[Albion] Ostigard - Sold To Napoli 18/07/2022

[GT49er]

It is easy to forget (especially as it’s been a while) that at his best Shane Duffy is a very good player. He’d be fine in a 4 and I wouldn’t see it as a backwards step.

It would be a very retrograde step to pick him now ahead of Dunk, Webster or Veltman.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

In that case it would be handy if we had any fit full-backs !!

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I’m not sure we actually have any traditional full backs in our squad, injured or otherwise. It does make predicting the defence easy for Saturday though, we only have 4 actual first team defenders in the squad plus Solly March who is definitely not a LB.

 

[crookie]

I’m not sure we actually have any traditional full backs in our squad, injured or otherwise. It does make predicting the defence easy for Saturday though, we only have 4 actual first team defenders in the squad plus Solly March who is definitely not a LB.

I agree, that's why I can't see us going to a back 4

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[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I agree, that's why I can't see us going to a back 4

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Whatever we do it’s going to be a bit weak IMO. Back 4 and we have no full backs, back 3 with March and Veltman as wing backs and we’ll have no defenders on the bench, not ideal.

 

[crookie]

Whatever we do it’s going to be a bit weak IMO. Back 4 and we have no full backs, back 3 with March and Veltman as wing backs and we’ll have no defenders on the bench, not ideal.

Indeed, I suppose Burnley is not a bad team to utilise Duffy against, then hope something happens in the way of incomings before Watford. Regardless, with our injuries, we look a weaker squad than last year, which is concerning

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[Hugo Rune]

Got to be a chance that GPott is going with a back 4 - that means less pressure to have multiple centre halves and also means big Shane can be utilised in an orthodox 2.

Ironically, Østigård is playing on the right side of a back 3 tonight. The position where Webster and Veltman will be competing for for us I suspect.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

I’m not sure we actually have any traditional full backs in our squad, injured or otherwise. It does make predicting the defence easy for Saturday though, we only have 4 actual first team defenders in the squad plus Solly March who is definitely not a LB.

I don't see any particular reason why March can't play at LB though, as long as he's still expected to get forward from that position. If we were trying to park the bus or sit back or whatever and he was playing in a more old-fashioned purely defensive way than I agree it wouldn't make any sense to play him there.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I’m not sure we actually have any traditional full backs in our squad, injured or otherwise. It does make predicting the defence easy for Saturday though, we only have 4 actual first team defenders in the squad plus Solly March who is definitely not a LB.

I agree, that's why I can't see us going to a back 4

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Whatever we do it’s going to be a bit weak IMO. Back 4 and we have no full backs, back 3 with March and Veltman as wing backs and we’ll have no defenders on the bench, not ideal.

And the wild card Tudor Băluţa for the bench.

 

[albionalex]

I don't see any particular reason why March can't play at LB though, as long as he's still expected to get forward from that position. If we were trying to park the bus or sit back or whatever and he was playing in a more old-fashioned purely defensive way than I agree it wouldn't make any sense to play him there.

Because he's not very good at defending.

 

[albionalex]

It would be a very retrograde step to pick him now ahead of Dunk, Webster or Veltman.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that he would be picked ahead of them.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

Because he's not very good at defending.

That's only part of a LB's role. Admittedly not an unimportant part, but still only part of it.
If he can play as well as he did last season at LWB, then he can play at LB, as long as the rest of the team is set up in an appropriate way.

 

[albionalex]

Like it or not, that's only part of a LB's role. Admittedly not an unimportant part, but still only part of it.
If he can play as well as he did last season at LWB, then he can play at LB, as long as the rest of the team is set up in an appropriate way.

It's a pretty important part...

And it's very different to playing LWB in terms of positioning, playing offside and challenging for headers.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I don't see any particular reason why March can't play at LB though, as long as he's still expected to get forward from that position. If we were trying to park the bus or sit back or whatever and he was playing in a more old-fashioned purely defensive way than I agree it wouldn't make any sense to play him there.

March could play there, but it’s not his natural or favoured position, he’s transitioned from a winger to a wing back, full back is different altogether. He could probably get away with playing LB for Liverpool for example as they have Fabinho who can seamlessly drop into defence, whilst Bissouma is a great DM dropping into a back 3 isn’t really his skill set, as such the defensive responsibilities for our full backs are very important.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

That's only part of a LB's role. Admittedly not an unimportant part, but still only part of it.
If he can play as well as he did last season at LWB, then he can play at LB, as long as the rest of the team is set up in an appropriate way.

