A few questions...

One or two things troubling me...

Why did we buy Barnes if Murphy starts ahead of him? Barnes is demonstrably the better player but, if our system fits Murphy better, either Barnes was the wrong purchase or the system needs changing, no?

Where has our press gone? We've seen glimpses of it but nothing like it was two years ago.

Is Bruno wasted playing where he is? Maybe 'wasted' is too strong. Perhaps 'less effective' works better? He was further forward in our 'successful' season.

Is a creative midfielder actually a priority? Our struggles against a low block are a real problem.

Is Tonali not fit enough for 90 minutes?

Why do we not look after the ball better> Some of our passing is atrocious and we give the ball away incredibly cheaply at times.

Do we look like a team whose problems would be solved by the introduction of a Crystal Palace CB?

Apologies that this comes over as negative....just a series of musings based on what I've seen so far.

All good points Zip but a few don't knows.

No question, Murphy is a good traditional right winger but Barnes is a more complete all round player and as far as I'm concerned should be one of the first names on the sheet.

Tonali can be a creative midfielder. He's been out almost a full season. Give him a few more games and he'll be back to his best.

Passing. No answers to that. It has to be addressed on the training ground. It is a puzzler also a puzzler as to where our pressure has gone.

When we played that way, so often we went one or two up early on and the opponents had to chase the game thus leaving themselves open to the counter attacks, which we were quick then to take advantage of.

As of the C.P. centre back, I'm not sure, we have a few good ones at the back but most importantly we have one of the club's best players to come back in that position when the Flying Dutchman is back to full fitness.

Barnes… I think he’s a sub/rotation for Gordon… just as on-paper Isak and Wilson are… neither Gordon or Barnes are players that should be first choice on the right… but that’s why most fans thought a right winger was our biggest priority in the summer gone.

The press… f**k knows where that has gone, he really there’s no urgency anywhere from back to front… there’s no penetration and teams are able to reset with time to spare when we get the ball.

Agreed that low block is the problem, but as above when we pass the ball back and forth across the back line we let team setup (as per my point above)

Tonali probably looks like our best outlet from the middle… saw someone saying we need a Gibbs-White figure and that was bang on the money in my opinion… I’m hoping Tonali could be that player.

We give the ba away for fun these days, it just lol smoke they don’t know where their team mates shouldn’t be in a lot of the cases… and players run themselves into a hole. The lack of movement pants a part in that as players aren’t seeing anywhere they can lay the ball into (imo)

Said it just now in another post, but we need to get back to basis and we need to reinvent our brand of football, our style, or in other words, we need a f**king plan from the manager, coached on the training ground… as I’m not seeing it on match day.

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Originally Posted by Zippity

One or two things troubling me...

Why did we buy Barnes if Murphy starts ahead of him? Barnes is demonstrably the better player but, if our system fits Murphy better, either Barnes was the wrong purchase or the system needs changing, no?

Where has our press gone? We've seen glimpses of it but nothing like it was two years ago.

Is Bruno wasted playing where he is? Maybe 'wasted' is too strong. Perhaps 'less effective' works better? He was further forward in our 'successful' season.

Is a creative midfielder actually a priority? Our struggles against a low block are a real problem.

Is Tonali not fit enough for 90 minutes?

Why do we not look after the ball better> Some of our passing is atrocious and we give the ball away incredibly cheaply at times.

Do we look like a team whose problems would be solved by the introduction of a Crystal Palace CB?

Apologies that this comes over as negative....just a series of musings based on what I've seen so far.

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You are certainly forgiven for being a bit negative after this season’s performances.

I know formations aren’t a ‘magic bullet’ but I’d like to see us play 4-2-3-1 with Bruno and Tonali sitting in front of our defense. They could take turns playing further forward throughout the game.
If big Joe was playing just behind Isak then he could even rotate with Bruno/Tonali as well.

Aye, TT, I think a change of formation would help.

Teams have worked us out and, as Ian points out, the slow pace of our current setup means that they've had time to reorganise and regain their defensive shape by the time we've got round to attacking.

How about 3-2-2-3 with every one including strikers and wingers having dual roles

I think part of the problem is the midfield don’t know what they are supposed to be doing, and there is no clear roles being set for them.

