4-2-3-1 against Chelsea?
Comments (26)
I think this is the formation we need. It will allow Bily and Mikel, arguably our two most creative players, to lose their shackles and attack and make things happen.
It also gives Baines and Coleman the licence to get forward on the overlap ? knowing they have Fellaini and/or Osman ahead of them to drop in and cover.
Fellaini and Osman can drive us out ? I think Ossie has played well and done a job in central mid when played there. He works hard and can pick a pass.
It allows us to get tight when we need to, with Rodwell dropping in and supporting when we are defending. He should have enough energy to do that role while supporting Jermaine, who surely has to be given a run in the team.
I personally think it would give us enough to combat Chelsea, as well as having the ability to open them up as well.
Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Osman Fellaini
Arteta Rodwell Bily
Beckford
Brian Price,
Liverpool Posted 24/01/2011 at 13:09:12
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Having just seen Chelski demolish Bolton I have to think we will be hard pressed to get a win against them.
If Cahill was back maybe but the present squad would have to seriously raise their game to win this match.
However, it is the F.A.Cup and
anything can happen as form usually goes out of the window.
Brian your team looks good but Saha should play at the expense of Osman.
It is a cup game and we should go for the win by starting 2 forwards.
Rodwell should be given the start as he has shown he is up for the big teams and Ossie lacks height and strength against the taller Chelski team. Still, you know Moyes will play him anyway.
No idea why Beckford deserves a run in the team, as you suggest. He's too lightweight, he lacks movement, he's shot-shy and if he is pacy I'm yet to see any real evidence of it. In short he offers absolutely nothing! On a free with low wages he was worth a punt - but as it has transpired he's simply not good enough. Cash in. I'd rather have James Vaughan.
Today I was thinking about our squad and where we are strongest and it occurred to me that we don't excel in wide players but we do have great attacking full backs and some strong central players.
I remember how Chelsea were playing a few seasons ago with Lampard leading the midfield, and plenty of options up front.
How about Everton playing a 4-2-1-3 type system, with...
Howard ? golakeeper
Coleman ? right back
Jagielka ? central defender
Distin ? central defender
Baines ? left back
Fellaini ? holding midfielder
Arteta ? support midfielder
Cahill ? advanced midfielder
Billy ? inside left
Saha ? inside right
Beckford ? centre-forward
...or somehting along these lines?
I think the players available should dictate the system, and I would like to see Saha as a creative focus, along with Bily, who I believe are our most dynamic players at the moment.
FM on a Monday? God give me strength! It doesn't matter what you, me or the garden gate think. Moyes will put out what he thinks is right on the day.
I?d rather see Rodwell deep and Osman playing the more advanced role, but otherwise I?m very much in favour of your formation and your team selection, Brian.
4-2-3-1 is definitely the way to go if you want to avoid being hustled out of the game in midfield. As I think I?ve mentioned before, it can encourage more penetrative back and forth passing, rather the side to side stuff we?ve become used to. Additionally, any formation that doesn?t require wingers seems to be a natural fit for a squad that doesn?t have any genuine wide-men.
As for personnel, despite missing his leadership, I?d be happy to rest Neville and drop Coleman back, because the formation you?ve suggested needs skilful attacking fullbacks to provide the width, which is a role that Seamus plays far more effectively. Saha vs Beckford was a tougher call for me but, as I?m sceptical of Saha's ability to last a whole match, it makes sense for him to come on as a sub once somebody has tired the opposition defence a little.
I agree with Aiden #5, pretty much word for word. I would be surprised to see Osman playing holding / defensive midfielder.
But a front four of Arteta, Osman, Bily plus one striker and the overlapping fullbacks makes good use of our available (!) and fit (!) resources, with both Fellaini and Rodwell potentially dangerous coming forward and of course on set pieces too.
If Saha is fit, you could replace/ sub Osman with Saha.
I don't see a lot of alternatives tbh, but that team should be able to play some good footy ... it's just lacking the well documented pace / firepower to reliably make it count ...
What a poor team. Coleman is not ready to play fullback, his first touch is poor and in reality what he does is just run past the fullback. He has shown poor defensive skills and could / should already have given 3 penalties away. Osman has never played well against a top side he is too small, too slow and far too weak to play central mid against Essien and Lampard. Rodwell has yet to prove himself as a central mid player either and has, perhaps because of Moyes selections, never produced since the Manure game. Finally to start any game at present without Saha is nonsense, he might not be playing very well but he is more of a threat than anyone else.
If fit Saha has to play ahead of beckford. He was a free last summer and there weren't too many clubs scrambling to sign him. Says it all. Championship player up there with the worst of an ever growing list of crap everton strikers. Add anichebe to that list!!
Personally think that after tonights result we should try a 1-10 formation, with Howard free to move left and right, in between the goalposts!
