Eddie is hurt

[Toronto John]

Liking the talk of Joe Allen but...

Joe Allen 5ft 6
Lewis Cook 5 ft 9
Harry Arter 5ft 10
Andrew Surman 5ft 10 (and never looks what the kids these days call "Dench")
Even Ake is only 5ft 11.

Let's look at some "proper" midfielders now:

Yaya Toure 6ft 2 (and made Gosling look like a child trying to get the ball off him in the back garden a couple of seasons ago)
Fellaini 6ft 4/5
Matic 6ft 4
Xabi Alonso 6ft
Pogba 6ft 3
Viera 6ft 4
Wanyama 6ft

Good observations, Simon, that's what I was looking for. I guess Jack W. falls in the same category re: size, so same thoughts? Ake is so athletic, and typically very savvy, it almost seems like you could play him anywhere.

 

[rgb]

Interesting read here Doesn't mention us as such but is a possible indication of what EH might be trying play.

 

[Toronto John]

Interesting read here Doesn't mention us as such but is a possible indication of what EH might be trying play.

Liverpool have hit a new level, and without Coutinho! With RM being defensively "just OK", Liverpool could "storm" them in a single game.
Btw, rgb, like the Dilbert avatar.

 

[klaus_afcb]

When did he say that? For his first year at the club he always said his favourite position was defensive midfielder.

He definitely used to say that, you're right, but I remember reading something recently (this season) where he said that he now sees himself as a centre back first. If I get a chance I'll try and find the article.

 

[klaus_afcb]

Agreed but the problem is usually caused either side of the pitch by our fullback playing the ball to the winger who has come inside, the fullback sprinting on down the wing to receive the ball back but the winger is pressed and loses the ball. The full back is way out of position and we are immediately under pressure. I've lost count of how many times that has happened this season.

This is where where a three man midfield would really help, in my opinion. A deep lying midfielder can slot in to cover the full back (as Surman used to do), but without leaving us light in the centre or compromising on the attacking outlets offered by the other two centre-mids. I'd then like to see a front three (Ibe, King, Stan) with free reign to cause havoc!

 

[cockbeard]

I don't see Ake as a DM because I think his positional sense is only getting better and better. However that first preseason him and Cook in the middle of the park did look very tasty indeed

 

[NWCherries98]

This is where where a three man midfield would really help, in my opinion. A deep lying midfielder can slot in to cover the full back (as Surman used to do), but without leaving us light in the centre or compromising on the attacking outlets offered by the other two centre-mids. I'd then like to see a front three (Ibe, King, Stan) with free reign to cause havoc!

I don't know why we don't play this formation every game. The way we play isn't suited to wide midfielders anymore.

 

[BillMcgarrycherry]

Training this week must have been one hell of a tense and hopefully productive set of sessions; plus ' Brainstorming' meetings of management and players?
And Batman and Robin have got a decent act together!

What's for Breakfast Batman? Swansea Robin...Swansea!

 

[Neil Dawson]

I think if any of us genuinely had the answer, we'd be managing the team rather than writing opinions on forums. However, my take is Eddie is stuck between two schools of thought. Do we want to play like Barca, Man City or perhaps more relevantly Swansea of old? Dominating possession and playing from the back. Or do we want to play a more old fashioned English attacking high tempo game with 2 strikers?

This is the challenge he has over the summer with his recruitment and how we set up in games for next season. If we are going to go with the English style 2 strikers, then I believe we need to be more direct with our build up play. If it is to me the possession approach, then a rethink in midfield is required. What I personally don't think works is trying a bit of both approaches and neither particularly successfuly.

100% spot on.

 

[Red Sky]

I think if any of us genuinely had the answer, we'd be managing the team rather than writing opinions on forums. However, my take is Eddie is stuck between two schools of thought. Do we want to play like Barca, Man City or perhaps more relevantly Swansea of old? Dominating possession and playing from the back. Or do we want to play a more old fashioned English attacking high tempo game with 2 strikers?

This is the challenge he has over the summer with his recruitment and how we set up in games for next season. If we are going to go with the English style 2 strikers, then I believe we need to be more direct with our build up play. If it is to me the possession approach, then a rethink in midfield is required. What I personally don't think works is trying a bit of both approaches and neither particularly successfuly.

Interesting point about being stuck between philosophies. This would suggest we don’t have a defined structure of play which you would think would also mean we have no clear plan B. Yet we’ve picked up so many points late in games despite this.


Can any of the more observant/ tactically astute on here suggest why that is? Is it just a tempo thing? Are the players not carrying out Eddie’s game plan or is it a deliberate ploy to conserve energy until late on? Is there an apparent change in tactics that leads to us going more direct?

 

[Neil Dawson]

We have had a plan b this season. And used it to effect. It’s been three forwards and three centre backs.

Without getting into semantics on what constitutes a plan b and what doesn’t (as we have done that to death on here) when I said we had no plan b in the past I meant a different way of starting games to tackle different opponents. This is different from the kitchen sink routine that has worked well in the last ten minutes of many games this season.