What Tactics Should We Use

[barnes10]

i think the reason we're playing crap is the mascherano, gerrard, torres triangle has had no time together and keane is 'settling'/being played out of position.

mascherano missing - no attacking fullbacks and a limited alonso
gerrard missing is no extra spark of quality/goalscorer
torres can't do it all on his own.

i firmly believe that keane has to take the role gerrard played last season or he might as well not have signed. yes he can fit into the team in any position in an emergency but surely we want a 20mill player to excel no? for me gerrard can drop back (a bit) with masher and that leaves us to fill those lovely wide positions. since we're looking to have covered the left with riera, i'd happily play kuyt or babel on the right with them switching with riera throughout games. I think the kuyt struggles as we have next to no threat down the left and with greater balance, that job is shared and he'll look a lot better and have a good bit more space and time.

[saj]

Doesn't stop him getting 10 goals and 5 assists in 25 starts and 15 sub appearances.

Doesnt stop Aimar being quality he isnt exactly built.

Play Benayoun in the right position you will reap the awards. Play him as a winger which he is not then just watch him fade.

Who did he score those goals against? How many games did he score those goals in? He scored in 6 games and to my memory only scored one winning goal and that was against Wigan. It's no great achievement scoring a hat-trick when your team has scored 8 goals in total (remember Besiktas).

[El Jefecito]

Id go for this, I think using 2 center midifelders in stopping us attacking and ithink we need to worry less about our defence as it is good enough to be able to just have Mascherano in front of it. When away against a stronger team, then possibly play 2 defensive midfielders but against most teams i think we should be playing this.

You can't play SG in a 2 man midfield, we'd get over-run and he'd spend too much time having to defend when all he should be focusing on is attacking.



-------------Torres-------------

Riera----------SG------------Keane

--------El Jefecito------Lucas------

Dossenna----Agger--Carra----Degen

-------------Reina--------------

That's my hope for this season. Judicious use of Babel/Kuyt etc.

[Abro100]

You can't play SG in a 2 man midfield, we'd get over-run and he'd spend too much time having to defend when all he should be focusing on is attacking.

I think it would work aganst lesser teams then play 451 against bigger teams and rely on torres getting a chance

[NicoBernetini]

Who did he score those goals against? How many games did he score those goals in? He scored in 6 games and to my memory only scored one winning goal and that was against Wigan. It's no great achievement scoring a hat-trick when your team has scored 8 goals in total (remember Besiktas).

Now answer how many times he started behind the striker and how many on the wing...

[Bari]

What's the point of discussing Tactics when Rafa was thought of & implemented every conceivable tactic know to man in every subject know to man.

[rage]

You can't play SG in a 2 man midfield, we'd get over-run and he'd spend too much time having to defend when all he should be focusing on is attacking.



-------------Torres-------------

Riera----------SG------------Keane

--------El Jefecito------Lucas------

Dossenna----Agger--Carra----Degen

-------------Reina--------------

That's my hope for this season. Judicious use of Babel/Kuyt etc.

el jef why spend 20 million on a striker and play him on the right? if anything torres would be better where you've put keane as at least he has pace and can attack well from that position.

i see that you have expectations of degen and i agree we need attacking full backs to make the most of this formation. no idea how lucas makes the team mind. Providing degen and riera deliver i'd play

reina
degen carra agger dossena
alonso masch
gerrard keane riera/babel
torres

[saj]

Now answer how many times he started behind the striker and how many on the wing...

Behind the striker? What makes you think he should have started behind the striker last season, in the place of one of the best players in the world? A player who got 22 goals and almost as many assists? Do you know what that player is called because I've forgotten his name?

[El Jefecito]

el jef why spend 20 million on a striker and play him on the right? if anything torres would be better where you've put keane as at least he has pace and can attack well from that position.

i see that you have expectations of degen and i agree we need attacking full backs to make the most of this formation. no idea how lucas makes the team mind. Providing degen and riera deliver i'd play

reina
degen carra agger dossena
alonso masch
gerrard keane riera/babel
torres

Well as you know I've lost faith in Xabi and I think Lucas is mobile enough to provide better cover for the FBs than Xabi, I also think he'll add more on occasional forays into the final 3rd.

Torres might be better out wide than Keane but Torres is twice as good as Keane in the middle. So he stays. The Keane things doesn't make sense I know, but of the players we have that's how I'd line them up.

And re: Degen they are hopes not expectations.

With the players we have it's obvious the attacks are going to come from FBs and the front 4, so I'd setup as attacking as possible in those positions as possible and as solid as possible elsewhere. If in those other positions we get the odd bit of playmaking from for example Agger / Lucas then all well and good.

[NicoBernetini]

Behind the striker? What makes you think he should have started behind the striker last season, in the place of one of the best players in the world? A player who got 22 goals and almost as many assists? Do you know what that player is called because I've forgotten his name?

Sure Gerrard would have got almost the same anywere across the 3 man line behind torres.

Just want to know how many he did start behind the striker?

So in other words you would be sayin if you put Reina up front and he didnt score then sack him off even though he is quality in goal?

[saj]

Sure Gerrard would have got almost the same anywere across the 3 man line behind torres.

Just want to know how many he did start behind the striker?

So in other words you would be sayin if you put Reina up front and he didnt score then sack him off even though he is quality in goal?

No because Reina is a goalkeeper and only a keeper. Whereas Benayoun does not have a defined position - he can play in many positions such as the wing, midfield or in the hole. The fact is he has not delievered on either wing and has rarely played well for us.

[the rev leeroy brown]

if rafa wants the full backs to give us width then i'd go:

-----------------reina----------------
------carra-----skrtel-----agger-------
arbeloa-----------------------aurelio
-----------xabi------mash-----------
---------------gerard-------------
----------torres------keane------

but as i'm not the biggest fan of 3-5-2 i'd prefer to go with:

------------reina-----------
arbeloa--carra--skrtel---aurelio
---------masher--xabi-------
gerard------keane-------babel
----------torres------------

just stop playing keane at left wing ( or near enough left full back at times yesterday ), TELL gerard to play right side, give babel freedom to go at people down the left, let masher win the tackles and xabi spray the passes. gerard can fill in at times centre mid and babel can go right wing and riera left wing. if we really really have to rest torres or keane we can use lucas ( who was **** buy the way at the weekend) in the advanced midfield role.

[NicoBernetini]

No because Reina is a goalkeeper and only a keeper. Whereas Benayoun does not have a defined position - he can play in many positions such as the wing, midfield or in the hole. The fact is he has not delievered on either wing and has rarely played well for us.

He does have a defined position behind the striker. Its not that hard to understand.

Im sure Reina CAN play upfront, or Gerrard CAN play in goal not their best position though and they wouldn't be very good at it, so you base them on when they play in their proper position and then judge.

[saj]

He does have a defined position behind the striker. Its not that hard to understand.

Im sure Reina CAN play upfront, or Gerrard CAN play in goal not their best position though and they wouldn't be very good at it, so you base them on when they play in their proper position and then judge.

Who defined this position? Where does it say it? On Wikipedia (a website that can be edited by any member of the public)?

[The_weatherman]

Who defined this position? Where does it say it? On Wikipedia (a website that can be edited by any member of the public)?

On the box he came in