Whats our best formation

[Mick_G]

Personally for me, we have a fantastic spine to the team with plenty of options but need to address the wide areas, looking at what we have and going for a 4-4-2 hoping gerrard and babel could stay more disciplined out wide than benayoun and Kuyt , i'd pick :-

 

---------------Reina--------------------

 

arbeloa -- carra -- agger -- dossena

 

gerrard -- alonso -- masch -- babel

 

-----------Torres -- Keane-------------

 

subs :- skrtl,kuyt,riera,benayoun,ngog,aurelio,cavalieri

 

Would maybe give us a bit more balance i feel , but hell what do i know, i don't think thats too bad a team.

 

Just really looking forward to the day we can say bye to Hicks and Gillett but thought i'd do a formation thread to lighten the mood.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Harrison

[meepins]

1-4-1-1-1-1-1-1

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

1-4-1-1-1-1-1-1

 

Too much width

[Rimbeux]

4-2-3-1

[Stevie H]

4-2-3-1

of course it is. it's the formation that gets the best out of our best players, which means torres, gerrard, mascherano and alonso. the other two attacking spots shared between kuyt, babel, riera, keane and benayoun. if we attempt to persist with 4-4-2 for the sake of playing keane as a partner to torres when it's clear that torres is better as a lone striker, we're going to suffer this season.

[cymrococh]

If only Gerrard would play on the right*, we would be fine.

 

 

*not actually an orthodox right winger, but starting out in that position.

[San Diego Red]

------------------Reina

Arbeloa/Degen Carra Agger/Skrtel Dossena/Aurelio

----------Alonso Mascherano

------Gerrard Keane Babel/Riera

------------------Torres

 

 

Bar RB, we have a very, very strong team.

Edited September 2, 2008 by San Diego Red

[Stevie H]

If only Gerrard would play on the right*, we would be fine.

*not actually an orthodox right winger, but starting out in that position.

not convinced even that is the way forward any more. couple of seasons ago maybe yeah. but the top clubs have now evolved into at least 4-5-1s if not, in united's case, a variation on carlos perreira's predicted 4-6-0. and we're trying to go back to a traditional front two? doesn't make sense.

[mathewbet1]

------------------Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger/Skrtel Dossena

----------Alonso Mascherano

------Gerrard Keane Riera

------------------Torres

 

 

Along the lines of detroit reds formation although I think Dossena is better / will prove to be better than Aurelio.

 

This will get the best out of the players we have available, if they start playing total football Gerrard and interchange with Keane and visa versa due to the flexability of the formation and players we have. Although people will say stevies not in the middle, he has basically a free role when he plays in that position so every ones a winner.

[cymrococh]

not convinced even that is the way forward any more. couple of seasons ago maybe yeah. but the top clubs have now evolved into at least 4-5-1s if not, in united's case, a variation on carlos perreira's predicted 4-6-0. and we're trying to go back to a traditional front two? doesn't make sense.

I didn't mean in a 442, but a 4231.

 

The only place Kuyt has in a 4231 is as Torres' backup IMO.

[Stevie H]

I didn't mean in a 442, but a 4231.

 

The only place Kuyt has in a 4231 is as Torres' backup IMO.

the three should be made up first of riera / babel, keane and gerrard but kuyt can do a job as the right in the three or as an alternative to torres. although ngog should be encouraged to grow into the role of torres' understudy really.

[cymrococh]

I've just had enough of Kuyt, he seems to symbolise everything that's bad about us at the moment.

 

And, conversely, the few good points.

[John am Rhein]

4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 which are basically the same thing spun different ways

[floyd the barber]

-------------reina------------

carra---skrtl----agger--dossena

-------------------------------

gerrard--alonso-masch--riera-

----------torres--keane-------

[fred milne]

I'd like to see this:

 

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger Dossena

Mascherano Gerrard Alonso

Keane Torres Babel

 

but I think Rafa will go with this:

 

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger Dossena

Kuyt Gerrard Mascherano Riera

Keane Torres

[Stevie H]

I'd like to see this:

 

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger Dossena

Mascherano Gerrard Alonso

Keane Torres Babel

 

but I think Rafa will go with this:

 

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger Dossena

Kuyt Gerrard Mascherano Riera

Keane Torres

think your first formation would play out more as 4-2-3-1 than a rigid 4-3-3 and probably, horribly, agree with your second half fred.

