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Tactics Thread

With everyone fit and ready, in a 4-2-3-1 sort of formation:

Lloris
Foyth - Toby - Jan - Rose
Dier - N'Dombele
Son - Eriksen - Dele
Kane

What we really need to do, is find the formation that best suits our players - and stick with it. Isn't that the basics of football management?

That team is what I would have but Davies for Rose, with this alternative if we need to change it up in a 3421, KWP in for Foyth as a wing back, And Son dropped as there is no room for him, this shape is what got Alli 18 goals.

..........................Lloris

......Sanchez..Alderweireld...Vertonghen

KWP............Ndombele.....Dier............Davies

...................Eriksen
................................Dele

.........................Kane
 
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----------------lloris
sissoko-sanchez-vertonghen-rose

----------------Dier (bit of a weakpoint in our squad here)
------N'Dombele-----Alli-----------
---lucas----kane------son---------

We really dont have many people who can play in that Dier type role - Wanyama is crocked, and then who's next?
I only want to play players who want to be here (no eriksen, alderweireld). I can trust rose to give his all for spurs every time, so he makes it just over davies (although i wouldnt argue if anyone felt strongly about it). Sissoko loves our club and gives everything as well, so while we don't have a right back, i think he can play there as well as anyone else we have. Kane's fitness is mashed as well now, so if he wants to drop deep, thats fine as Alli can run past him as much as he wants and lucas and son have both proven they know where the goal is.
 
Thank you Steve. As usual, that is a really interesting video.

Did anyone else watch it? No comments.

If people don't have time to watch the whole thing, watch it for a minute from 3 minutes in. Very interesting how Frankfurt set up their defence, shuffling into a back 4 etc.
Also watch it for a minute from 7 minutes, very interesting how Lewandowski drops in (like Kane) and allows the "wingers" i.e. Alli, Moura, Son etc to break into space evacuated.
 
THE SISS WONKY

Just to expand on my post above, I believe we could use a similar ploy to solve our right back problem.

Remember the wonky with Davids nominally left midfield, tucking in and Lee Young Pyo rampaging up the left side? It gave us overlaps and stretched teams in a strange way, whilst ensuring the right back was not ALSO forwards.
Remember the wonky with Modric nominally left midfield, tucking in and B Assou Ekotto rampaging up the left side? It gave us overlaps and stretched teams in a strange way, whilst ensuring the right back was not ALSO forwards.

How about a wonky with Davies staying back with Toby/Jan as a 3, but allowing Sissoko to rampage up and down the right side? Nominally right back but essentially giving us the LYP/BAE surging runs, safe in the knowledge Davies is not also forwards.

Son would provide the left sided attack (getting him out from under Kane's feet, like against Southampton).
 
I think the diamond is kind of meant to be a wonky. Son stays wide quite often whilst Sissoko does sit more often than going forward.
 
I think the diamond is kind of meant to be a wonky. Son stays wide quite often whilst Sissoko does sit more often than going forward.
The parallelogram of pain.
The rhombus of rage.
The quadrilateral of queasiness.
The rectangle of rectal angst.
The porous pentagon of poor play.
 
Against Brighton, Poch sort of played 4231 with Dier and Ndombele in the 2.

It was actually hard to tell if it was 4231 or 4141 because Ndombele was allowed to roam all over the shop, and Dier also vacated the DM position many times, but I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be 4231.

As the brains trust* on MotD noted, Ndombele is not a DM and will just go off wandering around the pitch, and Dier was really poor, out of position and out of touch and out of timing.

Also they* picked out Lamela jogging and walking after 2 minutes, which led to their first goal and Lloris' dislocated elbow. Shameful from Lamela.

And then they picked out our "walking press" i.e. Son Kane Eriksen all walking or lightly jogging towards the ball carrier, who has ages to pass it to an unmarked team mate.

That is NOT a press.

We either press, or we sit back... you can't just walk around and get passed around.
 
Against Brighton, Poch sort of played 4231 with Dier and Ndombele in the 2.

It was actually hard to tell if it was 4231 or 4141 because Ndombele was allowed to roam all over the shop, and Dier also vacated the DM position many times, but I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be 4231.

As the brains trust* on MotD noted, Ndombele is not a DM and will just go off wandering around the pitch, and Dier was really poor, out of position and out of touch and out of timing.

Also they* picked out Lamela jogging and walking after 2 minutes, which led to their first goal and Lloris' dislocated elbow. Shameful from Lamela.

And then they picked out our "walking press" i.e. Son Kane Eriksen all walking or lightly jogging towards the ball carrier, who has ages to pass it to an unmarked team mate.

That is NOT a press.

We either press, or we sit back... you can't just walk around and get passed around.
Thus far N’dombele looks more like a Pogba style midfielder than a Moussa Dembele but we’re distinctly lacking a Kante who can do the pressing of 2 men by himself.

No surprise to see that there’s a strong correlation between the increasing number of shots we’re facing per game and the decrease in pressing...

A381C122-01DF-4761-81BF-6E26D9D0D8E3.jpeg
 
Against Brighton, Poch sort of played 4231 with Dier and Ndombele in the 2.

It was actually hard to tell if it was 4231 or 4141 because Ndombele was allowed to roam all over the shop, and Dier also vacated the DM position many times, but I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be 4231.

As the brains trust* on MotD noted, Ndombele is not a DM and will just go off wandering around the pitch, and Dier was really poor, out of position and out of touch and out of timing.

Also they* picked out Lamela jogging and walking after 2 minutes, which led to their first goal and Lloris' dislocated elbow. Shameful from Lamela.

And then they picked out our "walking press" i.e. Son Kane Eriksen all walking or lightly jogging towards the ball carrier, who has ages to pass it to an unmarked team mate.

That is NOT a press.

We either press, or we sit back... you can't just walk around and get passed around.

They are bang on about lamela at the first goal, should never have let that cross in, very unlike him in the first half.
Thing is eriksen has been doing that for from those positions for as long as I remember and never word.
 
My question is

- With Kane, Son, Lucas, Dele, Lamela, Lo Celso, Sessegnon and if you want to count Eriksen (you have 8 attacking player options)

Can we not setup a more offensive focused side vs. a press/attacking FB model with a DM require to cover for the gaps created?

- Perhaps a counter attack model against sides that attack us?

We just seems so tactically dead, so one dimensional that unless all parts work the side looks like brick.
 
Poch has never really cracked the "how to break down teams who sit deep" problem.

Our approach generally seems to be to wear them down, often with a bit of brilliance or superior fitness making the ultimate difference.

For me, when a team is in the sort of shape we are, what do you do?

Get back to basics. Work on clean sheets. Build from there.

So yes, probably a counter attacking model (for now at least) which is not a problem, we counter attack very effectively.

What we are doing now, I agree with you. Its like going through the motions to hope it comes together, but I see little sign of anything like that happening.

Pragmatism would really dictate getting back to basics and building up from there (confidence and form).

And no, I dont think a team needs new CBs and DMs to be able to be effective at the back. Usually numbers and effort will suffice.
 
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