Excellent post mate. Football is forever evolving. There was the W formation a hundred years ago, we’ve had the Revie plan, 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1, 4-3-3, etc & now Pep seems to have gone for a formation that can’t really be pinned down, other than to say it’s a fluid formation.But do we need a striker at all?
We’ve hardly used strikers all season, even when Jesus plays it’s not in a traditional striker role, but we’re having maybe our best season ever with a tighter defence and goals coming from all directions as ‘midfielders’ interchange across the front making it impossible to mark out the striker that doesn’t exist
Our game play has evolved to become more fluid, we press better, we’re harder to pin down and we’re more effective for it. Perhaps this demonstrates how much we don’t need a striker?
It could be that the traditional striker role disappears from the game in future years, in the same way that traditional keepers who hug the line and can’t pass are now rightly seen as dinosaurs.
But do we need a striker at all?
We’ve hardly used strikers all season, even when Jesus plays it’s not in a traditional striker role, but we’re having maybe our best season ever with a tighter defence and goals coming from all directions as ‘midfielders’ interchange across the front making it impossible to mark out the striker that doesn’t exist
Our game play has evolved to become more fluid, we press better, we’re harder to pin down and we’re more effective for it. Perhaps this demonstrates how much we don’t need a striker?
It could be that the traditional striker role disappears from the game in future years, in the same way that traditional keepers who hug the line and can’t pass are now rightly seen as dinosaurs.
If Pep wasn’t our manager, a striker would be vital. With Pep, he’s already proven a striker isn’t vital.IMO, we need to not make the mistake of thinking this season is the norm.
Many of our key players this season have been nothing more than average/good players in the preceding seasons.
Are Mahrez and Gundogan, both approaching the latter stages of their careers, going to keep up their current performance levels or will they revert back to being good ‘squad players’? Both Cancelo and Stones have showed a slight drop in form in recent weeks as well.
But addressing the point about using a striker, I think it’s vital. Our attack has been way off the pace this season compared to previous ones.
We’ve scored a lot of goals from set pieces this season which has actually got us out of the shit.
It’s also the small margins which can skew the bigger picture. If we had a stricter ref against Dortmund we could be out of the CL, complaining about how a lack of a striker has cost us. Same if the PSG wall stood firm, we be worrying about the chances Foden wasted.
Having seen Haaland’s link up play for Dortmund against us and the way Kane has played for the last 18 months, there are strikers out there who can be an asset in our buildup play and be clinical.
At the moment, we have strikers who are either/or. I mean this in the sense that Kun is clinical but playing him hinders our build up play, where as Jesus adds to our build up play but his finishing is wank. Getting a hybrid is key to us going to the next level.
The whole point is based on a lie “we have been playing better without a striker”. That is, I repeat, a lie. We play just as well and sometimes even more freely when we use our strikers. What has happened is that Pep has figured out a starting XI for this season once Jesus kept frustrating him (and he could get the positive things he offers other than his poor clinicality elsewhere) and Aguero could never be fit, that didn’t include either. But if you take a look at the conceptual and philosophical ideas he has used this season, and how they always relate back to his total football/Cruyffism roots, it doesn’t take much to see how the right kind of striker would only expand our dominance without sacrificing anything. You just need to listen to his interviews carefully to see how he touches on this constantly. Even after the PSG game, comparing both teams.But addressing the point about using a striker, I think it’s vital. Our attack has been way off the pace this season compared to previous ones.
We have also scored a significantly lower number of goals than we did in previous seasons. Pep isn’t gonna let that go unaddressed.But do we need a striker at all?
We’ve hardly used strikers all season, even when Jesus plays it’s not in a traditional striker role, but we’re having maybe our best season ever with a tighter defence and goals coming from all directions as ‘midfielders’ interchange across the front making it impossible to mark out the striker that doesn’t exist
Our game play has evolved to become more fluid, we press better, we’re harder to pin down and we’re more effective for it. Perhaps this demonstrates how much we don’t need a striker?
It could be that the traditional striker role disappears from the game in future years, in the same way that traditional keepers who hug the line and can’t pass are now rightly seen as dinosaurs.
IMO, we need to not make the mistake of thinking this season is the norm.
Many of our key players this season have been nothing more than average/good players in the preceding seasons.
Are Mahrez and Gundogan, both approaching the latter stages of their careers, going to keep up their current performance levels or will they revert back to being good ‘squad players’? Both Cancelo and Stones have showed a slight drop in form in recent weeks as well.
But addressing the point about using a striker, I think it’s vital. Our attack has been way off the pace this season compared to previous ones.
We’ve scored a lot of goals from set pieces this season which has actually got us out of the shit.
It’s also the small margins which can skew the bigger picture. If we had a stricter ref against Dortmund we could be out of the CL, complaining about how a lack of a striker has cost us. Same if the PSG wall stood firm, we be worrying about the chances Foden wasted.
Having seen Haaland’s link up play for Dortmund against us and the way Kane has played for the last 18 months, there are strikers out there who can be an asset in our buildup play and be clinical.
