Could a midfield diamond solve our current issues?

[The_Adder]

It seems like we have two main issues tactically at the moment that are linked together:

 

1. Finding a system that allows both Sturridge & Suarez to play as a front two
   
2. Gaining and keeping control of the midfield
   

At the moment, with Sturridge back it seems like we choice between the two of these options and neither are ideal. With Suarez and Sturridge so effective as a pairing we need them playing together, but we also need to retain control of the midfield, with the Villa game showing us exactly what can happen if don’t after excellent midfield performances away at Spurs and City.

 

But the Villa game could have provided us with the solution to both of these and ironically it was how the Villa side set up against us in that game in playing a 4-4-2 diamond.

 

Playing this system would allow to continue with Gerrard in the defensive playmaker role, but with much better protection through the pressing and hard work of both Allen and Henderson just ahead of him, it means that Sturridge and Suarez could continue their brilliant partnership in attack and it means one more thing – Coutinho is given the position in the hole.

 

Coutinho has all the skills for that role and means he would be much more involved in the game from a central position, giving him both chance to drive at opposition with this skill and speed and provide those through balls that were such a feature of his game last season, but this time with two targets ahead of him in both Sturridge and Suarez.

 

This should certainly tighten us up in the middle with Gerrard at the base with Allen and Henderson in there too, a similar midfield set up to that we had away at Spurs and City with Gerrard in for Lucas and help protect the defence.

 

With Sakho, Agger, Enrique and Flanagan to come back from injury these players should help strengthen our defence too.

 

The diamond could look something like this when everyone is fit:

 

Mignolet

 

Johnson – Srktel – Sakho - Enrique

 

Gerrard

 

Allen – Henderson

 

Coutinho

 

Suarez – Sturridge

 

With Enrique and Johnson provide the wide from full back.

 

I’ve just gone the most likely back four as that is probably another topic altogether.

 

We also have the option of changing this system if needed later on with Sterling as a wide player from the current squad.

 

This system has a lot of advantages for us as it should help protect our defence, it would give us every opportunity to control the middle, it gives Gerrard/Lucas more protection, has Coutinho in the hole and allows our front to play together, which looks like being the key for us...

 

Thoughts?

Edited January 21, 2014 by The_Adder

[johngibo YPC]

I was thinking about this before actually.

It has kind of gone out of fashion, but Villa played it well at the weekend

Negatives I could think of where

- It users all of our fit central midfielders

- Relies on full backs heavily, who are out of form

- f***s Sterling again

 

But obviously lots of positives too!

[cymrococh]

- Relies on full backs heavily, who are out of form

This is the main issue for me, as well as our centre-halves

 

With the fullbacks bombing on, it relies on Gerrard to drop back and the centre-halves to go a bit wider.

 

Would be interesting to see with say Wisdom and Sakho at CH as they can both do a job as a defensive full-back.

[Earl Hafler]

It seems like we have two main issues tactically at the moment that are linked together:

 

1. Finding a system that allows both Sturridge & Suarez to play as a front two
   
2. Gaining and keeping control of the midfield
   

At the moment, with Sturridge back it seems like we choice between the two of these options and neither are ideal. With Suarez and Sturridge so effective as a pairing we need them playing together, but we also need to retain control of the midfield, with the Villa game showing us exactly what can happen if don’t after excellent midfield performances away at Spurs and City.

 

But the Villa game could have provided us with the solution to both of these and ironically it was how the Villa side set up against us in that game in playing a 4-4-2 diamond.

 

Playing this system would allow to continue with Gerrard in the defensive playmaker role, but with much better protection through the pressing and hard work of both Allen and Henderson just ahead of him, it means that Sturridge and Suarez could continue their brilliant partnership in attack and it means one more thing – Coutinho is given the position in the hole.

 

Coutinho has all the skills for that role and means he would be much more involved in the game from a central position, giving him both chance to drive at opposition with this skill and speed and provide those through balls that were such a feature of his game last season, but this time with two targets ahead of him in both Sturridge and Suarez.

 

This should certainly tighten us up in the middle with Gerrard at the base with Allen and Henderson in there too, a similar midfield set up to that we had away at Spurs and City with Gerrard in for Lucas and help protect the defence.

 

With Sakho, Agger, Enrique and Flanagan to come back from injury these players should help strengthen our defence too.

 

The diamond could look something like this when everyone is fit:

 

Mignolet

 

Johnson – Srktel – Sakho - Enrique

 

Gerrard

 

Allen – Henderson

 

Coutinho

 

Suarez – Sturridge

 

With Enrique and Johnson provide the wide from full back.

 

I’ve just gone the most likely back four as that is probably another topic altogether.

 

We also have the option of changing this system if needed later on with Sterling as a wide player from the current squad.

 

This system has a lot of advantages for us as it should help protect our defence, it would give us every opportunity to control the middle, it gives Gerrard/Lucas more protection, has Coutinho in the hole and allows our front to play together, which looks like being the key for us...

 

Thoughts?

 

That just asks even more of the fullbacks and therefor leaves Gerrard even more vulnerable to pace. He'd only last 45 minutes.

[D.Boon]

Think the best option for the rest of this season is leave Sturridge on the bench..

[johngibo YPC]

Think the best option for the rest of this season is leave Sturridge on the bench..

 

I think we will lose him if we do that, and I don't think it is wise or necessary to do that every game

Balance can be achieved with both him and Suarez in the team, we have done it earlier in the season playing 3-4-1-2, or a 4-4-2 with Henderson wide tucking in

[honourablegeorge]

IS't this more or less what we do anyway? It's 4-3-1-2/4-3-3/whatever.