[Nerik]

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger Dossena

Masch Alonso/Lucas

Gerrard Keane Riera

Torres

 

Subs: Cavaliera, Degen, Skrtel, Alonso/Lucas, Babel, Kuyt, N'Gog.

[fred milne]

think your first formation would play out more as 4-2-3-1 than a rigid 4-3-3.

Probably but the key is that as soon as Alonso or Mascherano get on the ball the fullbacks need to start motoring upfield to provide a passing option out wide.

[Stevie H]

Probably but the key is that as soon as Alonso or Mascherano get on the ball the fullbacks need to start motoring upfield to provide a passing option out wide.

dossena appears to like and be capable of doing that, not convinced that's arbeloa's forte though. presumably why we signed degen. hope to christ we don't persist with 4-4-2 for much longer though.

[Guest JV]

of course it is. it's the formation that gets the best out of our best players, which means torres, gerrard, mascherano and alonso. the other two attacking spots shared between kuyt, babel, riera, keane and benayoun. if we attempt to persist with 4-4-2 for the sake of playing keane as a partner to torres when it's clear that torres is better as a lone striker, we're going to suffer this season.

It will only take half a season to dawn on Rafa.

[Mad Scientist]

------------------Reina

Arbeloa/Degen Carra Agger/Skrtel Dossena/Aurelio

----------Alonso Mascherano

------Gerrard Keane Babel/Riera

------------------Torres

 

Bar RB, we have a very, very strong team.

Yep, same formation as last season. 4231 when we're attacking, 4411 when we're defending. I think Lucas will push Alonso hard for that second spot in midfield alongside Masch. Carra may well get some games at right back against the long ball teams. Rafa likes to sub the players in the three behind Torres, so I'd expect to see Gerrard spend some time in the middle no matter where he starts (e.g. Babel for Keane, Babel plays right and Gerrard central).

 

I'd expect the full backs to also get both subbed and rotated quite often, as they'll have a lot of running to do getting up and down and supplying the width.

[Dalglish]

I belive that this is the only formation that brings the best out of the players we have:

 

---------------------------------------------Reina (Cavalieri)---------------------------------------

Arbeloa (Degen)----Carragher (Hyypiä)-----------------Agger (Skrtel)------Dossena (Aurelio)

---------------------------Mascherano-----------------Alonso (Lucas)-----------------------------

---------------Gerrard (Benayoun)----------Keane (Gerrard)----------Riera/Babel--------------

-----------------------------------------Torres (Kuyt/Ngog)----------------------------------------

 

Especially Rightback and Right Midfield (if Gerrard plays CM) need the most strenghtening.

 

If the attacking players click and stay fit we could rival ManUs top four of Ronaldo/Rooney/Tevez/Berbatov.

[Mad Scientist]

dossena appears to like and be capable of doing that, not convinced that's arbeloa's forte though. presumably why we signed degen. hope to christ we don't persist with 4-4-2 for much longer though.

It looked like we were playing a 4231 formation on Sunday. Masch and Alonso deeper and Keane, Lucas and Kuyt behind Torres/Ngog.

[Flasher]

The best 11 looks pretty obvious now. Not sure we'll see it but fingers crossed.

 

4231

 

Reina

 

Arbeloa, Carra, Agger, Dossena

 

Masch, Alonso

 

Gerrard, Keane, Riera

 

Torres

 

Babel is not good enough just yet, but a good sub. Kuyt is not a midfielder, so is Torres replacement, or Keane.

 

The only alternative in my eyes, to keep Gerrard central, is for either Keane or Babel to play wide right instead.

[beejay]

I think, in Rafa's eyes, Lucas has moved ahead of Alonso in the pecking order and will play in more of the big games.

 

I imagine Riera will be 1st choice on the left and wonder where this leaves Babel?