What can we change?

mercredi 4 janvier 2023

So another defeat against a top ten team, where we managed to have plenty of the ball but it turned out to be meaningless. We can't deny that there is something wrong with this set up. We no longer give the better teams much of a scare and usually struggle to beat the lesser teams. Now more and more here are accepting what seemed likely from the summer; that our failures to deal with midfield deficiencies ( we managed to made them worse, actually ) have left us as a relegation candidate.

We badly need to do some meaningful business to make our midfield finally work but I no longer believe we ever will. The last decade shows we will always do the bare minimum for the midfield ( in this case probably a late, failed attempt to loan Gallagher again ) and Vieira will be left trying to keep us up with what we have, this season.

We have threads discussing which midfielder we should buy but the question of this thread is slightly more realistic; how do we stay up with the substandard midfield options we have right now? ( let's assume Jimmy Mac is out of the picture or we know what the answer would be ) How do we put together a team capable of shielding the defence for 90 mins and gaining some thrust through the middle, thus reducing our reliance on the same old triangular patterns on the wings?

Posters on these pages have proposed various ideas; playing Olise as a ten, playing wing backs, dropping at least one of Eze or Olise to put in an extra ball-winner, ect. I'm curious what formations we want to see tried.

Myself, I'd like to see the following 4-3-3 midfield and attack;


------------Doucoure-----------Hughes--------------
---------------------Schlupp--------------------------
Olise------------------Zaha----------------------Eze

It gives us two dedicated CMs, playing a double pivot and protecting the defence. It gets Schlupp's pace, penetration and shooting ability further forward, it keeps Olise's delivery from the wing and allows Eze to remain on the pitch, whilst removing as much responsibility to defend. We would add much-needed pace, trickery and aggression up front, with Zaha.

Of course, there are issues. Eze is yet to be proven as a winger ( big debate going on between a few posters on this point ) and Zaha playing centrally is also a contentious idea. But I can't think of a better option.

Or should we swap Schlupp with Ayew? Or drop Eze, put Zaha back on the wing and get whichever striker we fancy most up front? But can we dare leave out a talent like Eze?

Anyone got alternative ideas? I think it's fair to say that, absent us actually buying some serious midfield talent, we can't just keep going on the way we are. We might struggle to get to 40pts this season and 40pts might be a requirement, for once.

Thoughts?


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