LFC2007 wrote:I know it's early etc.. etc...but I'm not convinced with the setup Ancelotti employed, despite the victory. The diamond with Mikel anchoring, Essien on the right, Malouda to the left and Lampard near the top doesn't seem to have adequate balance. Malouda isn't someone who can play on the inside to any great effect and that's what he has to do when they're out of possession, otherwise Mikel is left exposed. I don't think Malouda can shield well enough to play there. Granted when they're in possession he can push wide and gallop down the left but between that and tucking in is a considerable margin for error in getting caught out, and I just don't think he has the concentation levels or awareness to strike a reasonable balance in that capacity.
On the other side is Essien, a much better player for a start but I think you take away a certain amount by asking him to provide width down the right. He can of course do the tucking in and shielding part, but when he has to show for it he will at times be forced wide - as he was today - and it just isn't his best position; he doesn't look particularly comfortable there. He's best when he's in the thick of it, and that's when he's more central - a position he's more used to. He's more of shielder anyway, he likes the tackle, the physicality, the taking command of the central areas and he's pretty good on the ball too, but less so when forced into wider areas and that's mainly I think because the types of passes and movements are quite different from being deeper and central. In a nutshell, he likes to be facing opponents directly, which he doesn't get as much in this more ancillary role on the right. If Ancelotti endavours to stick with this sytem he ought to take Mikel out of it and let Essien - a much better player - anchor the whole thing.
Finally there's Lampard who seems to have less space to run into playing in this system; it seemed a bit more congested through the middle with two forwards competing for the spaces he likes to run into - particularly in regards Anelka's movement. He's generally been at his best when he's had that space to run into, with wingers in support, in a 4-5-1 and I think it has the effect of limiting his time on the ball and space to run into.
Personally I'd ditch it and have Essien anchoring with Ballack and Lampard ahead of him, with - as is more conventionally known - two wingers and Drogba providing the outlets. It's not necessarily doomed at all, but on first impressions it didn't seem to strike the right balance, and considering the players they have and what we know they can do in a 4-5-1 I think I'd have stuck with that generally speaking.
Yep that was my impression too.. Think alot will change once Zhirkov settles in and Joe Cole is back though... for now, all that Ancelotti seems to be trying to do is maintaining the Anelka-Drogba pairing upfront.. i think as soon as they have everyone back and ready they'll go back to a formation similar to the one that ended last season... In all honesty they have the players to play whatever formation they want, Ancelotti just needs to get the balance right like Hiddink did.. Width has been their problem for quite some time now and with J.Cole and Zhirkov back i wouldnt think he'd be willing to throw that away so easily...
