Yup, that season we had both Trent and a slightly diminished but still very good Robbo, a fully firing Diaz, a productive Gakpo, Mo in the goalscoring form of his life, Jota to come off the bench and even Darwin to bring his chaotic energy on the pitch.
The midfield had a lot of help, let’s just say.
Other than Gakpo, none of those elements are here any more.
Makes me sad to think how quickly it all changed starting with Diogo’s passing.
Yes, that’s what I thought as well when watching the game. I put it down to not having enough practice doing it yet, so instead of having the reflex to commit to that open space and deal with the danger, both CBs just kind of hedged it, and allowed the ball-carrier to run at them and pick his pass.
Edit: referring to the post above from Limie.
Exactly, and Van Dijk and Ali in their peak years or near enough. Not now.
Well yes, but these things happen to every team. That´s why you have to start the rebuild while you are on top. Unfortunately we didnt and now it´s going to be much harder, but can be done.
Seen in the unreliable rumours thread that with our current players we should play a 4 4 2 diamond.
For one who is playing the 6, when everyone says we don’t have anyone in the squad who ideally is a single 6.
Who are our wingers/wide players that are going to track and cover inside?
I just don’t understand the shout for this formation as we will be outnumbered in midfield.
How can we be outnumbered in midfield when our midfield has 4 players in it?
It would be a narrow diamond of Mac Grav Dom and Wirtz, no wingers. Full backs for width, Gakpo alongside Isak (maybe pulling left sometimes), and 3 midfielders behind Wirtz for stability and to cover full backs.
As an expedient it might work.
No wingers, our fullbacks providing the width who are showing their inability to cross or create.
Teams are just going to block the middle and let the full backs have the ball, then exploit the space that they have left as they will HAVE to support the attack.
Nope not for me.
Same thing they do now and all last season. Let us mess about wide and go nowhere or struggle to pass through midfield. We will see it all season regardless of the formation.
One of the points of 4 midfielders is that they cover the space full backs leave when attacking. Basic midfield play tbh but that is where we are at.
It isnt what I would do but I can see the merits of it.
As I said before name a top team that plays a diamond with 2 CF’s and one, who in Gakpo’s case prefers coming off the left
Also, if the midfielders are covering the full backs we are outnumbered in CM, make your mind up.
Top teams don´t have our weak and unbalanced squad.
That´s the whole point. It´s an expedient because we have no midfield balance, mediocre wide options and full backs that need midfield cover.
It´s not what we would do if we had not ballsed up our squad building for three years.
No logic to that. Would be true whatever the formation whenever a midfielder covered a full back. One midfielder covering a full back still leaves 3 others too.
So we then play a system that Iraola never uses and a system which no successful team uses, because you believe our players can’t be coached and are not suitable!
Do you understand the concept of an expedient? We won´t win the league this way but it might get us over the line to 4th or 3rd perhaps. No successful teams have squads like ours, shall we just not play those players?
Yes, this nonsense idea that players are just malleable units of stuff that can be coached to do anything doesn´t convince me. I know it´s an idea fans like and romanticise.
Yes it isn’t practical or useful.
Never known a poster flip flop as much as you do.
Unlike you all players are malleable and coachable otherwise they wouldn’t be at the pinnacle.
In what way have I flip flopped?
You just don´t seem to understand a 4 4 2 diamond. Going on about us being outnumbered in midfield in a 4 4 2 diamond 
Well they are not totally malleable are they. The best coach in the world could never make Frimpong into a midfielder playmaker or Wirtz into a commanding centre back.
Here you go. I Googled it to explain it to you
We already give away too much space in central midfield. Surely this would only make it worst?
If I remember Szoboszlai had some of his best games on the right however who would play on the left of midfield?
Nah, we haven’t the players for this diamond stuff.
I think the diamond conversation has more merit if we assume the window closes and we have the same group of players!
However, Iraola clearly likes his wingers and we are trying to bring one or two in.
So we are evaluating a situation that is about to change, (famous last words, let’s see if the signings happen) and there’s no way we will drop a lot of cash on wingers and then not use them!
No no. it´s a narrow diamond. 4 players in the middle. No wingers.
I would just play Nyoni and stick with our system but if people are worried about being vulnerable in the middle, 4 4 2 narrow diamond would help fix that.
Obviously as @RedOverTheWater , this is only until we have some wingers signed.
And everything I said in my reply covers the strengths and weaknesses.
Teams will defend centrally to nullify the centre threat, therefore we have to get our full back wide, as I said, which then leads to the weakness in the wide area and pulls the midfielders out wide creating gaps centrally.
We also don’t have 2 CF’s.
Also tell me how we press in a 4 4 2 diamond, who does the wide wingers job?
Thank you for proving my point.
No it doesn’t it doesn’t work for a top team see my previous post, we don’t even have the personnel to play it.
