leaves.

My brother seriously played with a "big" pencil sharpener back in the 70's. Honest. Balls were banned

 

[blade67]

where did all of this let in goals to the counter attack schtick come from? how many goals did we concede to counter attacks last season??

none.

Swansea and West Brom at home exploited space down the flanks using pace. maybe the worry is that more teams will be able to do that

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Swansea and West Brom at home exploited space down the flanks using pace. maybe the worry is that more teams will be able to do that

I think Swansea's winner came from a counter. The Ecuadorian winger expoited the space.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Why fix something that's working

because CW has mentioned changing it - some of us are asking the question of how/what/why CW will change it.

UTB

 

[blade too long]

because CW has mentioned changing it - some of us are asking the question of how/what/why CW will change it.

UTB

Obviously there will be changes in personnel. If we get Maupay for e.g. it will offer variations but in a good way. We will still be offensive.
We played slightly differently with madine and Hogan than with Sharp and Mcgoldrick

 

[super_pig]

Probably the 4-5 Fulham game at home after the Coutts injury.

Perhaps people could point to the 4-1 cup game against Leicester when they blew us away with pace.

It’s a fair point though. Our biggest weakness in my opinion is if a team with an equally bold approach goes 3v3 up front against us (like Liverpool with Salah Mane & Firminho).

Apart from that I think we have been able to deal with all other types of set ups.

that fulham game was the season before last

 

[Fulwood Blade]

tbf, the overlapping CB trick has been used ever more sparingly as the season went on.

It's certainly been heavily mixed up with options since January.

He's no 1 trick pony, this lad wilder

We did indeed - there were a few subtle changes during the time after Xmas and it may be the reason why we were top of the form league for the 2nd half of the season.

Wilder has already intimated there will be more tweaking of the system next season too.

For the ones that watched Premier games last season it's quite easy to see where we would/could be exploited - lets hope CW & AK pick the right tweaks.

UTB