It mind sound trivial but just because you can play LWB it doesn’t mean you can play LB. Different skill set, different mindset, different job altogether, as a wing back you’re always supported by a centre back which leaves 2 free centre backs, as a LB if you get beaten the opponent is in, you have far more defensive responsibilities.

 

[Silverhatch]

If four at the back is indeed the preferred situation, Webster and Dunk will be the first choices by a gigantic margin.

Absolutely, but Big Shane, Dan Burn (when not covering for Solly) and Veltman (when covering for TL) can fill in at CB. Just got a feeling that GPott feels with Enock & Biss that we'll have the dynamism to go with a four and still be able to have full backs over loading/lapping.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

March could play there, but it’s not his natural or favoured position, he’s transitioned from a winger to a wing back, full back is different altogether. He could probably get away with playing LB for Liverpool for example as they have Fabinho who can seamlessly drop into defence, whilst Bissouma is a great DM dropping into a back 3 isn’t really his skill set, as such the defensive responsibilities for our full backs are very important.

I hate the idea that players have natural positions, it makes sense from the point of view that Dunk is obviously never going to be a winger, but when we're talking about exactly what responsibilities we're giving March on the left side it basically comes down to treating him like a mindless cretin (and that's a moan at the idea in general, not you specifically).

The additional responsibilities that a LB has compared to a LWB are, in the the scheme of things, relatively straightforward to develop. You can learn positioning and game awareness and how to play the offside trap in training and match experience. You can't just work harder and practice more to develop the advantages that March does have. In that sense, it's not particularly different to bringing in a young LB, they'd still have to get used to how the team play and playing that position in the Premier league.

I'm not, to be clear, saying that March would be my first choice of all the players in the world to play in that position. I'm saying that given the position we're in with the squad (that you outlined further up) it's a valid option that they could have been working on.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I hate the idea that players have natural positions, it makes sense from the point of view that Dunk is obviously never going to be a winger, but when we're talking about exactly what responsibilities we're giving March on the left side it basically comes down to treating him like a mindless cretin (and that's a moan at the idea in general, not you specifically).

The additional responsibilities that a LB has compared to a LWB are, in the the scheme of things, relatively straightforward to develop. You can learn positioning and game awareness and how to play the offside trap in training and match experience. You can't just work harder and practice more to develop the advantages that March does have. In that sense, it's not particularly different to bringing in a young LB, they'd still have to get used to how the team play and playing that position in the Premier league.

I'm not, to be clear, saying that March would be my first choice of all the players in the world to play in that position. I'm saying that given the position we're in with the squad (that you outlined further up) it's a valid option that they could have been working on.

Well they have to have been working on it as with Burn injured (another player out of position) we don’t have anyone else to play left back. We know Potter likes his players to be flexible and adaptable, and there’s nothing to say that given long enough March couldn’t be a LB, but it’s a position he’s never really played.
As much you as may hate players having ‘natural positions’ sadly it is a thing, even a young u-23 full back will most likely have been playing in that position for 4 or 5 years, it’s just bread and butter for them, they would most likely struggle with the speed and physicality of the Premier League though.
.

 

[GT49er]

I wonder if it came as big a surprise to GP as it did to many of us that Karbownik is not the LB/LWB we all thought he was supposed to be?

 

[chaileyjem]

I’m not sure we actually have any traditional full backs in our squad, injured or otherwise. It does make predicting the defence easy for Saturday though, we only have 4 actual first team defenders in the squad plus Solly March who is definitely not a LB.

and Karbownik who definitely is a LB.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

Well they have to have been working on it as with Burn injured (another player out of position) we don’t have anyone else to play left back. We know Potter likes his players to be flexible and adaptable, and there’s nothing to say that given long enough March couldn’t be a LB, but it’s a position he’s never really played.
As much you as may hate players having ‘natural positions’ sadly it is a thing, even a young u-23 full back will most likely have been playing in that position for 4 or 5 years, it’s just bread and butter for them, they would most likely struggle with the speed and physicality of the Premier League though.
.

That's (partly) my point though, you'd likely get as good or better results from playing March in a novel position than you would playing a young player who's familiar with the position but new to the team or league there.

Players have attributes, virtues and weaknesses, that set them up to be good in some positions and not others. If you've got the skill set to play in a position then there's no reason you can't adjust to it. There'll obviously always be a learning period, which might be a pre season or might be a couple of years depending on the change and the player.

Anyway, I'll leave it there. After all that Potter will probably play Maupay there now