Team vs QPR

[chucky1973]

Time to stop being conservative now, this game has 0-0 written all over it im afraid and that's is no good to us at all, we NEED 3 points tonight.

Same back 5(dunk), March and Buckley down the wings, Ince and Stephens in the middle with Ulloa and Lingard up front. 442 formation. Go at them from the off and make them think about our threat and not the other way around. We are awesome when we play at tempo, teams just cannot live with us, but we don't do it enough especially at home. We have great strength on the bench to come on. When we play at tempo, it raises the crowd as well and when the Amex gets rocking we will win.

 

[keaton]

I don't want to see Lopez, I don't want to see Forster-Caskey and I don't want to see Andrews. That goes for tomorrow, Saturday, the rest of the season and all of the time I have left on this planet.

I do want to see Lingard, Stephens, Buckley, Kazenga, March, Ince and Orlandi, so let's choose the midfield from them.

I do want to see Lingard (pacy bloke who doesn't seem to want to run at people and did far less than Lopez on Saturday), Stephens (meh, done nothing so far apart from miss a few easy chances), Buckley, Kazenga (looked good a month or so ago, done nothing since then), March (looks good, does very little), Ince and Orlandi (performing much the same as Lopez but without the goals or the assists)

 

[keaton]

It's all relative though. Chelsea and Arsenal have more money and better players, but that's because they're trying to beat Man City, Liverpool, Man United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. We're only worried about Bolton, Burnley, Reading, Millwall and the rest. Yes, some of them might have a bit more money than us, but we're not peasants in this league. Our budget was the 8th or 9th best last season. Even if you look at a lower EPL team that plays the same formation, like Aston Villa for example, they still stick with the four attacking players philosophy as part of the 6-4 defence-attack split. Here is their midfield/attack from their last game:

.........El Ahmadi ... Westwood..........
..................... Delph ...................
Weimann ... Benteke ... Agbonlahor

Again, four attacking players capable of creating or scoring a goal. I could carry on doing this, as I'm sure almost every example of a team playing 4-3-3 will show it includes four attacking players and, as a result, they score a decent number of goals. It's not the formation or style that's the problem for the Albion, it's simply the personnel. It's no wonder our defensive record is so good when we have so many players incapable of getting forward, but we only have two players on the pitch at any one time who are likely to hurt the opposition. Until we change that we will not score anywhere near enough goals.

Why should Villa ( a team that's spent vast amounts of money to backwards) be a team we should try and imitate?

 

[keaton]

Lingard - not been given the ball in space yet in two games, but his CV suggests he's very good.
.

He was given the ball to feet with only Gunter and half a pitch to run into on Saturday and dallied around.

I don't think Lopez has been brilliant but he's been decent and that probably makes him our most inform attacker recently.

 

[Bozza]

Lingard - not been given the ball in space yet in two games, but his CV suggests he's very good.

He was given the ball in acres of space on Saturday in the first half, racing free with just one covering defender.

I was very disappointed that he was unable to turn the opportunity into a shooting chance.

 

[Machiavelli]

It's all relative though. Chelsea and Arsenal have more money and better players, but that's because they're trying to beat Man City, Liverpool, Man United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. We're only worried about Bolton, Burnley, Reading, Millwall and the rest. Yes, some of them might have a bit more money than us, but we're not peasants in this league. Our budget was the 8th or 9th best last season. Even if you look at a lower EPL team that plays the same formation, like Aston Villa for example, they still stick with the four attacking players philosophy as part of the 6-4 defence-attack split. Here is their midfield/attack from their last game:

.........El Ahmadi ... Westwood..........
..................... Delph ...................
Weimann ... Benteke ... Agbonlahor

Again, four attacking players capable of creating or scoring a goal. I could carry on doing this, as I'm sure almost every example of a team playing 4-3-3 will show it includes four attacking players and, as a result, they score a decent number of goals. It's not the formation or style that's the problem for the Albion, it's simply the personnel. It's no wonder our defensive record is so good when we have so many players incapable of getting forward, but we only have two players on the pitch at any one time who are likely to hurt the opposition. Until we change that we will not score anywhere near enough goals.

There's nothing in here that I can disagree with and, again, I like your analysis. I still think Oscar should put Lopez in the creative central role tonight, with two wingers/wide forwards -- probably starting with Lingard and Buckley, with March and LuaLua to come on. I suspect from your other posts that you don't want Lopez playing, but in the absence of Orlandi who do you think should occupy the third midfield spot, assuming that both Stephens and Ince are fit?

 

[Pinkie Brown]

The key tonight is getting the ball forward VERY quickly and not giving the QPR midfield a sniff. The Burnley poster was spot on - QPR are at their most vulnerable when the game is played at a fast tempo. Morrison and Barton are a pair of obnoxious toerags but they are quite a useful combination in midfield together. Shut them down and frustrate them and we are half way there. This could be a huge game for Rohan Ince tonight! I

 

[Scunner]

Likely team:

------Koosh-----------

Bruno-Upson-Dunk-Ward

-------Andrews----
Stephens-------JFC

Buckley-Ulloa-Lingard

I don't think he will pick Ince who had a poor game on Saturday and didn't look fit. I think he will pick JFC for work rate, yet compensate with Buckley up top because Lopez also looked off his game. Only variant I can see is Lopez for JFC if he has a change of heart...

