| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts 17:31 - Oct 16 with 9839 views | numptydumpty |
My predicted team and bench for Millwall :
Nardi
RND Cook Mbuengue Dunne
Saito Madsen Varane Vale
Burrell Kone
Subs
Hamer,
Morrison, JCS,
Field Hayden,
Smyth, Chair, Poku,
Frey
Kolli, Dembele and Morgan demoted from the squad for this one for me with possibly Esquerdinha missing out too - although given RND coming back from injury, Esquerdinha could be on bench instead of either of Morrison or JCS.
Bench is brutal in relation to recent seasons !!
Ingram, Drewe, Kakay, Hamaleinen, Dixon-Bonner, Dozzell, Thomas, Lloyd, Kelman.
Amongst many many others in recent years of benches !!! [Post edited 16 Oct 17:41]
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| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 18:21 - Oct 17 with 1593 views | FDC |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 17:17 - Oct 17 by cheeseydane |
No Numpty, no offence intended.
I always keep and eye on oppenents message boards. And the one thing I've noticed is how many have just one thread for pregame/game/and afterthoughts. All in one thread. Here on LFW, theres often several pre match threads similar in subject, and so so many aftergame threads. Sometimes bordering on the ridiculous.
Im now thinking this has nothing to do with your post at all lol, so should have started my own. Whatever. I just think it would be better to have all the games opinions in one thread like other MBs do, and that some don't just start a new thread because they want their opinion to be highlighted. |
Strength in depth of match threads, how far we've come |  | | |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 20:56 - Oct 17 with 1381 views | Myke |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 18:55 - Oct 16 by BrianMcCarthy |
I feel that I'm in the minority at the moment in that I'm not a fan of 442, 4411 or any formation that leaves us with only two in central midfield.
Instinctively, I worry when we lose the numbers game in central midfield, or when we lose control of the football (Nick). I can't help it. It doesn't strike me as a long-term plan.
The current formation gives us two holding midfielders so the back four is far more protected than it was under the club's game model, and that's a huge positive. But it does mean that we can't press high up and recover the ball quickly, it does mean that we have to sit deep and wait for periods. That lack of control, that lack of proactivity concerns me. I don't like us being reliant on the actions of the oppo. I know teams have succeeded being that reactive - Leicester for one, even arch-Cruyffian Van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar - but, again, I can't help but worry.
Having said all of that, six unbeaten probably means we go with 442 as near as unchanged as possible, I suppose.
So, very close to your First XI, Numpty, I would guess? |
Excellent post Brian. I think there is a difference between 'not being in control ' of midfield (BC) and being 'wide open' (Cov) and I think we are more comfortable being out of possession as long as the game is being played 'in front' of us instead of 'through' us. A second factor that negates your concerns about the high press is that we now have a speedster like Burrell who can get in behind and 'turn the oppo defence around' which makes the high press less necessary as we can now transition much faster from deep in our own half. A third and related factor is the massive improvement in Madsen, which has the twin bonus of now winning the ball back ( who'd have thunk it?) but even more crucially he can move the ball forward quickly and accurately thereby getting Burrell, Saito into advanced dangerous positions. Finally these quick transitions are causing opposition managers food for thought which means they are committing less bodies forward and therefore putting less pressure on our central midfield areas |  | | |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 21:36 - Oct 17 with 1330 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 20:56 - Oct 17 by Myke |
Excellent post Brian. I think there is a difference between 'not being in control ' of midfield (BC) and being 'wide open' (Cov) and I think we are more comfortable being out of possession as long as the game is being played 'in front' of us instead of 'through' us. A second factor that negates your concerns about the high press is that we now have a speedster like Burrell who can get in behind and 'turn the oppo defence around' which makes the high press less necessary as we can now transition much faster from deep in our own half. A third and related factor is the massive improvement in Madsen, which has the twin bonus of now winning the ball back ( who'd have thunk it?) but even more crucially he can move the ball forward quickly and accurately thereby getting Burrell, Saito into advanced dangerous positions. Finally these quick transitions are causing opposition managers food for thought which means they are committing less bodies forward and therefore putting less pressure on our central midfield areas |
Quality, Myke.
Agree with all of that.
Stéphan has definitely removed us from the folly of (BC) - centre-backs splitting, programmed moves for short kick-outs, poor Kieran Morgan getting punished/remembered/judged for one poor pass when really no poor pass in that part of the pitch should ever lead to a goal if all of his team-mates weren't each in separate continents as part of a playground game, philosophical experiment, magnetic reaction, 'Stranger Things' incident or whatever we were doing at the beginning of the season.
