Watford post match thread

[city saint]

it wasn't great admittedly but it was the 3rd game in next to no time.most teams had a struggle this weekend

 

[dasein]

I would prefer a straight forward 4 - 4 - 2

Tough with our players, I think, we'd need another striker and 1 less midfielder,
Unless it's

Kdb Yaya. Fernandinho. Silva.

Sterling. Aguero


Could work, but silva (despite trying to prove me wrong recently) is better in the middle

 

[George Hannah]

Hart, Sagna, Otamendi, Kolarov, Yaya, Silva, Navas, Fernandinho and Aguero should play together in every game they can with Kompany replacing Mangala when he's back. Rotate Sterling and De Bruyne.

 

[yorkblue]

MP cant win with most fans. Gets slated for playing 1 up front. Gets slated for playing 2 upfront. We all know we should be better off points wise but unlike spanish and german leagues most teams in our league are more equal.

 

[tonea2003]

awful ball retention for most of the game, reason has got to be attitude
soon as we go behind the tempo shot up, why cant we have that tempo from the start so that we go two up rather than having to get two to rescue the game?
dont get me wrong its a great way to win a game but no good for anyone's health

and the best record over christmas out of the top 3 and we had the two away games where as they one

 

[Steve68]

What formation then?

It needs to be picked for the situation and the players available. In situations where we are expects to win I would tend to go for a 442 with Silva on the left and De B on the right and deeper than they are usually. But it depends on having a centre forward who drops deep and works hard enough to make a 5 in midfield. Or a 4411 with Yaya as practically a second striker, provided the works hard to press when not in possession.

It also needs the central 2 in midfield to be strong, fast and hard working. I watched Barca the other day. In one quick break they suddenly had 8 men in the opponents half and a few seconds later when it broke down they had 6 outfield players defending the counter break and it was like, how the hell does does that work?

From what I could see it was that when attacks broke down their full backs were not left somewhere near the corner flag and their central midfielders on the edge of the penalty area. And they got quickly back in position to be in front of the back four. With more players in a position to recover when a move breaks down their defence does not need to push as high as ours has to and they don't rely on using offside as the main defence in the way that leaves us so vulnerable to quick breaks sometimes.

Aguero does get too isolated and we rely way too much on getting crosses from the byeline which leaves our full backs stranded. They have no one to hit except Aguero, aren't good crossers in the first place and generally it is not working.

We are, at the moment, such an attacking side we leave ourselves exposed but without the ability to score the goals we need.

The problem we have had is we have not had the sort of centre forward needed to switch from 442 in attack to 451 when not in possession.

Dzeko would be sitting on his arse moaning about being tackled and Bony would be lumbering around somewhere. Then we have to factor Yaya's inability to get back into position.

I suspect a lot of our players are in for a shock when or if Pep arrives.

 

[dasein]

It needs to be picked for the situation and the players available. In situations where we are expects to win I would tend to go for a 442 with Silva on the left and De B on the right and deeper than they are usually. But it depends on having a centre forward who drops deep and works hard enough to make a 5 in midfield. Or a 4411 with Yaya as practically a second striker, provided the works hard to press when not in possession.

It also needs the central 2 in midfield to be strong, fast and hard working. I watched Barca the other day. In one quick break they suddenly had 8 men in the opponents half and a few seconds later when it broke down they had 6 outfield players defending the counter break and it was like, how the hell does does that work?

From what I could see it was that when attacks broke down their full backs were not left somewhere near the corner flag and their central midfielders on the edge of the penalty area. And they got quickly back in position to be in front of the back four. With more players in a position to recover when a move breaks down their defence does not need to push as high as ours has to and they don't rely on using offside as the main defence in the way that leaves us so vulnerable to quick breaks sometimes.

Aguero does get too isolated and we rely way too much on getting crosses from the byeline which leaves our full backs stranded. They have no one to hit except Aguero, aren't good crossers in the first place and generally it is not working.

We are, at the moment, such an attacking side we leave ourselves exposed but without the ability to score the goals we need.

The problem we have had is we have not had the sort of centre forward needed to switch from 442 in attack to 451 when not in possession.

Dzeko would be sitting on his arse moaning about being tackled and Bony would be lumbering around somewhere. Then we have to factor Yaya's inability to get back into position.

I suspect a lot of our players are in for a shock when or if Pep arrives.

I agree, the work rate of trying to get the ball back was my biggest concern yesterday, and pep would have been pissed off

 

[dasein]

I agree, the work rate of trying to get the ball back was my biggest concern yesterday, and pep would have been pissed off

Well I mean lack of work rate actually

 

[Benarbia]

Blimey that was difficult still many many underlying issues that need sorting

 

[Bluekiwi]

Where was Zaba? He would have brought some spine to that line up surely?

But would he have laid on the cross for Sergio?