Roy Hodgson's footballing philosophy

[CJ]

i think its zonal as apparently he was the man to introduce zonal marking to the swedes i think.

if he can get babel playing anywhere near his best then it would add a lot to us but i still dont know what his best position is one thing is clear though i cant see him playing any more games on the left.

if they can get him playing up front or on the right then we might have a player. kuyt is under threat for me unless he moves up front with torres but he doesnt have enough pace to threaten in behind and i can see him being one of the victims of hodgson.

another interesting one is lucas. will he get more freedom under hodgson to go forward.

there are lots of questions and hodgson is trying to figure out the answers. lets give him some time and see what he comes up with.

NO no no no Rafa is the only man in the world that uses this silly zonal marking that doesnt work

i think you can quote anyone from sky on that.

[alunevans]

He's an experienced, competent manager with international experience. He's also a very decent bloke and most players would play for him I reckon.

Clearly he's also something of a thinker about the game and an educator too.

Let's just get behind him and see what the fella does over a reasonable time frame.

Round pegs in round holes? That'll do for me.

I don't expect any instant change in fortunes either so let's not smother the man with daft expectations. Stats show that it takes at least 12 months for a manager to have an impact at a new club.

Let's see where we are after a few years.

In the meantime, whether he was our first choice or not, we have a quality human being in charge who is a perfectly reputable football manager, and is more than deserving of 100% support from the terraces.

[Fan65]

NO no no no Rafa is the only man in the world that uses this silly zonal marking that doesnt work

i think you can quote anyone from sky on that.

[Mostar]

I think it is pretty clear he will play with 4 at the back, with only one full back getting forward at any time. I like this approach. I'm all for pressing teams but three at the back at anytime keeps us solid.

He also likes wingers who keep to their position. Anyone who watched England will see how Gerrard on the left wing sometimes had England over exposed or short of width. This will not happen under Hodgson.

It also has me question on whether or not Kuyt will be employed as a winger. I think his days on the right are numbered tbh and I for one would be delighted with this. He likes mobile players on the wings who can stick position but also get in the box when the ball is on the other flank to provide options. I'm not sure Kuyt fits the bill.

He has the two central midfielders as equals. He does not have a ball winner and a ball player. both get involved. They provide cover for the back four but they also get attacks started. Does Mascherano fit this system? Would Gerrard be an ideal player for this position? All questions that need answering.

After that it is down to whether he goes with two strikers up top or just the one. He mentions he prefers two, but only if they are good enough and available. Again this could lead me to think that omeone like Kuyt or Babel could be moved to a more forward role, or possibly have him purchasing a striker or two.

I think if we were to deploy a system that played two strikers, LFC would be a bit short in that area. With limited cash funds that could cause a problem. As I said we have the likes of Babel, Kuyt and also Jovanovic who could be moved to a central striking position to add to Torres and N'Gog, but moving them there would leave the wings short, especially if Yossi was to leave.

Also, are Kuyt, Babel and Jovanovic good enough to play as central strikers?

Plenty of questions that need addressing.

If he'll play 4-4-2 formation or any other one with 2 strikers I cannot see how Kuyt will keep his place in starting 11 and that is just fine by me too.

[Neil Young]

You win some, you lose some.

[dww]

I think Kuyt is pretty clearly a very useful second striker.

[Mattshark]

I think Kuyt is pretty clearly a very useful second striker.

I think a lot of people simply write him off because he isn't spectacular.

[the rev leeroy brown]

we'd be mad to get rid of kyut. the man plays for the jersey. he gives 100% every game. fair do's he isnt the best and never will be but as a second striker, wide on the right or even as a lone man up top he is always going to chip in with some valuable goals and assists. i wouldnt sell kyut if i was roy. i'd look to buy more like him now more than ever.

[Mostar]

I think a lot of people simply write him off because he isn't spectacular.

He is a good squad player and to me that is it. He really should not be the starter. No one denies his work ethic but he is not creative enough, fast enough and in general not skilled enough to be on the pitch with likes of Torres, Stevie etc from the first minute.

[Mattshark]

He is a good squad player and to me that is it. He really should not be the starter. No one denies his work ethic but he is not creative enough, fast enough and in general not skilled enough to be on the pitch with likes of Torres, Stevie etc from the first minute.

I think his assist record says other wise. He does any excellent job for the team.
And not just for us, but for Holland too.

I think you will also find he was a damn sight better than Gerrard last season.

[red g]

i really hpe we keep kuyt, hodgson says himself keeping players who are good for squad etc.

I will be happy if Hodgson doesnt use him as much as Rafa though

[The_weatherman]

Why does everyone assume he'll play 442? The only way I see him playing 442 is actually if Kuyt plays supporting striker, which might as well be 451.

[Mostar]

I think his assist record says other wise. He does any excellent job for the team.
And not just for us, but for Holland too.

I think you will also find he was a damn sight better than Gerrard last season.

I personally think other players including Babel (yes Rev Babel too) would do better in terms of scoring and/or assists if given enough playing time. To me he is mediocre the best.

He was completely invisible yesterday against Brazil ( except one touch = one assist) but in fairness he was played on left, which is clearly not his best position.

Yes compared to Stevie he had a better season but truly Stevie was awful last year.

[Mattshark]

I personally think other players including Babel (yes Rev Babel too) would do better in terms of scoring and/or assists if given enough playing time. To me he is mediocre the best.

He was completely invisible yesterday against Brazil ( except one touch = one assist) but in fairness he was played on left, which is clearly not his best position.

Yes compared to Stevie he had a better season but truly Stevie was awful last year.

I think the stats very much go against you in terms of Kuyt, he does an excellent job for us.

Babel hasn't got the intelligence nor the work rate, the only thing he has over Kuyt is pace.

[dww]

Why does everyone assume he'll play 442? The only way I see him playing 442 is actually if Kuyt plays supporting striker, which might as well be 451.

People assume it because it has been the basic formation that Hodgson has always used. That said though he often employed the likes of Dempsey in attack at Fulham which made it a more flexible formation. I agree with the idea that having a second nominal striker doesn't necessarily mean a formation in which both operate high up the pitch.

I'm not sure that the tactics of the team are mostly determined by the 3 or 4 numbers used to represent their formations.