Wingers! - A different style of play!

Paddy would lift the team. With maloney gone I expected to see more of the Derry pele

 

I think Lennons kinda restricted to what style he can get the team playing as we dont have anyone either in defence, midfield or upfront that can header a ball. We're restricted to playing football on the ground and through the middle which is quite one dimensional.
I for one dont get my hopes raised anytime we have a corner or a freekick as we dont have anyone to attack the ball in the air. The only guy in my view that can get himself up to attack a ball in the air is Mulgrew, but its usually him that takes the corners and freekicks!
I dont know the stats for certain but I cant think of many goals we've scored with headers since Lennons arrived.

 

It seems clear to me that there is knack to organising a team so that we can play a 4-4-2 with two wingers and Lenny has not been able to achieve that. We always look dangerously open with two wingers these days. Strachan most played with Naka and Maloney/Mcgeady wide but he had them drilled to defend and the CMs held back. Strachan shows it can be done but right now it doesnt seem to work although I think we MUST have one true winger.

 

We don't have anyone now to attack the ball in the box from a cross so our wingers are * in the wind. Put aside the wingers hitting the byline and whipping in a cross for a striker, we dont score enough goals from set pieces when we've got the supposed "big" men in the box!

 

Hooper is the man that makes our shape what it is. He's guarenteed a game which means, him and another up top. If Bangura suddenly became a target man, we would get away with Forrest and Commons supporting him with attacking midfielders such as Ki and Ledley who could play in front of Kayal.

The fans seem to think Stokes and Hooper are must starters however which will always mean playing a solid midfield instead of an attacking one.

 

we must be the only team in world football to have our best headerer(and only good one) the one who's usually supplying the cross.

With the quality of deliveries we get from freekicks and corners too the likes of Larsson, Sutton, Hartson and Petrov would be scoring for fun in every game from set peices.

If Ki and Mulgrew played for the huns they would murder teams from corners and freekicks as Jelavic, Lafferty, Naismith, McCulloch, Bocanegra, Papac and Goian even Weir, Edu and Eggface are all good in the air. But thankfully their corner takers are usually Davis, Wylde and Wallace who couldnt hit a barn door from 10ft

 

that is a very good observation. I think we play a lot more through the centre of the pitch and try and thread it through on the ground with flicks and one-twos etc between Stooper. It can look nice when it comes off but I think it also can fail against massed defenses and I really wonder about this style when the pitches cut up. Funny enough one of the only times when Ii thought we played football suitable for SPL winters was in the comeback rally last weekend when we went far more direct and stopped trying to walk the ball into the net.

 

Aye there is too much passing on the deck and not enough direct play. The team lacks a McGeady, who instead of making 20 passes to get from defence up the pitch, can take the ball from the keeper/defender and have it well into the final 3rd in 10 seconds and letting the team push up.

Its too slow build up that lets teams get back in numbers and leave us passing about going nowhere.

Was only when Forrest took on the role of McGeady and started running at players every time we got the ball in the second half at the weekend that we didnt give them time to reshuffle and allowed our other players to push up instead of dropping deep to link up.

 

Spot on

 

Some really interesting points in this thread.

I think if Lenny is to keep his job he needs to look at change, but like someone pointed out its as if he has built the way we attack around Hooper. Almost always gaurenteeing him a starting place.

I would have thought some of MON's tactics would have rubbed off on Lennon considering his best years were under the man. But no... Lennon seems to take after Mowbrays style a lot more which is a tad concerning.

I do disagree though that a modern winger needs to cut in on their good foot meaning they should play on their opposite wing. I think that rings true of your winger has flair and the ability to beat 2 or 3 players quickly, similar to Nani or Mcgeady. However I believe playing them on their natural side leads to a quick and strong cross from deep curling into the box with pace, often like we see in freekicks that always cause problems. I think it leaves the wings and defence less exposed.

I was thinking what celtic have that Lennon could look to change things with and sadly his team is far to focused on the one way of playing, which is leaving him in an awful situation that he cannot change should the play dictate without making drastic subs, which he wont make anyways. I think one of the problems is that the other teams have sussed how lenny plays and they get on top of it straight away. The ability to change and bring a shock factor is sadly missing, and if you look back all the great teams were able to do it.

Take MON's 352, that became a defensive 532 if things were going well and we needs to close out attacking pressure, it also became a 532 where we used an attacking mid infront of 2 centre mids to accomodate almost playing 3 strikers with one sitting deep. Often seeing Maloney dropping into that role. I am also sure I saw him adapt to a 442 taking a centre back off for a striker and still pushing if we were 1 down, often bringing on BBJ or something.

I think having wingers whether they are flying fullbacks like Agathe, carlos etc etc or natural wingers like Tommo and Petta really do offer a whole new dimension to how you can play, and how your play adapts.

Just a thought.

 

I think Lennys still learning and hasn't found his feet yet

he isnt a tactical genius or something

hes no gary kasparov or montgomery

 

You're right he's not, Monty was the top player in europe for something like ten years on the spin!!

 

We gota pass it about throught the middle coz our strikers are ball to feet players but i do agree we need a pacey midfield like forrest and then someone with a trick and cross,anaka type on the other !

 

This gives me the fear when I think of our defence at the moment

 

It will also give us 3 slots for tall CB-s. A bit better chance at set pieces.

 

no * sherlock

 

Well said Had we acquired Shane Long, I would have wanted to see more of this.

Formations and tactics are only as effective as the players involved, however.

Also, to the OP - When Izzy and Wilson are both fit and playing, they do a good job of pinning teams back by bombing up the wing.

 

I've had a few drinks tonight, and the way I read your title, I took it as 'Whingers' - I was half way through absolutely slating your for not noticing how Hooper and Kayal have been behaving before the penny dropped!

 

I think the slick one-two football is great and you can sacrifice having a target man if the whole team are all pulling in this direction.

However the reason this is not working is because he isnt playing 2 wingers. As someone mentioned, im sick of seeing 3 central midfielders and only one attacker on 1 side. Its frankly 1 dimensional and pretty obvious where our attacks are going to come from.

The difference between this year and last is simple - Izaguirre. I know he is a full back but he was was basically playing as a winger when we were on the ball, as was Wilson. So the formation last year was closer to 2-5-3 (since Commons is incapable of sticking to his position and basically played as a striker)

Without Izzy and Wilson we severely lack that fast paced quick interchange play cause we have effectively taken away 2 of the guys that did it. In their absence we really need to add a winger in midfield which Lennon, sadly, is reluctant to do.

Also i know ill probably get slated for this but Loovens is by far the best player we have in the air. Still not a good enough reason to play him but id take him any day before Maj.

 

That's spot on imo.

We are so one dimensional it's ridiculous We have one way of playing and that's through the middle as long as teams stop us doing this they have a big chance of getting a result simple as that. we have no aireal threat whatsoever yet lennon insists on bringing in another striker (bangura) who can only play this way and getting rid of murphy and rasmussen, Alough I don't rate either they could offer something different.

Baffleing