So we have finally seen the back of this International Break and we are back to the Bread and Butter Premier League this weekend.
We are on the road down to St Mary's, a tough place to go and get a result to keep our Confidence and Momentum 😉 going.......
What are out thoughts and expectations for the game?
I personally think CR will play a 5 man midfield to stifle the Saints with Vardy ploughing a lone furrow up front. We will be 1 down at half time, Ranieri then resorts to his alternate formation and we get a battling draw.
I would quite happily take a point now thank you very much.
Your thoughts?
( anyone posting that the Saints are pants, we have a much better side and will win 12-0 with Vardy getting 13 😉 of them, will be sentenced to watching Spurs season review 2014-2015)
Bring It On........
posted on 15/10/15
Oh hang on a minute I meant joby not Nuneaton!!
Sorry joby........
No I don't buy into the whole we were unbeatable in defence in a 3-5-2 philosophy. The fact is we only saw it for 7 or 8 games against very winnable opposition - Burnley, QPR, west bro etc.
As sir Alex Ferguson once said - formations don't win football games, players do.
I think a significant factor behind our defensive success in a 3-5-2, aside from the easier opposition, was having wasi in there and cambiasso just in front.
posted on 15/10/15
comment by BlackStarr (U12353)
posted 39 minutes ago
Good post Nuneaton absolutely right on Pearson and where it went wrong for him last season. Arro why are you talking about yourself in the third person?
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Because I'm maaaad, like British beef mate 👍
posted on 15/10/15
posted on 15/10/15
Swansea, Southampton and West Ham, plus for most of the period we were perceived as relegated, how could any be classed as very winnable?
posted on 15/10/15
I take your point on Southampton and Swansea, we did really well there.
But QPR, West Ham, Burnley, West Brom, all very winnable games with any formation.
I think you posted an article from Daniel finkenstein which hit the nail on the head for me. We were always capable of competing last season. We had the squad to do well.
The upturn in the results at the end of the season was merely the team fulfilling its potential rather than pulling off a miracle. Now that not to write off pearsons achievement which was terrific, but if he hadn't have spent half the season trying not to lose, we would never have ended up 7 points adrift.
Therefore the switch to 3-5-2 was part of the reason for our success, but the main reason was Pearson reverting to the attacking philosophy we had at the start of the season. This has worked for ranieri in a 4-4-1-1 and is in my view the most critical factor behind our success.
We get too absorbed in 3-5-2, when the fact is we only saw it for 7 games mainly against the teams around us, the likes of which we have comfortably beaten this season as well
posted on 15/10/15
I think the problem is our defence is better with Wasi, Morgan and Huth, who plays better as a sweeper than a marker whereas Morgan and Wasi are both markers so it works well and we kept clean sheets.
posted on 15/10/15
We saw 352 for a lot more than 7 games, we started at Arsenal away with a fantastic game although a loss.
In the 9 games at the end of the season where Pearson changed it to a more attack minded 352 ( take a bow Mersey ) and put Allbrighton as the right wing back was the start of the revolution.
In those games which total nearly a quarter of a season we had title winning form out playing everyone over that period and importantly keeping a solid defence and 4- 5 clean sheets.
It may have been a case of needs must but let's face it, if we were top this season after 9 games the world and Arro would be in meltdown.
Nuneaton made the point, that formation suits the quality of our players, I totally agree that maybe long term a back 4 is a better formation but surely we should play a formation to the players we have and then change the players to one's who are good in a back 4, the only one so far who looks comfortable is Fuchs.
posted on 15/10/15
We won't be top TB, unless we smash Southampton and Bournemouth beat City, Watford beat Arsenal and United lose to whoever they're playing then the whole country will be in meltdown if we sneak to the top of the pile. The West Brom fans will hate it 😂
posted on 15/10/15
Arsenal away was a 5-3-2 with no wing backs. I think it was probably 7 or 8 games where we went with wing backs.
I honestly believe that if Pearson had played 4-4-1-1 with Mahrez in the middle and albrighton out wide that the results would have been similar. The mentality was as important as the formation.
Formations don't win matches, players do......
posted on 15/10/15
I think our defence would be just as leaky too. Wasi, Morgan picking up allowed Huth to sweep and we kept clean sheets. We don't look like keeping one now whereas we looked very solid. That's the sacrifice we've had to make playing four at the back and its not like it's yielding more goals either because we scored loads in the last nine.