Personally I’d move away from dual roles, swapping during games, and, for now at least, have a very clear and defined position and role and do that well… or realise it isn’t my working and try and train/execute in a different line up.

I’d have Bruno as a kinda false 6, he’s not got the pace to get forward quickly, but he’s a tenacious tackler and he can be the pivot, see the play and pass the ball… with Big Jo and Tonali getting forward more.

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Originally Posted by Nufcian

I think part of the problem is the midfield don’t know what they are supposed to be doing, and there is no clear roles being set for them.

Personally I’d move away from dual roles, swapping during games, and, for now at least, have a very clear and defined position and role and do that well… or realise it isn’t my working and try and train/execute in a different line up.

I’d have Bruno as a kinda false 6, he’s not got the pace to get forward quickly, but he’s a tenacious tackler and he can be the pivot, see the play and pass the ball… with Big Jo and Tonali getting forward more.

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Bruno in front of Burn and Schar would leave us short of pace in central defense which could be fatal against teams playing counter attack from a low block. Rotation of players allows you to adapt to the opposition and game situation.

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Originally Posted by toptoon

Bruno in front of Burn and Schar would leave us short of pace in central defense which could be fatal against teams playing counter attack from a low block. Rotation of players allows you to adapt to the opposition and game situation.

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Lack of pace as opposed to what?

We need someone to link up the play between midfield and defence, because as plain as day no one is doing that now.

Bruno has the vision and can play the pass, yeah, he does have a lack of pace but it is still a dedicated 6-like job he can do and have a great view of what is happening as captain.

Again, I can’t fathom why people are even suggesting swapping roles… the aren’t even getting 1 role right at the minute, wtf do you think will happen if we try and make it more complicated for them?

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Originally Posted by Zippity

One or two things troubling me...

Why did we buy Barnes if Murphy starts ahead of him? Barnes is demonstrably the better player but, if our system fits Murphy better, either Barnes was the wrong purchase or the system needs changing, no?

Where has our press gone? We've seen glimpses of it but nothing like it was two years ago.

Is Bruno wasted playing where he is? Maybe 'wasted' is too strong. Perhaps 'less effective' works better? He was further forward in our 'successful' season.

Is a creative midfielder actually a priority? Our struggles against a low block are a real problem.

Is Tonali not fit enough for 90 minutes?

Why do we not look after the ball better> Some of our passing is atrocious and we give the ball away incredibly cheaply at times.

Do we look like a team whose problems would be solved by the introduction of a Crystal Palace CB?

Apologies that this comes over as negative....just a series of musings based on what I've seen so far.

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No need to apologise, the points are all valid. Barnes should be starting but in what position, left wing is his most effective for sure,I sometimes wonder just why we bought him, fair enough we need a squad, but he wont be content to sit on the bench for a team not in europe, and with no extra games to contend with. I have said it befor but we need a midfielder who can run with the ball at pace, like Gibbs White, our midfielders are too similar imo, bruno gets caught in posession too often,Joe not firing, Tonali at least makes runs but just never gets the ball? CB is not a priority for me and never has been, the more pressing problems lie elsewhere, midfield and CF, and I expect big things in January or we are screwed, time for the much vaunted Mitchell to come good, lets see eh! Both him and his sidekick didnt look too impressed on sat. The "press" or lack of it is puzzling, its part of Eddies philosophy, so why has it changed? could it be the Bunce influence, trying to limit injuries, I dont know but i suspect thats got something to do with it, after all thats why he was brought in. If this is true then Eddie wont be happy that hes trying to change the way Eddie wants to play, hes the manager, and its him who will inevitably carry the can, not the chuckle brothers. on Tonali, why is he always substituted! hes as fit as a butchers dog man! eddie being over cautious, protective when theres no need, could have taken joe off for me, but then to bring on Longstaff, who isnt gonna win us the game, then Bruno off, willock on, jeez, sometimes Eddie puzzles me. I love what hes done for us, and hope he can get things right again, we need to get back to the team we were and get some new blood in, that would lift the whole squad and the fans and we might, just might, see an improvement, otherwise.......................