[Albion] Do you think Potter tells the team a formation before kick-off?

[WATFORD zero]

He probably doesn't even tell them the team. He just shouts 'go' and it's the first eleven through the dressing room door. You should just be thankful Big bob usually sits next to it

 

[amexer]

Of course they know what formation. With results in our away games Potter is beyond criticism .Just felt as a cup game he approached this differently and wanted to go for it from the off and it went wrong. Cucurella is an outstanding FB/WB but is not a CB. and more likely than March of stopping cross for 2nd goal. Even though Lamptey is better coming from deep he clearly wanted him to push forward .He practically played as a winger which often left Webster with little help.. Of course didnt help gave away 2 early goals. I think if we play with a back 3 it should be Veltman/Dunk/Webster and if a back 4 Lamptey/Webster/Dunk/Cucurella

 

[raymondo]

Of course they know what formation. With results in our away games Potter is beyond criticism .Just felt as a cup game he approached this differently and wanted to go for it from the off and it went wrong. Cucurella is an outstanding FB/WB but is not a CB. and more likely than March of stopping cross for 2nd goal. Even though Lamptey is better coming from deep he clearly wanted him to push forward .He practically played as a winger which often left Webster with little help.. Of course didnt help gave away 2 early goals. I think if we play with a back 3 it should be Veltman/Dunk/Webster and if a back 4 Lamptey/Webster/Dunk/Cucurella

Did Cucu really start as a CB? Maybe, but for me, in first half, i saw 2 CBs and 2 full backs pushing high up the pitch (cos we were quickly two down) with March and Gross covering the empty full back positions. It looked a mess to me. If we're gonna push Lamps and Cucu up that much (we were open at the back) then better play a proper 352 with Veltman in the back line. We played some sort of hybrid in the first half, players looked lost, it was a mess IMO.

 

[amexer]

After watching highlights he did play LCB which left loads of room down the right

 

[LamieRobertson]

Only here for the polk

 

[Justice]

GPott is a reactive manager - not proactive.

He's great at assessing how the other team are beating us and nullifying that.

But for someone who can do that so well, he's staggeringly shitehouse at imposing his side, on the game, from minute 1.
That probably happens only 2 or 3 times a season.
The rest of the time he hands the advantage over and plays ketchup.

This, always playing catch up shows with all the feckin draws. When I first saw the line up last night obvious what was going to happen, kinda glad we made a mess of the ticketing.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Is this a serious question? Who would think in this day and age a Premier League manager/coach would send their team out for a match without telling them the formation and tactics to play? Even grassroots under 10s teams have a formation/tactics talk before a match.

I don't think at elite level they are give a team formation specifically. Tactics, yes, but more specifically roles, jobs, responsibilities are the messages from the manager issued at an individual level.
Who takes throw-ins and dead-ball kicks, inc pens and corners. Zonal defending, esp at defending corners - notice on attacking corners Lamptey is always the man on the half-way line - not much chance of him winning a header in their box but quickest over the ground to defend a quick counter.

I think the high-press is another good example, anyone can play anywhere, the job is to be tight in their half and pick a pocket. But don't do it all the time, must be all together or not at all.

We look quite dangerous when Webster dribbles into midfield or higher to beat the oppos press. Unlikely to happen if told to stick to a rigid formation.

So, no formation fixed instructions, just lots of roles and responsibilities for individuals to carry out with license to "express yourself".

 

[zefarelly]

So, no formation fixed instructions, just lots of roles and responsibilities for individuals to carry out with license to "express yourself, with a flute".

I knew it, they dabble don't they.

 

[Yoda]

Of course not, he just says who's playing and tells them to do what the hell they like

 

[JBizzle]

This, always playing catch up shows with all the feckin draws. When I first saw the line up last night obvious what was going to happen, kinda glad we made a mess of the ticketing.

