Owzat wrote:I think we're also not getting enough bodies in the box, neither Lucas nor Mascherano is going to which is why I favour 4-1-3-2. With Alonso in the side we could play 4-2-3-1 quite comfortably as he is comfortable on the ball. Criticism of Lucas for trying to get rid of the ball makes me laugh as he'd get lambasted if he slowed play down or was caught in possession so either way he's going to get it in the neck. Dropping Gerrard back may reduce his effectiveness, do we really need two men sitting in midfield? Waste of Gerrard's talents, he's not really a great passer of the ball so we'd see 'Hollywood passes' squandering possession, him going in for even more tackles and I'd rather he was relieved of that responsibilty and the cost would be his goalscoring I have little doubt. We won't find out until perhaps too late whether Aquilani will be a hit and how best the team shapes with him in it.
LFC2007 wrote:That 'in the same way' line is the most important point because there's control and there's control, and it comes back to the distinction between 'majority of possession' (or in spells, 'periods of neutrality') as opposed to having a genuine sense of authority in our play - which we will need consistently if we intend to challenge for the title. We may have had the vast majority of the possession against Villa, but we certainly didn't have authority in our play, that is, a real sense of knowing how to do damage with our use of the ball. That certainly stems from the midfield. Unless you play like Bolton or the Wimbledon of old in which case you can make very frequent use the long ball, minimising play through the midfield; the best teams don't employ this strategy though.
It's the one element that has to be consistent for long spells if we want to challenge. Even when we go away to Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford, places where possession is and will be thinly divided, we'll still have to show control - a sense of authority - in our play.
LFC2007 wrote:It's the one element that has to be consistent for long spells if we want to challenge. Even when we go away to Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford, places where possession is and will be thinly divided, we'll still have to show control - a sense of authority - in our play.
Bammo wrote:Right now, Lucas gets the ball, can't reach Gerrard and so goes sideways/backwards. If Gerrard was closer and so more easily found then Lucas would be more inclined to pass forwards.
Effes wrote:LFC2007 wrote:It's the one element that has to be consistent for long spells if we want to challenge. Even when we go away to Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford, places where possession is and will be thinly divided, we'll still have to show control - a sense of authority - in our play.
Do you think that was the case in the 4-1 at Old Trafford though?
I think we tended to get the ball upfront quickly than play it through the midfield.
LFC2007 wrote:Effes wrote:LFC2007 wrote:It's the one element that has to be consistent for long spells if we want to challenge. Even when we go away to Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford, places where possession is and will be thinly divided, we'll still have to show control - a sense of authority - in our play.
Do you think that was the case in the 4-1 at Old Trafford though?
I think we tended to get the ball upfront quickly than play it through the midfield.
Good point.
In almost every game away to one of the other top four, we'll be more counter-attacking in style i.e. more compact and looking for Torres or Gerrard to produce on the break. We go about controlling these types of games in two stages; first by ensuring we have a solid shape that is hard to penetrate - in this respect the midfield's primary role is to shield and press as a unit to protect the back four. The second stage is, when we win the ball, to use it well - pick the sensible option and generally play with patience and discipline - that's how we gradually nullify the opposition and also create opportunities to win the match for ourselves. The midfield is key here too in picking the right option - it gives us breathing space in these games. Textbook example being the Chelsea game at the Bridge last season. Alonso and Riera in particular were excellent in their use of the ball.
That's generally what we need to do in those sorts of fixtures, so though we may have an equal or lesser share of possession we essentially retain control of the game because we nullify the opposition with a shrewd, well-executed plan; contain and counter. The 4-1 game was rather unconventional though in that the Manc's had quite an off-day in midfield (in their defensive duties especially) and defense, whereas by contrast Gerrard and Torres were on-fire and it was primarily this that allowed us to score the goals that won us the game. In the main, the win was a consequence of solid defense work, a very shakey utd defense and some sublime play by Gerrard and Torres. Our defensive unit held out for long enough to allow Gerrard and Torres to work their magic on the break - our midfield wasn't often in possession of the ball, despite their good defensive work. On most days though, Gerrard and Torres won't be allowed so much freedom, Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra won't be so rusty, and better in-possession football will be required of the midfield. That's why it was a bit of a one-off (I hope not).
metalhead wrote:just shows how vital Gerrard is in the middle of the park. He was out of depth in the first half, but then in the 2nd he dropped a bit deep, saw more the ball and played really well. Lets drop him back to midfield with mascherano.
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