Who cut it and who didn't?

Op is not far off for me..

I think the back four get pass marks for me..

The rest over the piece haven't covered thereselves in glory and they no doubt know it..

 

We didn't look like scoring on Tuesday at all.... whether it was because Sammy just isn't a striker or lack of support, creativity and general belief that we could score.

I preferred when we played the 5-3-2/3-5-2, in this formation it enables us to get maximum support to our front players when attacking.

Stokes Hooper

Commons

Izzy Ledley Brown Matthews

Mulgrew Wanyama Rogic

Forster​

From a few years ago..

With this it enables us to have several creators as well as two strikers and a number 10 in behind them. Stokes being able to drift out wide to create space, also the link up play between Hooper and Stokes was exceptional. Izzy and Matthews getting down the wings. Commons in a relatively free role with Ledley and Brown taking turns in getting forward and supporting the attack.

Now, especially in Europe, all our attacking play seems quite hopeless, on Tuesday we had two decent wingers, but nothing to real aim at, also it was fairly predictable because it was so obvious we were predominantly trying to use Derk and Forrest as much as possible. It was also too rigid for modern football, whether it was because of the lack of quality or the system, there was no ideas, no players in a free role creating or exploiting space. There was nothing clever about our play.

I feel when we play the above formation with a genuine goal scoring target man, with Stokes right beside him it gives us more variety, because Stokes will drift wide and Commons will benefit from the space he receives, and we'd be attacking with far more numbers too.

 

Agree with this, Stokes has done well considering 1. He's not an out and out striker and 2. He's had very little support.

 

Biggest fail this season was Lennon. It's quite frightening how poor we were tactically in most games, playing a 4-2-4 at this level, against better teams, will always ultimately lead to failure.

A lot of the player's weren't helped by his tactics. Sammy is being slated for not tracking back, but he didn't track back last season either and that was part of the success we had. Most games we played 3 central midfielders and Izzy was offered plenty of cover from Mulgrew. This season we played two and Mulgrew was unable to do so. Positionally, Sammy played similar to last season. Teams have just realised that if you restrict his space he is ineffective, but that should have left us with space in another area of the field and we didn't exploit that. I'm actually quite shocked at much we have regressed in terms of tactics this season.

Back 5 were clear passes in my opinion. Brown was a fail, Mulgrew probably a pass, Kayal is a headless chicken so fail. Sammy was hit and miss, played well in the home games I thought and was poor away, Ajax away he wasn't fit and shouldn't have played. Stokes I thought done well, he was offered little support. Commons had a poor campaign and his lack of pace is exposed at this level. Forrest was a fail, nobody else featured enough to say to be honest.

 

I think Mulgrew gets played out of position and its hard to judge on that.

 

Two players that the fans are scared to criticise.. Stokes and Commons... Both look good in the SPL, both awful in the champions league, people who try to defend them need to let go of their domestic performances and really look at how they have done in Europe.

 

What the * is that? Rogic at CB in a 3-5-2?

 

Haha I know, if it's not one thing it's another.

 

Ambrose, van dik, kayal (Not on tue though), ambrose, izzy and lustig get pass marks for me. Stokes wasnt bad or anything but struggled to make an impact which was mostly down to lack of service, played well away to milan i thought. Was impressed by derk against milan, forrest was * but thats hardly a suprise anymore, sammy was diabolical throughout, commons im a fan off but did look out of his depth at times. Foster wasnt great either.

 

If he had come off his line (i.e. taken 2 steps forward), he could have got the ball Kaka nodded in without even jumping.

My heart is in my mouth every time a ball is whipped in against us,
hes 6' 7" ffs .

 

6' 7" with another 3' reach if he stretches his arms up, nobody could out jump him, he should be claiming everything inside the 6 yard box, no excuses.

 

or Stokes....


His amazing skill effectively won us the game against Shaktar.

 

his lack of pace gets him into trouble .

 

That's all good and well, but when you get to this level he simply cannot compete. It's been pretty evident throughout this campaign that he lacks the pace and strength to achieve anything.

 

I don't know how many times I've discussed this over the last couple of years, but it's unfathomable to think how a hulking giant of a man who must have a top reach of about....what.....10-12ft in the air with a running jump and his arms up cannnot command his area.

I hear how Stevie Woods is such a fantastic goalkeeper coach - I don't doubt that, but surely to * he must notice this is a problem?

 

Pretty much this.

One thing is certain - we need quality up front and creativity in the middle come next summer. Get it done sooner rather than later, no * about this time on deadline day!

 

I totally agree and it's almost as if the coaching staff and the manager are telling him not to come off his line.