Squad rotation

[braineclipse]

Some might find this thread repetitive and obvious. Some people might think it's just a knee jerk after a couple of losses, but we have only won 4 in our last 11 in the league collecting 15 points in those 11 games.

We are in a pretty poor run of form at the moment. We look good in patches, but we also look very poor in patches and nowhere near our best form from earlier this season. This current run of form seems similar to our poor run of form from last season. Fingers crossed it ends up being shorter though.

However, there are more similarities other than the time of year connecting these two poor patches. We again struggle to deal with injuries and we again see a massive drop in quality from our first choice 11 with just a couple of injuries. We also see, at least in my opinion, a drop in off the ball movement and team pressing as well as attitude from earlier in the season. Also comparable to last season in my opinion.

Now, players are physically capable of playing a game a week, and not many of our players have been playing much more than that over the course of this season. I do think we have seen a drop in physical form from the players that have played more, primarily Walker and Ekotto who don't seem to manage as many attacking runs with the kind of energy as they did earlier in the season. This physical form however, to me at least, is slightly besides the point.

The point is that we really struggle tactically, especially in attack, with just a couple of players missing. Just one or two changes from our first choice 11 and we look like a disjointed international side in a friendly all of a sudden. Players don't quite know what to do, where to move or how to move together. And instead of having fresh squad options that can slot in and do a job we have players that have played very little with the first choice 11 and are very low on match sharpness because they haven't played much this season.

So, we end up with first team players playing out of positions, cause the backup options aren't ready. We look disjointed, and a poor run of form ensues. Is this inevitable with our current plan and squad? Do we need a season where we're extremely lucky with injuries to not experience a drop in form at this point in the season? Or am I seeing patterns where there are none?

It seems to me that this summer we need to give ourselves a couple more attacking first team options, not only for the CL if we do qualify for that. But just so that we have options we are comfortable rotating without a drop in quality so big that our manager won't do it. And then we need to rotate more, not just to keep players physically sharp, but so that we have several starting line-up options to call upon and more players fit and ready to play when we have a couple of injuries.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Some might find this thread repetitive and obvious. Some people might think it's just a knee jerk after a couple of losses, but we have only won 4 in our last 11 in the league collecting 15 points in those 11 games.

We are in a pretty poor run of form at the moment. We look good in patches, but we also look very poor in patches and nowhere near our best form from earlier this season. This current run of form seems similar to our poor run of form from last season. Fingers crossed it ends up being shorter though.

However, there are more similarities other than the time of year connecting these two poor patches. We again struggle to deal with injuries and we again see a massive drop in quality from our first choice 11 with just a couple of injuries. We also see, at least in my opinion, a drop in off the ball movement and team pressing as well as attitude from earlier in the season. Also comparable to last season in my opinion.

Now, players are physically capable of playing a game a week, and not many of our players have been playing much more than that over the course of this season. I do think we have seen a drop in physical form from the players that have played more, primarily Walker and Ekotto who don't seem to manage as many attacking runs with the kind of energy as they did earlier in the season. This physical form however, to me at least, is slightly besides the point.

The point is that we really struggle tactically, especially in attack, with just a couple of players missing. Just one or two changes from our first choice 11 and we look like a disjointed international side in a friendly all of a sudden. Players don't quite know what to do, where to move or how to move together. And instead of having fresh squad options that can slot in and do a job we have players that have played very little with the first choice 11 and are very low on match sharpness because they haven't played much this season.

So, we end up with first team players playing out of positions, cause the backup options aren't ready. We look disjointed, and a poor run of form ensues. Is this inevitable with our current plan and squad? Do we need a season where we're extremely lucky with injuries to not experience a drop in form at this point in the season? Or am I seeing patterns where there are none?

It seems to me that this summer we need to give ourselves a couple more attacking first team options, not only for the CL if we do qualify for that. But just so that we have options we are comfortable rotating without a drop in quality so big that our manager won't do it. And then we need to rotate more, not just to keep players physically sharp, but so that we have several starting line-up options to call upon and more players fit and ready to play when we have a couple of injuries.

