Team for Villa

[Animis]

36 minutes ago, TrueOwl said:

Would be worth a shot. I'm a little concerned about his perceived lack of pace from Watford fans so I think we'll find that we'll still need Lee in the middle for his defensive work-rate. Maybe Carlos can sell Abdi on the idea of playing right mid when we occasionally play 442 at home provided we promise him a role in his favoured position more often than not away from home and in big games. If he can keep Hooper out of the side and force a change of formation all credit to him. 

 

I think pace is over rated sometimes - Helan and JJ for example: great pace but inconsistent end product. I would rather have quality players who make the ball do the work, as long as players are mobile and 'create space' for example what Sheringham use to do, you can overcome this. I think this applies to Hooper - many times he pulled off from a player last season but we didn't pick him out or wallace resorted to simply crossing it in but that's not his game.

 

 

[richowl]

the defence currently picks itself (highlighting the lack of depth/quality) but CC will have a major headache deciding the starting XI/formation to accommodate such quality players in midfield and attack. 

 

what a problem to have eh!?

Edited July 29, 2016 by richowl

[richowl]

1 hour ago, Holmowl said:

I agree, but the thought of FF, Lee, Bannan and Abdi playing together somehow across the field makes me feel great.

 

And then onto Hooper with Fletcher.......what a front six.

ridiculous quality in that front 6

 

up there with the best the league has to offer. 

 

then you have wallace, matias, melo,joao sat on the bench

[TrueOwl]

20 minutes ago, Animis said:

 

I think pace is over rated sometimes - Helan and JJ for example: great pace but inconsistent end product. I would rather have quality players who make the ball do the work, as long as players are mobile and 'create space' for example what Sheringham use to do, you can overcome this. I think this applies to Hooper - many times he pulled off from a player last season but we didn't pick him out or wallace resorted to simply crossing it in but that's not his game.

 

 

By pace I probably should have said stamina to track back at speed for 90 minutes and be the main playmaker going forwards. JJ had pace but couldn't do it for 90 minutes like Helan. If Helan had the footballing brain of Abdi he probably would have won France the Euros.

 

[IstillhateSteveBould]

Considering Bannan played most of last season as a left midfielder, Lopez has gone and Hutch will be in defence,

 

Wallace Lee Abdi Bannan

 

looks the most likely if we're lining up as a 442. No problems there. Bannan will naturally tuck in leaving Pudil to provide the width.

 

 

Carlos won't push Lee out wide. He only ever played there if we were desperate. And there's no way Carlos will drop him.

 

We'll no doubt see rotation, but if we're starting with a 442, I'd bet that will be our initial midfield.

 

 

[JackSWFC]

19 hours ago, nevthelodgemoorowl said:

14 from 18will be on the pitch. Flexibility and fluidity are now the bye words. We need to stop thinking about our best 11.

This is what I think too. And people saying things like 'you can't drop Hooper/Bannan'. This is how you get round it. It doesn't count as dropping them if they come on as a sub for the last 30 mins for example.

 

Our bench will be strong, and Carlos will use it.

[beloved_aunt]

I've been playing it over in my mind, and can't find any way to pick a balanced side with Fletcher and Hooper in the firs XI.  I think one will be on the bench which is a great option to have.

 

CC wanted to play 4-2-3-1 last year, but McGugan let him down by refusing to play at 10.  Maybe Abdi is his dream singing as a proper 10 who will make it work.

 

Westwood

Hunt Lees Hutch Pudil

Lee Bannan

Matias/Wallace Abdi Fessi

Fletcher 

[richowl]

with the current squad @ Hillsborough I'd like to see..

 

----------Westwood-----------

hunt--hutch---lees--pudil

--------Bannan-----------------

--------------------Lee-----------

Abdi------------------------FF

----Hooper------Fletcher--

 

 

[Costello 77]

10 minutes ago, richowl said:

with the current squad @ Hillsborough I'd like to see..

 

----------Westwood-----------

hunt--hutch---lees--pudil

--------Bannan-----------------

--------------------Lee-----------

Abdi------------------------FF

----Hooper------Fletcher--

 

 

Same here. Cracking team. That should work.

[Animis]

12 minutes ago, richowl said:

with the current squad @ Hillsborough I'd like to see..

 

----------Westwood-----------

hunt--hutch---lees--pudil

--------Bannan-----------------

--------------------Lee-----------

Abdi------------------------FF

----Hooper------Fletcher--

 

 

 

I would, but I suspect CC sees Hunt & Pudil playing as wing backs in a 5-3-2, although maybe this will be more for away games.

[Past Member]

4-5-1

 

             Fletcher

       

FF                            Mathias

       LeeAbdiBannan

 

Pudil      Hutch Lees   Hunt

 

        Westwood

 

        

 

 

 

 

[F. Spiksley]

Westwood

+10

 

 

[Bez]

Very shocking how not one person thinks we need a CDM. 