I like the changes since Cov, but I will go back to saying that our tactics and formation mean we are not now in control of midfield. We have two defensive midfielders protecting our back four, and very well too, we have two wide players and two attackers. We have no central midfielders. So we have given up that area of the pitch, the most crucial area of the pitch. And possession. And territory.
So we have decided not to attack them when they have the ball. We drop quickly, and drop deep. Wait for them. Then hit them very, very quickly with a long ball.
That's reactive, by definition. Not proactive.
And, as I've said, it has worked over the course of a season for some teams.
And it might work for us.
All I am saying is that I prefer proactive.
It's a personal preference. |  |
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| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 22:04 - Oct 17 with 1290 views | Myke |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 21:36 - Oct 17 by BrianMcCarthy |
Quality, Myke.
Agree with all of that.
Stéphan has definitely removed us from the folly of (BC) - centre-backs splitting, programmed moves for short kick-outs, poor Kieran Morgan getting punished/remembered/judged for one poor pass when really no poor pass in that part of the pitch should ever lead to a goal if all of his team-mates weren't each in separate continents as part of a playground game, philosophical experiment, magnetic reaction, 'Stranger Things' incident or whatever we were doing at the beginning of the season.
I like the changes since Cov, but I will go back to saying that our tactics and formation mean we are not now in control of midfield. We have two defensive midfielders protecting our back four, and very well too, we have two wide players and two attackers. We have no central midfielders. So we have given up that area of the pitch, the most crucial area of the pitch. And possession. And territory.
So we have decided not to attack them when they have the ball. We drop quickly, and drop deep. Wait for them. Then hit them very, very quickly with a long ball.
That's reactive, by definition. Not proactive.
And, as I've said, it has worked over the course of a season for some teams.
And it might work for us.
All I am saying is that I prefer proactive.
It's a personal preference. |
All valid comments Brian. I suppose like any formation, as long as we keep on not losing it is ‘working’. It’s like JS sending on Vale and Smyth v BC and he is the master tactician - whereas he got his substitutions against Oxford ‘all wrong’
I actually have a bigger concern with our full-backs. RND is limited enough, not bad going forward and will receive some protection from Saito but not from Dembele. Jimmy, is not a full back and is struggling more this season. Again, good protection from Smyth, less from Vale. I think oppo teams will now target our wide areas more, as our defensive midfield is more solid and this will only increase the pressure on our FB’s - with the added ‘bonus’ for the opposition that Nardi couldn’t catch a cold. As I mentioned on the match thread, I feel we are very potent going forward, but very fragile defensively. | | | |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 22:24 - Oct 17 with 1254 views | Gus_iom |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 21:36 - Oct 17 by BrianMcCarthy |
Quality, Myke.
Agree with all of that.
Stéphan has definitely removed us from the folly of (BC) - centre-backs splitting, programmed moves for short kick-outs, poor Kieran Morgan getting punished/remembered/judged for one poor pass when really no poor pass in that part of the pitch should ever lead to a goal if all of his team-mates weren't each in separate continents as part of a playground game, philosophical experiment, magnetic reaction, 'Stranger Things' incident or whatever we were doing at the beginning of the season.
I like the changes since Cov, but I will go back to saying that our tactics and formation mean we are not now in control of midfield. We have two defensive midfielders protecting our back four, and very well too, we have two wide players and two attackers. We have no central midfielders. So we have given up that area of the pitch, the most crucial area of the pitch. And possession. And territory.
So we have decided not to attack them when they have the ball. We drop quickly, and drop deep. Wait for them. Then hit them very, very quickly with a long ball.
That's reactive, by definition. Not proactive.
And, as I've said, it has worked over the course of a season for some teams.
And it might work for us.
All I am saying is that I prefer proactive.
It's a personal preference. |
"Two wide players"...who 'invert'. I'm not that keen on it, but I suppose it does stop teams coming straight through the middle of us. | |
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| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 23:16 - Oct 17 with 1170 views | wombat |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 22:04 - Oct 17 by Myke |
All valid comments Brian. I suppose like any formation, as long as we keep on not losing it is ‘working’. It’s like JS sending on Vale and Smyth v BC and he is the master tactician - whereas he got his substitutions against Oxford ‘all wrong’
I actually have a bigger concern with our full-backs. RND is limited enough, not bad going forward and will receive some protection from Saito but not from Dembele. Jimmy, is not a full back and is struggling more this season. Again, good protection from Smyth, less from Vale. I think oppo teams will now target our wide areas more, as our defensive midfield is more solid and this will only increase the pressure on our FB’s - with the added ‘bonus’ for the opposition that Nardi couldn’t catch a cold. As I mentioned on the match thread, I feel we are very potent going forward, but very fragile defensively. |
Think dunne mains reason for not being as effective as last season is Dembele being in front of him , he offers zero work rate covering if dunne does venture forward , smyth will drop back and cover . I don’t see dembele playing to. Any game once poku gets fit to be honest |  |
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| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 23:27 - Oct 17 with 1155 views | numptydumpty |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 21:36 - Oct 17 by BrianMcCarthy |
Quality, Myke.