So do all teams if its key players. It's a new day and the emotion has gone. Against Everton and Man Utd we played well enough to get something out of the game. Arsenal we were well and truly beaten, but that's a one off derby game. The problem we have at the moment is that we are making fundamental individual errors and are being punished for them. The only way to stamp that out is to replace the players. When Lennon is out we have a problem, but that is because we don't really have a "natural" replacement for him.

In my opinion the reason we have also taken a dip is because of squad rotation. Admittedly a lot of that rotation has been forced upon us, but it's no conincidence in my opinion that our best performances and form have come when we've played a settled balanced team regardless of the opposition or whether it was home or away.

Our players certainly can't be tired. They've hardly played any games this season as most of them didn't play in the UEFA or League Cups.

 

[braineclipse]

So do all teams if its key players. It's a new day and the emotion has gone. Against Everton and Man Utd we played well enough to get something out of the game. Arsenal we were well and truly beaten, but that's a one off derby game. The problem we have at the moment is that we are making fundamental individual errors and are being punished for them. The only way to stamp that out is to replace the players. When Lennon is out we have a problem, but that is because we don't really have a "natural" replacement for him.

In my opinion the reason we have also taken a dip is because of squad rotation. Admittedly a lot of that rotation has been forced upon us, but it's no conincidence in my opinion that our best performances and form have come when we've played a settled balanced team regardless of the opposition or whether it was home or away.

Our players certainly can't be tired. They've hardly played any games this season as most of them didn't play in the UEFA or League Cups.

We have hardly seen injuries to key players this season! Modric, Bale and Ade have been almost ever present. VdV has his injury problems, but none we or the management team should be surprised by or unprepared for. If you think Lennon is a key player for us then how many key players do you think we have? 11?

Forced rotation isn't squad rotation by any meaningful definition of squad rotation imo. If it is then I need to rename this thread to "Willfully changing who starts games from week to week not depending on injuries or suspensions" or something similar.

My entire point is that we can't expect to play a settled balanced team regardless of opposition or home/away throughout the season. Injuries will happen! That's part of football. And part of being a top team is to deal with those injuries without a massive dip in performance or form. Especially when the players that get injured aren't key players.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

We have hardly seen injuries to key players this season! Modric, Bale and Ade have been almost ever present. VdV has his injury problems, but none we or the management team should be surprised by or unprepared for. If you think Lennon is a key player for us then how many key players do you think we have? 11?

Forced rotation isn't squad rotation by any meaningful definition of squad rotation imo. If it is then I need to rename this thread to "Willfully changing who starts games from week to week not depending on injuries or suspensions" or something similar.

My entire point is that we can't expect to play a settled balanced team regardless of opposition or home/away throughout the season. Injuries will happen! That's part of football. And part of being a top team is to deal with those injuries without a massive dip in performance or form. Especially when the players that get injured aren't key players.

That's where you need squad players that can just step in and play a similar role. And that's where we fall down in my opinion. We don't have much in the way of like for like players. In Ade, Defoe, Saha and VDV we are sorted up top. On either flank we aren't in both midfield and full back.

 

[braineclipse]

That's where you need squad players that can just step in and play a similar role. And that's where we fall down in my opinion. We don't have much in the way of like for like players. In Ade, Defoe, Saha and VDV we are sorted up top. On either flank we aren't in both midfield and full back.

But what squad players will be ready and able to step in and do a job if they haven't gotten time on the pitch with their team mates previously in the season? And what squad players that are good enough would be happy with sitting on the bench and waiting for Bale to get injured?

And as nice as it would be to have good enough like for like replacements it's very difficult. Classy wingers are very tough to find and usually expensive. We're not City we have to get by, like most other clubs in the world.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

I always thought we over used ekotto at the start of the season. I have started running in my personal life and i can tell you at my level if i have done to much running one week i can feel it in my legs the next week, i also tripped over through tiredness so i imagine it worse for top level footballers and can have an effect on them in games.

