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Counter-attacking team

W

Wazza

Jamie Slabber
I would like us to start embracing precisely what we are - a fast exciting counter-attacking team.

It's the attribute that every opposition team fears most about us - our electric pace.

Yet, we seem to be doing it ashamidly, and instead (like half the league) wanting to become a possession team in the image of Barcelona, when we do not have the tools to do so, and are in fact are more suited to an aggressive counter-attacking style like Real Madrid.

I would like to see us embrace this as our way of football and exploit the possession style of football that everyone else is trying to adopt (as against Liverpool), and thereby utilise he players we have in the squad with these qualities.

In particular, I have been disappointed that after some very impressive pre-season performances Townsend has not been given a chance. In fact, I remember reading that he was the second fast player at the club behind Kaboul, and ahead of Bale, Lennon and Walker.

The opposition most fear our pace, so lets embrace it embrace it:-

Lloris

Walker Caulker Vertonghen Naughton

Sandro Dembele

Lennon Bale Townsend

Defoe/Adebayor

A few points in favour:

- Bale cannot be marked out of the game in a free role and is free to double up with Lennon or Townsend on either winger terrifying the full back or play on the shoulder of the cb, genuinely occupying one, if not both and giving Defoe more space.
- The pace of a front four of Lennon, Bale, Townend and Defoe/Adebayor would petrify defences and make the whole team drop deeper, including the midfield, allowing Walker and Naughton to push up and squeeze them up the pitch.
- Dembele and Sandro are solid enough to allow Bale a free role.

I like Dempsey and Siggurdson and perhaps we can rotate them in and out, but they do not suit the style of play that is most successful for us, and therefore I think Bale would be better in that role for us, with Townsend offering us a like for like opposition down the left.
 
Townsend isnt PL standard yet (and questionable whether he ever will be)

Gareth Bale - he plays on the wing
 
The top teams have fast, counter-attacking football in their locker, but they also need to be able to dominate possession too.

It's no good being solely a counter attacking team when the other lot are sitting back and parking the bus anyway, and rarely get forward enough to allow you to counter attack in the first place.
 
I agree, and I think it's been a good move by the coaching team to not move us too soon towards a possession based style when we are still suited as a squad to the counter attack.

Only problem is, against poorer teams at home, it just plays into their hands and gives them space they shouldn't really be allowed to enter into. It allows them to push forward and while that should leave space for us to counter into, we saw against Norwich and Wigan that it doesn't always work like that.
 
We are a counter attacking team.

We just need to learn to keep possession better and dominate it when we go ahead in games. There were times against Liverpool in the first half we were keeping possession and being patient and just knocking the ball about for fun which was great to see. I want to see more of that, especially when we are leading, not sitting back and hoping to catch the opposition on the counter to make it 3-0.
 
Would Ronaldo have become the player he has become if Ferguson, or Mourinho has said "Ronaldo he plays on the wing"?

Bale has all the attributes to play in a free role. It has worked in the past and when it hasn't it has been when he was supposed to be on the wing but came inside, meaning:

1. The left side is left open, leaving us vulnerable.
2. The centre is too congested with either VDV, or now Dempsey in the way.

Bale is our most dangerous player. When you have a player like that you don't limit their impact by tying them to a position you maximise their potential to hurt the opposition and minimise the oppositions ability to mark them out of the game.

Townsend has shown enough in cameos and on loan to get a chance in place of the often ineffectual Dempsey or Siggurdson.
 
Wazza said:
Would Ronaldo have become the player he has become if Ferguson, or Mourinho has said "Ronaldo he plays on the wing"?

Bale has all the attributes to play in a free role. It has worked in the past and when it hasn't it has been when he was supposed to be on the wing but came inside, meaning:

1. The left side is left open, leaving us vulnerable.
2. The centre is too congested with either VDV, or now Dempsey in the way.

Bale is our most dangerous player. When you have a player like that you don't limit their impact by tying them to a position you maximise their potential to hurt the opposition and minimise the oppositions ability to mark them out of the game.

Townsend has shown enough in cameos and on loan to get a chance in place of the often ineffectual Dempsey or Siggurdson.
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Bale, whilst good on the ball, is more reliant on pace than Ronaldo is; Ronaldo is a more skillful than Bale. A combination of these makes Ronaldo more effective in tighter congested central areas than Bale is

Agree that Dempset and Sig have been ineffective however the answer is to get a proper replacement in for them in Jan rather than cross our fingers and hope that Townsend develops more. He's not a PL player yet
 
Wazza said:
Would Ronaldo have become the player he has become if Ferguson, or Mourinho has said "Ronaldo he plays on the wing"?
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Ferguson operated Ronaldo on the wing for his entire United career. The difference between a 'free role' and giving a player limited defensive duties is huge, IMO.
 
I'm still to be convinced re Townsend.
I can't imagine he'd get into many if any of the other top 6-7 sides.
For me he's a squad/league cup type player.
 
Rorschach said:
Actually I head that too based on some pre-season speed tests or the like. It's hard to imagine he's faster than Walker though.
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Over what distance is the question, I suppose. I doubt Kaboul's acceleration would match Walker's.
 
galeforce said:
there were definitely times when he'd play him central and rooney or park down the left
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I don't remember where he got a run of games as a striker through the middle, perhaps that's just my memory though. He was primarily a right winger for United, and was in the position for his most potent seasons under Ferguson.
 
Counter attacking is what poor teams do to try and punch above their ability. Long ball teams is the traditional term for it.

We need to become a possession team, which dominates games, rather than nicks them. The lack of a recycling ballplaying CM and Ade not having been starting is all that is stopping us from achieving this.
 
There's nothing even remotely suggesting we are a 'counter attacking team' - to have that tag, you have to be able to defend then break. We fudging suck at defending at times, why would we risk the pressure on our defence ? Ridiculous notion. I'll accept we invite the pressure, but not because we chose to, we just suck at getting the ball back and controling the game.

We do counter attack when we can, what team doesnt. If you can break you break. If we have to have a label of what type of team we are, we are an attacking team with pace.
 
Gutter Boy said:
Counter attacking is what poor teams do to try and punch above their ability. Long ball teams is the traditional term for it.

We need to become a possession team, which dominates games, rather than nicks them. The lack of a recycling ballplaying CM and Ade not having been starting is all that is stopping us from achieving this.
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Erm, no.

Some of Wenger's early Arsenal teams (back when they actually won stuff) relied hugely on counter attacks. When you've got pace in your team, why not take advantage of it?
 
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