I'm creating this thread so I can say 'i told you so' when we keep being ****. Added a poll just because.
Can you add "Sign IBB"? I'm left footed and used to play as a left winger for Mount Pleasant Lane JMI. At approaching 57 it maybe I need to switch to left back. I have my own ball and Alice band.
In my opinion too much is being made of this. Would a champ standard left back signing have helped, yes. But this squad is good enough to cope with 4 at the back and play someone there who may not be great but can ‘do a job’. Kiko and wilmot would both be ‘ok’ there in this league. Christ, I could have played there today and it wouldn’t have hurt us with the ‘threat’ Barnsley posed. If 4-3-3 gets better results going forward then just play it. Why are we scared about some of these teams hurting us more than we would hurt them?
Good question. I think, however, that Ivic has alluded to the players we have available being the cause of the 5-3-2/5-4-1 formations. So, regardless of your point, a left-back is a necessity for Ivic.
Sure there might be some compromises, but Ivic has the players to go 433 or 4231 if he wished. The idea has has no one able to play LB is a myth.
Well I never! My family home was 41 MPL. Now a rather twinky residence it was a three bedroom bungalow in my time. Right opposite the school,I was always last to arrive.
I guess it's all about balance. I would personally, sacrifice some defensive stability in one position, if it meant we became twice as effective going forward. Regardless of whether we believe this, Ivic clearly doesn't. I reckon we're stuck with this system until we get a LB in.
I agree with you but Ivic clearly doesn’t see it that way. And for such a disconnect to happen between manager and recruitment team is complete incompetence as usual.
At least he was in the box on Tuesday not sure Mr TS would have been. However it's a futile point on my part as neither seem likely to score.
It’s an absolute shambles. We can pick a matchday squad two weeks ago featuring five centre halves, but not one left-back. Ivic seems to be saying today that without a proper and fit left-back, he can’t change the current 3-5-2. Good grief. The arrogance of it all, thinking we would walk this league with such shocking recruitment.
To be fair, Ivic is just being stubborn on this. We could easily play 4-3-3 with what we have. We are hardly going to fall apart if Kiko plays at left back.
Indeed. Ivic seems a one-trick pony whose trick has been unravelled. It’s still a shambolic state of affairs us not having a conventional left-back and even having to discuss playing a right-footed player there.
I'm now unexpectedly free for this next month,probably longer. Shall I report to Colney with my Alice Band?
It's ridiculous that we didn't sign a LB but at this level, it's complete and utter ******** that we can't utilise Kiko, Sema or Ngakia in that position and make a change to the formation.
I don't think I would risk Sema there because I doubt he could defend well enough, or Ngakia because of his youth, but Femenia absolutely should do it.
But we shouldn’t even be in this position. It’s amateur and short-sighted. Another really inadequate summer of recruitment. I know we are now in the Championship, but did we sign anybody in the window that actually excited us? I don’t think so, judging by the general reactions on here. We got our hopes up when linked with the likes of Grimes, Toney, Manning etc but ended up with a journeyman striker who can’t keep himself on the pitch, a central defender whose barely played the last year or so, a young and therefore inconsistent central midfielder with little creative output on loan and a striker so past his peak he should have one of Tesco's ‘best before’ food stickers on his forehead. The only signing that enthused me was Ngakia and now he seems to have been dropped, despite impressing. And no left-back. (Despite selling a good one we had) Total and utter gash.
I don't think Ngakia has been dropped. We have to accept that Ivic sees that the volume of games can only be managed by regular rotation of players so Ngakia, along with most others will be in and out of the team. It does seem to be becoming clear which players he sees as part of the first team squad and which are not in it. The latter group appears to include Sierralta and Murray, who I think will disappear completely once Deeney is fit.
I know what you mean re Sema and Ngakia but surely it's going to be better to play a formation that suits the rest of ours players and have one slightly weak link at left back, than completely neuter the entire team by sticking with this plodding 5-3-2. I'd even take one of the centre backs playing left back if it meant we utilised Sarr, Pedro etc properly in a more suitable formation.
Perhaps when playing Norwich, Bournemouth etc. but not against the likes of Wycombe and Barnsley - a more positive attacking formation and we'd score far more than we concede
Until it's been used for a while we don't even know if a switch to 4-3-3 would work, but based on having Sarr and Pedro, who are both being raved about by other teams and pundits, and who would both clearly do their best work in the Mane and Salah roles it does seem daft to have considerably reduced their impact by having them try and form a partnership as central strikers. We have Perica, Deeney, Murray and Gray who can all play through the middle and despite each of them clearly having some weaknesses are still reasonable options in this league. There is of course frustration at not having a LB but my guess would be nearly every team in the league is having to 'make do' in some part of the pitch, especially with the amount of rotation and likely injuries to be had this year. If 4-3-3 is Ivic's preferred formation and is effective then I say get on with it. Sarr alone should be a weapon too much for half the teams in this division - if he's used correctly.
I am in agreement that a 4 at the back is possible with Femenia at LB. I disagree with Ivic on this one if he says he ain't got NO players to go LB. But is it the formation causing the result downturn in fortunes though? With a 3-5-2 you have 7 players in non defensive positions. With a 4 at the back you have 6 players in non defensive positions. One would've thought we could still be an attacking threat with 3 at the back. It may be the rotation of the midfielders causing the problem. Too mich chopping and changing means no continuation of form. Garner was involved more early in the season when the results were positive I seem to remember. Since Quina started, and Capoue came in (though he may not be fit yet), we been playing worse. Also some (not me) were hailing Pedro as the second coming earlier in the season but recently he has been poor and so has the team's fortunes. I think we need to get a settled side in for a while once a striker returns and get some belief back that way.
Agreed with others that Femenia is fine at left back as a short-term measure until we get Masina back. We have enough to change the formation. I also think Wilmot can do a job there. Just change the fecking formation and get Sarr and Sema out wide and play 2 up front, or 4-3-3. Anyone can see that playing Sarr and Pedro as central strikers is absolutely doomed
