| Formation/Gameplan against Man U 19:35 - Apr 28 with 2972 views | Nirvana |
Given Clement actually tried something new last week and it worked, what should our formation and gameplan be against Man U? Should we revert back to the 4141/451 bunkerball used for so long, stick with the 442/4312 from the first half against Stoke, or go with a 3-man backline like the second half?
We were very aggressive in defence and attack right from the beginning against Stoke and it produced a goal, much like the game against Spurs. We then mostly sat back and attempted to protect that slim lead in both games. It backfired massively against Spurs, and could've with a little more focus from Arnautovic. While the bunkerball works better against big clubs, it just wasn't effective anymore and the diamond produced some good attacking play. There were several instances against Stoke where it morphed into 433 with Siggy operating at CF and Llorente and Ayew flanking him out wide, and it looked surprisingly good. They mostly stuck to their positions but there was some movement between the three that appeared to have a lot of potential.
Either way, it was an interesting decision from PC that had mostly positive results. While it isn't my cup of tea, it utilizes the skills and strengths of our best attackers, and still keeps us tight and compact through the middle because of Siggy's workrate. He and Ayew are being played in their best positions, and Llorente was surprisingly spry before being taken off.
Leon was superb at the base of the midfield, but Carroll and Fer/Ki have to stay closer to him when attempting to stop counterattacks, and in general. He was isolated far too often due to poor positioning or failure to track back on their part. Stoke had the Crouch and Berahino Comedy Hour trying to score but Man U are in a different stratosphere, even without Zlatan. If they play Martial/Mkhitaryan/Rashford together again, our backline is ffukkedd. Nobody, except maybe Olsson, can come close for pace with those three and they all float around a lot.
It will be interesting to see if PC has the defence sit back the whole match or if they try and play the offside trap some, a very risky proposition. Fede, in particular, will need to cut out the crazy lunges he's known for, Alfie will have to watch his positioning closely, and fingers crossed on Naughton. Forcing them out wide works in our favor because they will lack an aerial presence, but it will continue to add pressure as they attack over and over. Hopefully we can catch them out once or twice and nick an early goal, and they close up shop saving energy for the Europa League. I would like to see us take it to them quite a bit, but I doubt PC will do so.
Thoughts? |  | | |  |
| Formation/Gameplan against Man U on 22:27 - Apr 28 with 2834 views | spiderboy |
Uuuuuuuugh no
You said it just there!  |  | | |
| Formation/Gameplan against Man U on 18:24 - Apr 29 with 2539 views | Nirvana |
| Formation/Gameplan against Man U on 22:27 - Apr 28 by spiderboy |
Uuuuuuuugh no
You said it just there! |
Haha you're right Spider.
It was meant to be a conversation but I can see it's a bit thorough for the masses, and I guess I got it all in there. Ill try and leave a few stones unturned next time. | | | |
| Formation/Gameplan against Man U on 00:56 - Apr 30 with 2327 views | TheKirkyLife |
We found a system that worked after the defensive three was found out. On top of that we found ANOTHER system that was only undone by another Fernandez Classic.
As much as I hate it the diamond is our best friend right now. Keep it tight, get it up to Llorente with Ayew to provide the hassle of their back line, hope for a set piece, score from a set piece, pack your bags and park the bus ready for departure in the next 90 minute period.
If they score again revert to keep it tight and repeat. |  | | |
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