I am sure Moyes will go to a 4-5-1 withy fellaini playing the Tim cahill role.
Moyes comments after the West Ham game would suggest this is the way he will go.
I would like to appeal to the editor to bring the article titled "Time to do something about it then!" back onto the home page of TW rather than ones like this which, although interesting to a point, have been done to death already on this site.
There are far more important issues which need to be dealt with, and this is an opportunity for readers of Toffeeweb to try and make a difference.
Thanks.
We have been playing 4 2 3 1 for at least 2.5 seasons.
Well I saw the first half of the Bolton v Chelsea game during which there was a fantastic strike by Drogba, another attempt by the same guy and a bit of a lucky goal from Malouda. For the rest of the time Bolton played them off the park; however they could'nt get the final pass right and that's the difference. It's a bit like us really with the added caveat that we also have a tendency to miss open goals ! Even so Chelsea are not unbeatable, you just have to continue closing them down and putting as much pressure on their defence as possible. Don't agree with those slagging off Beckford. He's pretty raw but he does have pace and the goals he has scored have been pretty special. If he can finish up with 15 goals (unlikely ???) I'll be well satisfied.
Saha should always play when fit, Beckford was like a fish out of water on Saturday and his workrate was poor too, I`m afraid after watching that on Saturday we should get back to clogging the midfield as Chelsea would have put at least four past us on Saturday.
Jim, Osman has never played well against a top side! he was MOTM against Chelsea at home last year by a country mile and was too against City in our two best performances last year, both when he played in the centre.
I dont think he should be first choice, but he is a tidy little player and gets bad press because Moyes plays him out of position.
Last Saturday our football improved a bit when he was moved inside and started doing what Arteta should have been doing by looking forward and running at people and not playing like a nervous crab.
Howard
Neville Jags Distin baines
Coleman Rodwell Fellaini Arteta
Bily
Saha
Did you go the match on Saturday Tony?
Because surely you would have seen how poor Beckford was and the difference Saha did make compared to him, he looked like he was still playing for a low league team.
I'm always one to encourage, but Beckford is rubbish. Its as simple as that. He looks like a startled rabbit, and when he doesn finally score he looks clumsy and as surprised as the rest of us that he's actually hit the target, let alone made the ball cross the line.
There's a good reason he was playing for Leeds.
Oh, and I meant to add - playing Beckford up front on his own, we might as well play with 10 men.
Mark '#17 & Paul #18 .No I live hundreds of miles away now and seldom get to "live"matches. I still think he is worth a run but with someone like Saha; they seem to play OK together or have I only seen that on one occasion ?
The only reason I ask Tony is that I think if you were going you would se how poor Beckford is. Nothing against him, and for what he costs it was worth a gamble - but on this occassion the gamble really hasn't paid off. Saha and Beckford are miles apart in terms of their ability.
I think we should play Beckford as a brickie (his former career) and get him to build a wall as quickly as possible in front of Howard's goal. If he can build quick enough we might scrape a 0-0.
My Team for Saturday.
Howard
Neville
Heittinga
Distin
Baines
Bilyaletdinov
Rodwell
Fellaini
Guaye
Beckford
Vaughan
Subs
Mucha
Hibbert
Jagielka
Arteta
Baxter
Saha
Silva
Go on slaughter me for dropping Arteta!
Well done, Martin, some bold moves!
I too would drop Saha and play Beckford who actually puts in a shift, Mr Sadwell and Mr Parshall.....
Let's play Bily behind Beckford and Rodwell and Fellaini in the middle. Good shout to on giving Gueye a run out....... Let's be bold, Mr Moyes!!!
The squad is quite strong but not strong enough. No matter which eleven is selected to start it's all down to how they perform as a team on the day and this season we have only performed well as a team on maybe half a dozen occasionsif that.
Arteta is a key player but has not shone this season but looked better against the Hammers as did Saha when he came on. Coleman could have won the game late on with a little bit of luck. These 3 must start against Chelski in my book.
Probably Becks should start also in the absence of Timmie with Big Vic and Vaughan on the bench. Fellaini for his height should play but the last midfield is a toss-up between Bily, Ossie and Gueye but an alternative is to push Fellaini forward more and bring in Hietinga as the last line midfielder if Jags is ready.
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1 Posted 24/01/2011 at 21:57:20
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If Cahill was back maybe but the present squad would have to seriously raise their game to win this match.
However, it is the F.A.Cup and
anything can happen as form usually goes out of the window.
Brian your team looks good but Saha should play at the expense of Osman.
It is a cup game and we should go for the win by starting 2 forwards.
Rodwell should be given the start as he has shown he is up for the big teams and Ossie lacks height and strength against the taller Chelski team. Still, you know Moyes will play him anyway.