4 5 1 WHY !!!!

celticfc1966-67 · Aug 20, 2011

Until a mobile target-man is signed we do not have the players for this system.

Stokes can't play wide in a 4-5-1, it doesn't work.

It's kind of gutting that we have two top strikers but neither can play alone upfront.

Although, it feel it would work when we get the striker we are looking for.

This type of midfield would be perfect.

Commons Ki Brown/Forrest
Ledley Kayal

Leone Naka Fan · Aug 20, 2011

liammcdowell said: ↑

My point is that any team will struggle with trying to fit square pegs into round holes, which was our main problem last night. We tried to play too many players out of their normal positions, and it wasn't due to the injuries, which made it even more baffling.

I find myself wondering if Stokes (our best striker at the minute, he's been outperforming Hooper since about April) can be accommodated in the 4-2-3-1 that I think we will see a lot of in Europe if we progress. We saw last year when Hooper was out that Stokes isn't much of a lone striker, and we know he isn't a winger or inside forward, so the only position really untried would be the number 10, or trequartista, role, in behind the main striker, a role which I think he would do a good job in.

Of course playing Stokes as the trequartista means one of the midfield 3 (Kayal, Ki and Ledley) need to drop out (in my version of events Scott Brown has long since left the first team picture), which against stronger opposition is not really something we want to be doing.

Hooper too is largely untried in a formation like this, can he play up top on his own, or scary a thought as it is, is Samaras our only option?
The one thing that is more obvious to me when thinking about this formation, or any variation with one up top, is that we need a new striker, someone mobile, able to hold up play, and decent in the air. I read on here earlier someone describing what we need, I think it was Hammer, as 'basically a prolific Fortune', and I could not agree more.

With this new man hopefully in place, and us hopefully in the Europa League proper, I would expect to see something like this:

Forster
M.Wilson K.Wilson Majstorovic Mulgrew
Kayal Ledley
Forrest Ki Commons
'Prolific Fortune'

Or perhaps at home against slightly weaker opposition:

Forster
M.Wilson K.Wilson Majstorovic Mulgrew
Ki Kayal
Forrest Stokes Commons
Hooper

Click to expand...

Target men like that would be too expensive. I'd be happy if we got another JVoH. Heading is what we struggle with, not mobility.

liammcdowell · Aug 21, 2011

Leone Naka Fan said: ↑

Target men like that would be too expensive. I'd be happy if we got another JVoH. Heading is what we struggle with, not mobility.
Click to expand...

Jan 'two goals in one season' VoH? No thanks.

4 5 1 WHY !!!!

celticfc1966-67

Leone Naka Fan

liammcdowell