At the moment, we have strikers who are either/or. I mean this in the sense that Kun is clinical but playing him hinders our build up play, where as Jesus adds to our build up play but his finishing is wank. Getting a hybrid is key to us going to the next level.
A lie? What the fuck mate???The whole point is based on a lie “we have been playing better without a striker”. That is, I repeat, a lie. We play just as well and sometimes even more freely when we use our strikers. What has happened is that Pep has figured out a starting XI for this season once Jesus kept frustrating him (and he could get the positive things he offers other than his poor clinicality elsewhere) and Aguero could never be fit, that didn’t include either. But if you take a look at the conceptual and philosophical ideas he has used this season, and how they always relate back to his total football/Cruyffism roots, it doesn’t take much to see how the right kind of striker would only expand our dominance without sacrificing anything. You just need to listen to his interviews carefully to see how he touches on this constantly. Even after the PSG game, comparing both teams.
But unfortunately with that idiot having blocked me, we can’t have this discussion. Not that I want to have discussions with him anyway, mind you
It absolutely is vital. Amazing to me how people don’t see the risk of predictability and how unsustainable it is to go through another season with the current setup, especially without a deep overhaul of the squad. It’s one thing to deploy certain tactics in special occasions, it’s another to make it the norm. Pep clearly sees and talks about it.If Pep wasn’t our manager, a striker would be vital. With Pep, he’s already proven a striker isn’t vital.
if you think about the way we play, the patient build up allowing midfielders to get into the box we really don’t need one.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love us to sign a top class striker, but it certainly isn’t vital for us to be successful
& it may continue to evolve without a striker......I really don’t care either way as Pep will find a way to make it workWe have also scored a significantly lower number of goals than we did in previous seasons. Pep isn’t gonna let that go unaddressed.
In one of his pressers earlier in the season I think he said “what works this season maybe doesn’t work next season”. Our attack has evolved over the last 4 years and expect it to continue to do so...
I have the thought that we’ve scored less because we’ve developed a more defensive foundation.
Part of that has been achieved by getting the balance right at the back but we’ve also, kept the ball better by using a slower build up and defended better from the front with a more effective press, especially in the absence of traditional striker.
IMO your notion of a hybrid is a good one.
A player who can play right across the front, press and score clinically. It kinda sounds like Jesus except for the clinical bit!
Andre Silva or Grealish perhaps?
If it was vital, we wouldn’t have had the success we’ve had this season.It absolutely is vital. Amazing to me how people don’t see the risk of predictability and how unsustainable it is to go through another season with the current setup, especially without a deep overhaul of the squad. It’s one thing to deploy certain tactics in special occasions, it’s another to make it the norm. Pep clearly sees and talks about it.
We will need something new for tomorrow, for instance. Turning up with the same ideas as last Wednesday is suicidal
It was against a team who has has their current manager for four months.A lie? What the fuck mate???
Since we’ve started playing without a striker, I’ve never seen us be so dominant.
what were your thoughts on the 2nd half of the PSG game? Is it a lie to say that was about as dominant a 45 mins I’ve ever seen, especially seeing as it was against one of the top teams in Europe?
This is preposterous lolI have the thought that we’ve scored less because we’ve developed a more defensive foundation.
A lie? What the fuck mate???
Since we’ve started playing without a striker, I’ve never seen us be so dominant.
what were your thoughts on the 2nd half of the PSG game? Is it a lie to say that was about as dominant a 45 mins I’ve ever seen, especially seeing as it was against one of the top teams in Europe?
But thats not the point...Grelish isnt better than any of the players mentioned.....infact he is a step below them so even with succession planning we are taking a step backwards (imho of course)but who isn’t at this time a level below foden mate? He’s arguably the best 20 year old in the world!!
But would we have dominated with 1 less midfielder?I totally agree about the PSG second half. But for all of that dominance, we scored from a cross and a poor free kick that went through the wall.
There were also a number of occasions where the ball was crossed into a dangerous position but no one was there to take advantage.
Personally, I think we can have the best of both worlds. If Pep has shown us anything it’s that he will change tactics to suit the opponents.
If it was vital, we wouldn’t have had the success we’ve had this season.
If we had any other manager, I’d be in 100% agreement with you.
I’m sorry but this is a wildly simplistic take. That isn’t how the team is builtBut would we have dominated with 1 less midfielder?
But football isn’t just about scoring goals. It’s about scoring one more than the opposition.You were making a point about how brilliant the football we played against PSG in the second half was. And yet, look at how lucky we were with the kind of goals we scored. It shouldn’t have been like that given how much better we were playing and especially when they had ten men. This is an example (I could give dozens of other games) precisely why the current setup offers limitations to how high we could go in terms of goalscoring. And it doesn’t change the fact that whatever would happen in Paris, Pep simply wouldn’t trust Jesus or Aguero for that game, even as a late sub. We will see if Saturday has changed that tomorrow
& saying having a striker means we win more games isn’t simplistic?I’m sorry but this is a wildly simplistic take. That isn’t how the team is built