The were times when we should have played someone else in games and not rushed back players. I liked how ferguson often gave his players a few weeks off rather then just resting a player for a match but making them travel to the game anyway as we often do. I think we could have done this at xmas and given parker a couple of weeks off especailly as we had sandro back fit having missed the first part of the season.

I felt parkers form dropped a little, still good but not as good as at the start of the season. Also once he came back into the team we could have looked at giving vdv a rest and playing krancjar there as it is the sort of free role that might suit him, but we should have been bringing him on in the last 20 minutes of games before switching him with vdv so his fitness was at a higher level.

Walker is another one whose form has trailed off a bit and we could have looked at conserving his performance levels better by giving him a couple of weeks rest.

So yes i agree with what your saying we do not use the squad as well as we could but then i think that is redknapp for you he prefers to use his favourites till he decideds one is out of form and then puts in someone else. I get no feeling of forward planning from redknapp sadly.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

I should also point out as i have done before not that anyone on here agrees with me but i think our squad players play to few games and miss out by playing the odd behind closed door friendly, they could do with reserve league football like pretty much every other club in the country.

With reserve football whatever the standard of it, they would be playing other proffesional footballers and could practise formations on a regular basis. It is good our youngsters are out getting loan league experince but for the younger ones 17-18 year olds they could make up the reserve team with the squad players who are not in the first team.

They could always even practise set pieces in reserve games that they could then use in first team games. Might also be good for sherwood and allen to coach in more games, who knows they could be the next brendon rogers.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

But what squad players will be ready and able to step in and do a job if they haven't gotten time on the pitch with their team mates previously in the season? And what squad players that are good enough would be happy with sitting on the bench and waiting for Bale to get injured?

And as nice as it would be to have good enough like for like replacements it's very difficult. Classy wingers are very tough to find and usually expensive. We're not City we have to get by, like most other clubs in the world.

It's not easy, but they don't have to be world class for world class or totally similar players. More a player whose natural position is also that of the player he is replacing.

E.g. Lennon out, Bentley in. Simple.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

It's not easy, but they don't have to be world class for world class or totally similar players. More a player whose natural position is also that of the player he is replacing.

E.g. Lennon out, Bentley in. Simple.

I would have thought with his lack of pace bentley was not the best option, dos santos looked ok on the wing for mexico in the last world cup, i would have liked to see him there for us.

 

[braineclipse]

Bentley and Gio aren't good enough to be backup squad options for us, and like chich said Bentley isn't a like for like replacement for Lennon. Almost the opposite as he's a slow wide man who is supposed to have a good cross and can't defend. Gio obviously isn't a right wing like for like backup for Lennon.

I would much rather have squad options like United have. Of their wingers Young (on the left) and Nani (on the right) might be the most similar in playing styles. Although both can play on both wings their playing styles is a bit different when they swap positions. Meanwhile Valencia is a very different player from both of them and Park a completely different option.

Options options options. And then actually rotate them.

Hazard would give us that, a player that could cover multiple positions, we could actually rotate and have Bale/Hazard as lm options, VdV/Hazard/strikers as forward options, Hazard/lennon as rm options. Then possibly also Hoilett as more of a squad option that could cover multiple positions although not quite as good.

 

[DHSF]

The last two windows our objective was to reduce squad size, get rid of deadwood thus freeing up cash for future windows. Harry didn't really reinforce the squad because of it and also because of funds.

This summer we need to strenghten in key positions not only in the first team ie a striker but in squad terms imem wide areas. I think then Harry would be able to rotate without there being a dip in squad quality and effectiveness.

 

[braineclipse]

The last two windows our objective was to reduce squad size, get rid of deadwood thus freeing up cash for future windows. Harry didn't really reinforce the squad because of it and also because of funds.

This summer we need to strenghten in key positions not only in the first team ie a striker but in squad terms imem wide areas. I think then Harry would be able to rotate without there being a dip in squad quality and effectiveness.

I hope so. And I think the court case and England job have been other reasons for Harry not being able to sign expensive players.