[Albion] Rationale for starting line up and formation

[Giraffe]

Any ideas? When I saw the team I thought we were going with 3 centre halves, March at left wing back and Alzate right wing back. To the start with a flat back four with Gross at left back and Webster at right back was flippin crazy!

So let’s assume Potter is a genius and we all know nothing, what was his rationale?

The best I can come up with is to double bluff them. They’d have never guessed how we would set up. They wouldn’t have picked that selection, they wouldn’t have guessed the formation.

Or was it the old Rocky trick of pretending to be shit, and then switch it up, suddenly fighting South Paw!

Help. Ps) I hadn’t heard any interviews yet where he may have conclusively explained it already?!

 

[Justice]

Lucky we weren’t 3-0 down at half time, play the strongest players please. That starting line up would of been slaughtered against Watford.

 

[Cotton Socks]

Trolling Burnley? Got his left and right mixed up? I've no clue but it worked out alright in the end!

 

[pocketseagull]

we don't necessary know who are the strongest players until the game is over.

Having said that last season our results picked up when we settled on our 'best' side and stuck with it as much as possible.

 

[The Fits]

I'd love to know. I wonder how he explained it in the team meeting.
Has Gross ever played left back in his career? I wonder how Biss felt when he was told he was playing higher up the pitch and Alzate was playing his role.

 

[Swansman]

The lineup probably looked more normal before the decision about Veltman.

I'm sure there was some kind of plan to it but not sure what.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I'd love to know. I wonder how he explained it in the team meeting.

“Right lads. Today’s draw machine is Guinevere and we are using set of balls number 9. Good luck everybody!”

 

[Stat Brother]

It's what scares me most about him.

All this 'Im smarter than you average bear, boo-boo' is bollox.
Last season, he got out coached so many times, at halftime, the best I can assume was that abomination of a team was his way of undercutting Dyche out coaching in the second half.

 

[birthofanorange]

I genuinely have no idea what the plan was - it looked bizarre, and certainly whatever it was, wasn't working in the first 45.
That said, a lot of that was down to the lethargy of the players - they looked beaten after the first 15 mins.
Admittedly, the 'goal-that-should-have-been-disallowed knocked any confidence out of them, but hell, whatever was said at half-time made a difference, and the subs were inspired.
Genius or fool? I'll go (as always) with the former.

 

[The Fits]

...
That said, a lot of that was down to the lethargy of the players - they looked beaten after the first 15 mins...)

Personally think they looked more like they didn't have a clue what they were doing. Biss looked utterly confused and lost playing an advanced role. Webster was all over the shop. Mwepu too.

 

[Justice]

I genuinely have no idea what the plan was - it looked bizarre, and certainly whatever it was, wasn't working in the first 45.
That said, a lot of that was down to the lethargy of the players - they looked beaten after the first 15 mins.
Admittedly, the 'goal-that-should-have-been-disallowed knocked any confidence out of them, but hell, whatever was said at half-time made a difference, and the subs were inspired.
Genius or fool? I'll go (as always) with the former.

He definitely spotted a weakness down that Burnley right hand side we targeted it all second half.

 

[Swansman]

It's what scares me most about him.

All this 'Im smarter than you average bear, boo-boo' is bollox.
Last season, he got out coached so many times, at halftime, the best I can assume was that abomination of a team was his way of undercutting Dyche out coaching in the second half.

He knows indefinitely more about football and coaching a football team than the average person does. Not surprised you believe different however - the Dunning-Kruger effect is strong in you.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Rationale? Veltman pulling out late gave him an excuse to go back to one of his wacky formations that barely ever works. Just wish he'd quit with all that bullshit and he could actually be a top top manager.

Fortunately today he made top top subs

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[Justice]

Rationale? Veltman pulling out late gave him an excuse to go back to one of his wacky formations that barely ever works. Just wish he'd quit with all that bullshit and he could actually be a top top manager.

Fortunately today he made top top subs

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Or he could of just started with a stronger line up is at any surprise better quality players made a difference Of all the positions we needed to strengthen midfield wasn’t one no idea why we spunked 11m on this Zambian lad.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Or he could of just started with a stronger line up is at any surprise better quality players made a difference

Well quite. As it happens, he deserves praise today for getting the game won despite the questionable tactics.

