Underestimating the fullbacks

[super_pig]

Agreed. it's what gets me confused when people say that Lafferty and Freeman are better than Stevens and Baldock. I don't agree with that, they were playing against farmers in league 1,

well we don't actually know because they've never been tried out

 

[Lmaobob]

well we don't actually know because they've never been tried out

Freeman got injured before we went on that run to the top of the league - Bash & Baldock absolutely smashed it when they covered him

Lafferty's just wank, i speak about him enough - don't really wanna type it again and again and again. Maybe one more time though for good luck - he's wank

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

The thing is, I can't see Wilder and Knill wanting to move away from 3 at the back, it gives us more solidarity against some shit hot, expensive attacks.

So to do that and to add in wingers, by my reckoning you sacrifice one in the middle and one up top, say:

View attachment 42695

Now obviously Woodburn and Duffy can be versatile in the above but it's far from straightforward. Can Clarke play up top alone? Will centre mid be tight enough? Will Fleck be able to influence the game? If only we hadn't sent our two natural wingers out on loan etc...

There is an assumption in this , and on the forum in general , that if you play with a back four then you have to include two out and out wingers . This is not the case , as demonstrated as far back as 1966 by Alf Ramsey's World Cup winning team and perpetuated by any number of highly successful teams since then.

Out and out natural wingers are a dying breed and a luxury that most managers across the world have decided they can't afford to have in their teams . Instead , they have been replaced by what are commonly referred to as 'wide players' , i e , ones who are comfortable with taking on opponents in wide positions but also happy to drift into different positions in other roles .

That is exactly what Brooks did at the Sty with devastating effect and I don't think many would class him as a winger ( at least I hope not ).

We already have two players eminently capable of playing those roles in Duffy and Woodburn and , together with Fleck and A N Other in more holding roles , two strikers and a strong back four ! we would have a team with much more balance , attacking threat and defensive cover than is evident in our present set up .

Whichever way you try to dress it up , what we're doing at the moment is not working and has not been for quite some time , and needs addressing sooner rather than later .

 

[BushBlade]

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

The problem at this level in using Wing backs is that the opposition don't really need the wingers to track back... they cheat and stay up (see montero for the winning goal at the weekend).

The probably is we're now up against quality, pacey wingers, your Adomah's, Traore's, Montero's, McKay's. None of these players really track back and it gives the perfect opportunity to counter attack.

How many times did we see it last season where a team obliterated us on the counter attack after pushing too many men forward.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

In addition we have this HUGE problem where the wing back will push, the Centre Half will support, but rather than the centre half supporting and putting the ball in the mixer, we get the centre half then passing it back to the wing back and we tippy tappy it on the wing.

By the time an ambitious pass or cross is made, we have too many men forward (hardly any in the box) and the oppo are well set up to defend and counter (which they do very regularly).

 

[Lmaobob]

We have changed shape to support extra players on the wing and we are seeing much more of the ball and are in the front foot after their 3rd goal