Agree with all of that.
Stéphan has definitely removed us from the folly of (BC) - centre-backs splitting, programmed moves for short kick-outs, poor Kieran Morgan getting punished/remembered/judged for one poor pass when really no poor pass in that part of the pitch should ever lead to a goal if all of his team-mates weren't each in separate continents as part of a playground game, philosophical experiment, magnetic reaction, 'Stranger Things' incident or whatever we were doing at the beginning of the season.
I like the changes since Cov, but I will go back to saying that our tactics and formation mean we are not now in control of midfield. We have two defensive midfielders protecting our back four, and very well too, we have two wide players and two attackers. We have no central midfielders. So we have given up that area of the pitch, the most crucial area of the pitch. And possession. And territory.
So we have decided not to attack them when they have the ball. We drop quickly, and drop deep. Wait for them. Then hit them very, very quickly with a long ball.
That's reactive, by definition. Not proactive.
And, as I've said, it has worked over the course of a season for some teams.
And it might work for us.
All I am saying is that I prefer proactive.
It's a personal preference. |
Tactician role is up for grabs Brian.
I like the way you are looking at the game.
In recent seasons, all teams have attempted the Pep way, almost as if they have been forbidden from playing any other way, and its been madness for many teams. Any team that wants to play out from the back with Joe Lumley between the sticks, money surely must have changed hands !!
Now it seems, many are trying the old fashioned way - once more.
But agree, its not rocket science - playing to your strengths is one hundred percent, the key. Or indeed, mask your weaknesses.
It's quite simple, really - football is not a complex game !! | |
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| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 00:14 - Oct 18 with 1119 views | kensalriser |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 22:04 - Oct 17 by Myke |
All valid comments Brian. I suppose like any formation, as long as we keep on not losing it is ‘working’. It’s like JS sending on Vale and Smyth v BC and he is the master tactician - whereas he got his substitutions against Oxford ‘all wrong’
I actually have a bigger concern with our full-backs. RND is limited enough, not bad going forward and will receive some protection from Saito but not from Dembele. Jimmy, is not a full back and is struggling more this season. Again, good protection from Smyth, less from Vale. I think oppo teams will now target our wide areas more, as our defensive midfield is more solid and this will only increase the pressure on our FB’s - with the added ‘bonus’ for the opposition that Nardi couldn’t catch a cold. As I mentioned on the match thread, I feel we are very potent going forward, but very fragile defensively. |
Four goals conceded in the last six games doesn't scream defensive fragility, but I guess we'll know more tomorrow. |  |
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| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 06:06 - Oct 18 with 1010 views | FDC |
Some insightful posts here. It follows from what Myke says that, despite the apparent depth of squad this season, injuries to either Burrell or particularly Madsen would be a big problem for the new system. It would also be consistent with the evidence that playing Kone and Frey up front is ineffective. [Post edited 18 Oct 6:26]
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| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 08:49 - Oct 18 with 915 views | Myke |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 00:14 - Oct 18 by kensalriser |
Four goals conceded in the last six games doesn't scream defensive fragility, but I guess we'll know more tomorrow. |
That's a fair point, but fragility doesn't always mean goal concession
I don't fully understand XGA, but I can think of two examples of teams missing 'sitters' against us. Twine missed a very presentation chance when we were carved open down our right hand side. And a Stoke striker managed to head the ball over from a yard out. | | | |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 11:47 - Oct 18 with 759 views | kensalriser |
| Team and bench for Millwall - thoughts on 08:49 - Oct 18 by Myke |
That's a fair point, but fragility doesn't always mean goal concession
I don't fully understand XGA, but I can think of two examples of teams missing 'sitters' against us. Twine missed a very presentation chance when we were carved open down our right hand side. And a Stoke striker managed to head the ball over from a yard out. |
All true but these misses happen in every game. If all the chances we think should have been goals really were then most games would be yielding five or more goals instead of the usual one to three. | |
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