Starting on the left of the 3 in a 4-2-3-1. Very clear left side too.
Ooohhh Curacao just scored!
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Will be very interesting how we setup with Flo under Iraola, as you say he mostly has played left side with more or less complete freedom to roam.
Thing is how does that work with Rio, also if he plays 10 and Rio is on the left, Flo will have a lot more defensive work to do.
From what Iāve been reading he often sets up his wingers to tuck in a little bit to help provide a bit more defensive solidity anyway, doesnāt he?
And then Germany wentā¦
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I must admit, this world cup has taught me something.
Didnāt even know there is a country called Curacao until now!
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Chelsea are keeping tabs on Liverpoolās Florian Wirtz - who starred under new Blues boss Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen - but any potential deal for the Germany playmaker, 23, depends on Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, leaving Stamford Bridge. (Football Insider)
hahahaha, what are they smoking lol
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its Chelseaā¦
i expect a Ā£450M bid on a 24 year contract this Monday morningā¦
Wirtz together with his sister Marie after the game yesterday
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If we could get the majority of our outlay back get him sold. Too lightweight and timid for the Premier league.
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Itās not happening.
Chelsea have to sell Enzo Fernandez first, it seems Spurs are after Gakpo and we are not letting up on selling Jones.
Added to the fact that Slot didnāt get anything from anyone in the side last year, letās improve a rival and handicap our new manager even before he has arrived.
Thankfully some of you donāt run this club.
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It would be a merryground every season and transfer window and that includes players, managers, director of football, owners and tea lady!
Canāt help thinking that we might get more out of Wirtz if he was deployed a bit deeper, or at least given the freedom to collect the ball deeper and make things happen.
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The pass maps I saw from some of the games suggested he was already doing this, although that may have been him trying to get defending teams to open up by trying to win the ball from him.
He had to come deep due to our poor pass progression
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Klopp apparently had some good comments about how to best use him after the Ivory Coast game. The overall message was quite simple: give him the ball.
For me that nails it. He needs a lot of ball contact to be in rhythm. Even if it looks like an unnecessary pass, ball contact is what gets him going. Thatās typical for that player type. The game has to run through him.
Better ball progression would give him the ball higher up, which is good. But in situations where weāre not capable of that, he also needs the freedom to just go and get the ball. Certainly not be stuck on a flank waiting for it, like I thought happened too much in some games this season when he was moved out on the left.
In itself itās not a bad thing for him to have the left wing as his starting position. But he canāt be a peripheral figure, standing around to wait for the ball in a specific position like a winger waiting to go 1v1.
I think itās madness to buy a player like that and then not really commit to how he plays football, which is what I think happened last season. Youāre not buying a cog in the wheel or a guy who just pops up in moments, youāre buying the guy who needs to be the center piece of what you do when you have the ball. Thatās what he was at Leverkusen, and for me itās the only way he makes sense.
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For me there is no doubt that regardless where starts between the lines or in whichever formation (the ā3ā in a 4-2-3-1 or the ā2ā in a 3-4-2-1, all of which he has covered at least once in his career so far), in possession you know which zones he should occupy and within that, let him find the space and find where exactly he can be the biggest threat. In the off the ball phase, if heās central, there is no doubt he needs to show more intensity and aggression. Or if he has to defend more off the sides.
The key is finding the right balance as a group. So naturally on his nearest side he would need someone to go up and wider, centrally he might need players who he has good understanding with, he might need some runners ahead or on the opposite side, etc.
If Klopp eventually said he had an idea how he couldāve made Coutinho, Salah, Mane and Firmino work, then I also have little doubt heād be negative about the prospects of Wirtz at Liverpool. And heās out of it now and offering words of support to everyone connected.
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I remember that was one of the things Barnes said about why he struggled when playing for England. For us he would be constantly involved in play, not so much during England games.
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Totally agree with all of that.
Even if he starts from the left, he rarely plays there. He needs the freedom to float around and his best work comes from within the width of the box.
YouĀ“re also right itĀ“s madness to spend all that money and then not really play to his strengths and make him the key to the system. Put him with pace and movement in front of him and he can thrive, but he also needs players behind him to get it to him early. ThatĀ“s why I think Wharton would be ideal with his quick passing between the lines.
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