Yr devoid of reality as it is... leave the hard stuff alone
For us, let's please stop with the experimentation now that Paqueta is out and go back to the 4-3-3.
Hakan wide left forward. Just as he was performing well, we moved him to the midfield and made him ineffective. Suso wide right forward, yes he will get 99% of the balls wrong, but there's some chance somewhere for him to score from there.
This penalizes Cutrone who was probably our best player against Udinese, but unfortunately without Paqueta behind them, a 2-striker formation has no meaning.
I think we'll go back to a 433 with Suso on the right and Cutrone on the left. Only question is will Kessie be back or will we play Biglia again...
My bet is we go out with 3 up top with who you said with suso floating to a more central role. Also I can see Baka playing cdm instead of biglia
With the gulf in class between the two teams getting even a point here is almost doing the impossible. Take into account the loss of one of our only decent players in Paqueta and we might as well play the youth team.
Anything we get from this game will be a bonus. We are just lucky all teams below us are trying their best not to get CL football as well.
If we’re going to play 2 up top, then Suso has to play behind the strikers. Normally this wouldn’t be his most effective role to say the least, but he hasn’t done jack shit on the right either. So all in all, he might not do shit just like he hasn’t the last 5 months no matter where you play him
Maybe:
Piatek Cutrone
Hakan
Kessie Bakayoko Suso
Laxalt Romagnoli Zapata Abate
Reina
Wasn't Suso tried in that role in training? Plus it can go to 442 fairly easily.
You either have no idea how a 4-3-1-2 works, or you don't know how to evaluate players. Or both.
Let me guess, you àlso wanted Cassano as trequartista behind Ibra and Pato back in the day?
How does a 4-3-1-2 work and how do you evaluate players??
Asking for a friend.
How does a 4-3-1-2 work and how do you evaluate players??
Asking for a friend.
There are many ways to make it work.
Box-to-box midfielders have pulled it off(Monto Euro2012, Vidal, Seedorf), versatile attackers(KPB, Coutinho, Delle Ali, Di Maria, Kaka).
What they all had in common was workrate. And it failed the minute they lost it(Seedorf & Kaka later years).
The attackers were all versatile, and had impressive athleticism. They weren't in the way of a switch to 4-3-3, 4-3-2-1 or 4-2-3-1.
The 4-3-1-2(or 4-1-3-2) with a mezz'ala all involved Pirlo, whose passing range allowed it to work.
Trequartista might be synonymous with playmaker and "creaty", but in a 4-3-1-2 they are more of the engine of the team.
If you put a lazy or aged player there, then you get the lethargic mess that occurred every time Allegri was pressured into putting Seedorf there. That's why he would rather even have Urby there, when "creaty" players like Cassano and Robinho were available.
That same man who wanted a declined Seedorf or Dinho behind the strikers now wants Suso there.
Suso does not have the workrate, versatility or athleticism to pull it off.
Even Borini is a better option.
I actually expect Borini to get the 80th minute+ equalizer.
Good post.
Except for the one guy I know who played the trequartista role exceptionally well without having any work-rate. Manuel Rui Costa. But the man was insanely gifted and was just as silky as it gets on the ball.
Totti had to move to positions further forward as football became more work rate oriented, so I'm not bringing him up as a counter example. Rui Costa I think would have still done well even in today's football in the trequartista role.
Baggio is another possibility (of a low work rate insanely skilled guy doing well in the trequartista role in 2019), but I think he would have been moved to a wider role these days.
Stick to our strengths, play the Hakan-Piatek-Suso frontline. We are losing the benefits of Calhanoglu's immense running coverage and dirty work by putting him in the midfield. RicRod-Romagnoli-Musa-Calabria backline - slow but solid.
Only open question is who the left midfielder would be. Maybe try Baka there, since that position alongside Biglia would be in a deeper position for most of the match anyway. Kessie to roam ahead.