What a load of utter tripe. Just because we concede first doesn't mean we're playing catch up tactically. I could name at least 5 games off the top of my head (Palace, Chelsea x2, Leicester, Southampton) where we've tactically battered teams, had shedloads of decent chances but conceded first, Potter then has had to change because the opposition has become more defensive to protect a lead. If we were outplayed for the first 45 minutes regularly, I'd agree, but we're not.

 

[Justice]

What a load of utter tripe. Just because we concede first doesn't mean we're playing catch up tactically. I could name at least 5 games off the top of my head (Palace, Chelsea x2, Leicester, Southampton) where we've tactically battered teams, had shedloads of decent chances but conceded first, Potter then has had to change because the opposition has become more defensive to protect a lead. If we were outplayed for the first 45 minutes regularly, I'd agree, but we're not.

Are you saying it looks good on the eye although it’s ineffective football as the ball rarely ends up in the net? Or lack of quality in front of goal?

 

[Deleted member 2719]

As the title states, before kick-off do you think that Potter sits the team down and tells them a formation for the game ahead “okay lads, we’re playing 4-1-2-1-2 today and you’re playing LB, you’re playing RB etc” or do you think he gives the players individual instructions based on the rough place on the pitch he’d want them to be rather than defined positions and formations?

Polk to follow

Thanks for the third option.

 

[JBizzle]

Are you saying it looks good on the eye although it’s ineffective football as the ball rarely ends up in the net? Or lack of quality in front of goal?

To me, it's the latter. You can train a player to put the ball in the back of the net as much as you like but what a player does on the pitch under pressure on a match day is largely out of the manager's control. Ultimately, profligacy will fall on the manager's shoulders, but the criticism is that Potter is "tactically playing catch up", i.e. "he got it wrong from the start". My argument is that Potter rarely gets it wrong from the start, just that his teams don't score when they should.

 

[Giraffe]

Early contender for most woeful thread of the year.

 

[Justice]

To me, it's the latter. You can train a player to put the ball in the back of the net as much as you like but what a player does on the pitch under pressure on a match day is largely out of the manager's control. Ultimately, profligacy will fall on the manager's shoulders, but the criticism is that Potter is "tactically playing catch up", i.e. "he got it wrong from the start". My argument is that Potter rarely gets it wrong from the start, just that his teams don't score when they should.

100% made a mess of on Saturday don’t understand that line up whatsoever.

 

[JBizzle]

100% made a mess of on Saturday don’t understand that line up whatsoever.

Oh I'm not saying he always gets it right 100% of the time, but I do think we have to take into account that Spurs are a better side than they get credit for and their 1st two goals had a HUGE slice of luck about them. I don't think he got it right on Saturday, but I think it's the exception, not the rule

 

[Justice]

Oh I'm not saying he always gets it right 100% of the time, but I do think we have to take into account that Spurs are a better side than they get credit for and their 1st two goals had a HUGE slice of luck about them. I don't think he got it right on Saturday, but I think it's the exception, not the rule

Forget the slice of luck for a minute, the defence was all over the place, Maupay can’t play as a loan striker it’s never worked. March awful shouldn’t be near the first team IMO, nothing personal just not good enough. It was a one off cup game two strikers should of started Veltman in for March and dear old Pascal on the bench.

 

[drew]

I haven't noticed before but is the OP know for Potter bashing as that's the only reason I can think of for posting such a dumb question.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I haven't noticed before but is the OP know for Potter bashing as that's the only reason I can think of for posting such a dumb question.

No, I don’t believe so. I don’t really understand this thread though. Surely ALL managers talk to their teams about formation ? I haven’t voted because I would have thought the answer was obvious and not really debatable.

 

[albionalbino]

The training ground is a bit like NSC. During the week they all talk about what book they're currently reading or what's good on Netflix or best album of 2022.
Apparently Maupay loves Witch house.
Then later in the week they have an ex player like..... Steve Foster who comes in and asks them to predict the score.
Potter doesn't do any talking he runs a what's app group where he posts a starting 11 and leaves them to it.