 

Unless you stop Lee attacking and force him to hold, we are very vulnerable defensively.  You can't force all those players in the team, you have to balance them and they need a dedicated CDM. 

 

Lee and Bannan can't do it - they roam around and get forward. 

[DevOwls Advocate]

Westwood

Hunt - Lees - Hutchinson - Pudil

Lee - Abdi - Bannan - Forestieri

Hooper - Fletcher

Informed by two key lessons learnt from the poor start to last season:

1. Don't underestimate the impact Keiran Lee has.

2. Don't mess with 4-4-2 at home.

In addition to that I would opine:

3. Hooper is our mast natural goalscorer (best minutes played to goals scored ratio), and we get the most out of him when he has a taller striker to play alongside.

4. Forestieri seemed to have a bigger impact on games when he was moved out to the left.

5. For most of pre-season we have gone with 4-4-2, why risk switching to a different formation without seeing it work in friendly games.

[Inspector Lestrade]

I reckon CC is relishing the selection opportunities, gives him the scope to plan ahead, selecting not just for this game but the game afterwards.  He loves to keep the players on their toes, playing different formations, selecting certain players to play against a certain team.

 

He loves the tactical side of management, it wouldn't surprise me if the team changes wildly from game to game.  

 

Hopefully before the Villa game we will get a couple more players in and CC will be drooling long into the night with all the different connotations at his disposal.

 

I bet he's more excited at the prospect than any of the fans  

 

[MrEdwards]

 

This is how I think we will play, not that different to last year, in particular the play 1St play off game against Brighton.

 

In the scenario above we are attacking down the left, if on the right Pudil would drop back a bit and forestieri would be around the D with Abdi further right

 

CBs high up the pitch

 

RB and LB operating as wingers when we are attacking on there side of the pitch and dropping back a bit when on the opposite side. 

 

Forestieri nominally as a LM but in a free role.

 

Abdi attacking mid, Lee and Bannan buzzing around offering a pass for the man on the ball and looking to slide the ball in to hoops and Fletch

 

 

[StudentOwl]

1 minute ago, MrEdwards said:

 

 

Apart from everyone being a bit too far forward, Lees and Hutch being the wrong way around (Lees always lines up on the right side of central defence) and Bannan probably sitting deeper than that, I think you're spot on. I'd also say Fletch and Hoops are the wrong way around as Carlos will probably want his left footed striker playing on the left and his right footed striker playing on the right, despite what he likes happening with the wings

 

The more I think about it, the more I realise that there's nothing symmetrical about the formation we played last season. The number of times we transition from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 during phases of play is quite alarming, and I suspect Carlos implemented a system where we have the 4-4-2 shape when defending and the 4-3-3 when attacking. To help with this last season Wallace was on the right to encourage him to cut inside and thus narrowing, with a very attacking left winger in often Forestieri on the other side. This season we could easily see central midfielder Lee take up that roll as Carlos knows he will want to attack the edge of the box more than he will the flank. 

 

I suspect the above will be closer to what we see against Villa

[Southie_Owl]

5 minutes ago, MrEdwards said:

 

This is how I think we will play, not that different to last year, in particular the play 1St play off game against Brighton.

 

In the scenario above we are attacking down the left, if on the right Pudil would drop back a bit and forestieri would be around the D with Abdi further right

 

CBs high up the pitch

 

RB and LB operating as wingers when we are attacking on there side of the pitch and dropping back a bit when on the opposite side. 

 

Forestieri nominally as a LM but in a free role.

 

Abdi attacking mid, Lee and Bannan buzzing around offering a pass for the man on the ball and looking to slide the ball in to hoops and Fletch

 

 

 

The classic 2-1-3-2-2 formation 

[MrEdwards]

1 minute ago, Southie_Owl said:

 

The classic 2-1-3-2-2 formation 

 

Yeah this should be how sky show the formation before we play 

 

Really, with the way we play the formation is fairly irrelevant.

 

It's all about Carlos' systems.

 

And the meat on the fire

[Holmowl]

1 hour ago, DevOwls Advocate said:

Westwood

Hunt - Lees - Hutchinson - Pudil

Lee - Abdi - Bannan - Forestieri

Hooper - Fletcher

Informed by two key lessons learnt from the poor start to last season:

1. Don't underestimate the impact Keiran Lee has.

2. Don't mess with 4-4-2 at home.

In addition to that I would opine:

3. Hooper is our mast natural goalscorer (best minutes played to goals scored ratio), and we get the most out of him when he has a taller striker to play alongside.

4. Forestieri seemed to have a bigger impact on games when he was moved out to the left.

5. For most of pre-season we have gone with 4-4-2, why risk switching to a different formation without seeing it work in friendly games.

 

Five great points, and the best team too IMO.