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[The Fits]

Or he could of just started with a stronger line up is at any surprise better quality players made a difference

It wasn't the players, it was the formation.
We could've played..
Sanchez
Dunk Duffy Webster
Mwepu Gross Biss Alzate March
Tross
Maupay

or...
Sanchez
Webster Duffy Dunk March
Biss
Mwepu Gross Alzate Tross
Maupay

Etc etc etc.
Just play the players in positions they have played. And play Biss at DM.
It took Potter a good few months last season to get over the odd calls. Hopefully this is a one off because he seemed to find a really good shape in the second half of the season (a lot of it was down to Veltman missing I'm sure).

Thankfully he played a blinder in the second half.

 

[birthofanorange]

Personally think they looked more like they didn't have a clue what they were doing. Biss looked utterly confused and lost playing an advanced role. Webster was all over the shop. Mwepu too.

True, that didn't help, but I still think they looked out of sorts and took a long time to settle.
It was a bit of a cobbled-together team, so I cut Potter (and them) some slack. Okay, by h/t it wasn't looking good, but right from the start of the 2nd half, I sensed and saw a change in them - what it was down to, who knows, but credit where credit is due, those subs were at the right time and made all the difference.
He knows what he's doing. #mostly

 

[Stat Brother]

Rationale? Veltman pulling out late gave him an excuse to go back to one of his wacky formations that barely ever works. Just wish he'd quit with all that bullshit and he could actually be a top top manager.

Fortunately today he made top top subs

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Hardly top subs, he just glued the teapot back together after throwing it against the wall.
2 years in the making and suddenly he decides the handle should be on the inside.

He's so lucky it was only 1-0

Alzate holding midfield.
March right wing.
Groß left back.
Biss and ZX Spectrum attacking midfield

The upshot being the team looked like a bunch of strangers who didn't care.

Put everyone back in their rightful positions and amazing they looked like a team which had been meticulously drilled and trained for 2 full seasons, earning 3 points in the process - who'd have guessed that.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Any ideas? When I saw the team I thought we were going with 3 centre halves, March at left wing back and Alzate right wing back. To the start with a flat back four with Gross at left back and Webster at right back was flippin crazy!

So let’s assume Potter is a genius and we all know nothing, what was his rationale?

The best I can come up with is to double bluff them. They’d have never guessed how we would set up. They wouldn’t have picked that selection, they wouldn’t have guessed the formation.

Or was it the old Rocky trick of pretending to be shit, and then switch it up, suddenly fighting South Paw!

Help. Ps) I hadn’t heard any interviews yet where he may have conclusively explained it already?!

I think Potter was desperate to play a back 4 against Burnley. He has done this before, o remember the Webster-Duffy-Dunk-Burn back line at the Amex a few years ago. But, I’ve just got a feeling that he wants to pursue a sort of 4-3-3 to fit in more of his talented midfielders; we have so many.

Potter said it had been a challenging pre-season in the post match interview. Could he be referring to the particular challenge that was Burn, his 1st choice left back, getting injured? Our main left back target in Spain certainly got the message today that he’d walk straight into the team if he came here, Groß was a round peg in a square hole.

Once at a back 3 again and with Lallana directing, we were back to our old selves again. I’d expect a much better formation at the Amex.

 

[birthofanorange]

I think Potter was desperate to play a back 4 against Burnley. He has done this before, o remember the Webster-Duffy-Dunk-Burn back line at the Amex a few years ago. But, I’ve just got a feeling that he wants to pursue a sort of 4-3-3 to fit in more of his talented midfielders; we have so many.

Potter said it had been a challenging pre-season in the post match interview. Could he be referring to the particular challenge that was Burn, his 1st choice left back, getting injured? Our main left back target in Spain certainly got the message today that he’d walk straight into the team if he came here, Groß was a round peg in a square hole.

Once at a back 3 again and with Lallana directing, we were back to our old selves again. I’d expect a much better formation at the Amex.

Indeed, Lallana made a huge difference.