Proven again..I still feel the issue isn't cook, but the 2 man centre midfield. We get caught out again and again. Doesn't matter who is there. Give lerma and cook the support of gosling or surman. King up front is a wasted player at the moment.
To play a 5 man midfield what we're missing is an ACM, a midfielder who can score more than 1 or 2 goals a season and provide through ball assists. This creates a threat through the middle, which pulls defenders and creates more space for the wingers. At the moment this job is done by our forwards who need to drop deep to receive the ball, Wilson does this well but it's not always the strength of forwards and ideally you always want one of your strikers playing off the shoulder of the last defender.
Could try Brooks there and King/Stan on the wing. Have Brooks play as a proper attacking midfielder.
Completely agree both are more suited to the number 10 role than King. King is a brilliant player but in this system he is often left pretty redundant, he's not the type of player to receive the ball on the half turn and look to craft openings for teammates. He is however incredibly effective when we attack on the counter, has pace and great ability to carry the ball. The main issue with him as a 10 is the lack of defensive support he provides to the midfield imo.Yeah I'd actually like to see us try this. Also think Ibe and Mousset would be potentially good options for ACM role. We've seen Ibe's vision and through balls when coming central and Mousset looks scary when running at defenders.
Completely agree both are more suited to the number 10 role than King. King is a brilliant player but in this system he is often left pretty redundant, he's not the type of player to receive the ball on the half turn and look to craft openings for teammates. He is however incredibly effective when we attack on the counter, has pace and great ability to carry the ball. The main issue with him as a 10 is the lack of defensive support he provides to the midfield imo.
Could try Brooks there and King/Stan on the wing. Have Brooks play as a proper attacking midfielder.