 

[Bozza]

I forgot about that one. He should have done better, although he was a long way from goal so it wasn't simply a case of shifting it to one side and shooting.

Agreed, but I said on the day itself that with someone of his pedigree I'd have expected him to have fashioned a shooting chance either for himself or for someone else. We don't often get breakaways like that (see oft-mentioned complaints about lack of pace) so it was disappointing that a rare opportunity was spurned.

 

[Machiavelli]

Agreed, but I said on the day itself that with someone of his pedigree I'd have expected him to have fashioned a shooting chance either for himself or for someone else. We don't often get breakaways like that (see oft-mentioned complaints about lack of pace) so it was disappointing that a rare opportunity was spurned.

I think he did OK with that passage of play. Sure, he could have crafted an opportunity for himself -- Ronaldo or Messi would have done, for instance, to name just two -- but Gunter defended pretty well, and Lingard would have had to get around Gunter and their keeper, which is why I didn't expect so much from him. In terms of Lingard creating opportunities for our other players, he was so far ahead of them and is so much quicker than them that it took an age for them to catch up, by which time the opening had subsided somewhat.
What I did like about that passage of play was Lopez's pass -- somebody's got to acknowledge the things he gets right on here -- and Lingard's movement and pace, which look highly promising and just what we need.

 

[Machiavelli]

I fully agree with you that if we HAVE to play Lopez, I'd have him as the attacking one of the central three. With Orlandi out we don't have another obvious option there, and most importantly it prevents him wasting one of the wings and giving one full-back an easy night. I'm going to be really disappointed with anything other than Lingard on the left and Buckley on the right tonight.

To answer your question, I'd give March a start at the front of the central three. He was moved there during the Doncaster and Leeds games so it is obviously something that has crossed Oscar's mind before. He can beat a man and he has energy, plus he's not a total liability defensively. For a small guy he is quite strong and willing to get stuck in, so even on a bad night he'll still contribute more than Lopez.

I was okay with Lopez last season but, in my opinion, picking him just shows we are willing to accept players going through the motions and failing to deliver week after week. This isn't a bad run of form, it's a woeful season. What really annoys me is that he gets away with contributing absolutely bugger all every single week and is still picked for the next game, whereas someone like Kazenga (who has been vastly superior to Lopez all season in every department and has single-handedly turned matches in our favour) is in and out of the team and criticised by fans if he has just one off game. It makes no sense.

Fair 'nuff. I wouldn't mind seeing March playing in that position either, but we might have to wait until the final third of the game to see it.

 

[perseus]

The key tonight is getting the ball forward VERY quickly and not giving the QPR midfield a sniff. The Burnley poster was spot on - QPR are at their most vulnerable when the game is played at a fast tempo. Morrison and Barton are a pair of obnoxious toerags but they are quite a useful combination in midfield together. Shut them down and frustrate them and we are half way there. This could be a huge game for Rohan Ince tonight! I

I am in favour of the slow patient game. However, for this match I think playing out at the back (I would would have Brezovan in goal) and playing long (quickly) and avoid a battle in midfield might be the best tactics for this match. Play out from the back to draw QPR into pressing and leaving more space in midfield.

A bit risky though. If we lose possession and Hoilett gets the ball, and the idea would really be to pass around Barton. Make sure he does not intercept the ball.

I hope Dunk remains on the pitch . Thinking of Palace away. Andrews is not a playmaker, but he is good at covering if Dunk moves forward.

PS: Capello style 4-4-2 which means Buckley will runs from deep on the right and he will have to do some defending as well. Forward balls to the pairing of Lingard and Ulloa. Then if they have to pass it back, Buckley moves in to the frame wide right.

 

[B.W.]

Time to stop being conservative now, this game has 0-0 written all over it im afraid and that's is no good to us at all, we NEED 3 points tonight.

Same back 5(dunk), March and Buckley down the wings, Ince and Stephens in the middle with Ulloa and Lingard up front. 442 formation. Go at them from the off and make them think about our threat and not the other way around. We are awesome when we play at tempo, teams just cannot live with us, but we don't do it enough especially at home. We have great strength on the bench to come on. When we play at tempo, it raises the crowd as well and when the Amex gets rocking we will win.

This. 100% this. Let's get at them for a change.

 

[brightonmark1234]

This. 100% this. Let's get at them for a change.

we wont go 4-4-2

 

[brightonmark1234]

Time to stop being conservative now, this game has 0-0 written all over it im afraid and that's is no good to us at all, we NEED 3 points tonight.

Same back 5(dunk), March and Buckley down the wings, Ince and Stephens in the middle with Ulloa and Lingard up front. 442 formation. Go at them from the off and make them think about our threat and not the other way around. We are awesome when we play at tempo, teams just cannot live with us, but we don't do it enough especially at home. We have great strength on the bench to come on. When we play at tempo, it raises the crowd as well and when the Amex gets rocking we will win.

we wont play 4-4-2 it will be the usual 4-3-3