[The_Adder]

Think the best option for the rest of this season is leave Sturridge on the bench..

 

Wow.

 

That just asks even more of the fullbacks and therefor leaves Gerrard even more vulnerable to pace. He'd only last 45 minutes.

 

Not sure it asks more of Gerrard, I think it gives him more protection and allows him to hold his position more as he would have Allen and Henderson in there too.

 

Unsure on the full back thing too, in theory sure, but they get forward anyway - would they need to do it even more? I'd say no.

 

I think we the type of players we have it in the squad, this formation gives us the best balance.

Edited January 21, 2014 by The_Adder

[smithdown]

Think the best option for the rest of this season is leave Sturridge on the bench..

 

 

yeah

 

hang on...what?!?

[Eskimo]

The way our FB are playing we may as well do away with them and go with...

 

--------------------------------------------Mignolet

----------------------------------Toure-- Srktel-- Sakho

---------------------------------------Gerrard--Allen

-------------------------------------------Hendo

------------------------------------Sterling-------Coutinho

-------------------------------------Suarez Sturridge

 

 

:D/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

Edited January 21, 2014 by Eskimo

[richwilks]

2nd game in to a new role and a team worked out that if you flood Gerrard in the holding role then he's not effective. To play that holding role you need more discipline than Gerrard and provide and you need to be able to move the ball quicker than Gerrard does.

 

Lucas plays that pivot superbly, wins possession, controls anyone dropping deep and distributes quickly and effectively.

 

We need someone to cover that role and move Gerrard further forward or as an option from the bench. What we need is a better version of Lucas, maybe someone with his traits but with the ability to get about quicker. Mascherano played that perfectly and would be the idea player to bring into that role.

[fred milne]

Mascherano played that perfectly and would be the idea player to bring into that role.

Disagree. Mascherano isn't particularly quick in releasing the ball.

[D.Boon]

yeah

 

hang on...what?!?

 

We have the best striker in the world in the form of his life, he'll still get games he just wont start every game and we wont need to fit square pegs in round holes all over the rest of the pitch to accommodate him.

 

I don't think it is wise or necessary to do that every game

 

Me neither but don't think its wise to play him every game either.

[smithdown]

We have the best striker in the world in the form of his life, he'll still get games he just wont start every game and we wont need to fit square pegs in round holes all over the rest of the pitch to accommodate him.

 

 

 

barmy that

 

have him on the bench to accommodate Sterling? why?

[Earl Hafler]

Wow.

 

 

 

Not sure it asks more of Gerrard, I think it gives him more protection and allows him to hold his position more as he would have Allen and Henderson in there too.

 

Unsure on the full back thing too, in theory sure, but they get forward anyway - would they need to do it even more? I'd say no.

 

I think we the type of players we have it in the squad, this formation gives us the best balance.

 

Without the injury to Lucas i think we face the other top four or five with Lucas holding, Henderson and Allen in central midfield, Gerrard operating from midfield but concerned more with building and contributing to the attacks than covering the midfield and fullbacks.

Most of the other fixtures i think you can swap one of those four and select Coutinho and / or Sterling. A few fixtures maybe only two centre mids but the correct two.

 

 

I'm concerned about Rodgers selection policy at the moment. He doesn't want to drop Gerrard, or maybe wants to but feels it would have a negative impact on morale etc Sterling has played himself into form and now he doesn't want to drop him. Sturridge and Suarez are, basically, our only trusted source of goals and again, resting one might see an adverse reaction within the team.

 

Henderson and Allen have started only 7 games together this season. The derby was the first. Mad game, escalated by our usually mad defending but a good result against a good side. Then it's 5-1, 4-1, 5-0 and 3-1. Rodgers gets it right during these because we don't need Lucas at home to Norwich. Sticks with it at home to West Ham and then rightly brings Lucas back for the Spurs away. Cardiff are dispatched and we then lose the two most difficult aways in the league calendar by a single goal and probably should have drawn both. It's probably made easier by not having to concern himself with Sturridge.

 

A midfield signing is a must within the next ten days because an injury to either Allen or Henderson at this point and there'll be plenty of games like Villa. Someone like Henderson but maybe more defensive.

 

Whicever midfield he opts for at the moment is playing in front of a weak back four.

[Swan Red]

The way our FB are playing we may as well do away with them and go with...

 

--------------------------------------------Mignolet

----------------------------------Toure-- Srktel-- Sakho

---------------------------------------Gerrard--Allen

-------------------------------------------Hendo

------------------------------------Sterling-------Coutinho

-------------------------------------Suarez Sturridge

 

 

:D/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>

 

lot to be said for smack

[épieur]

Think the best option for the rest of this season is leave Sturridge on the bench..

 

[richwilks]

Disagree. Mascherano isn't particularly quick in releasing the ball.

 

He offers something different to Lucas definitely, he lacks that quick distribution but covers ground far quicker.

[Hassony]

I think I might actually agree with D.Boon wrt to sturridge, in some games at least

[Davvo]

When discussing earlier in the season, how to get S&S + Coutinho into the side, BR mentioned either 3 at the back or a diamond as the best solutions. Infact we've used it a couple of times already.

 

Whilst it does rely on quality fullbacks to be a complete success, I'm not sure it necessrily puts more pressure on the DM, as the 2 narrow mids take up a lot of that slack. The biggest down side is that you have no real place for Sterling, or any other wide man brought in eg Salah. At least with 3 CB's you can utilise Sterling as a wingback potentially.

 

I'm sure we'll see more of it, the diamond that is, perhaps using Sterling off the bench to change things.

[Swan Red]

I think I might actually agree with D.Boon wrt to sturridge, in some games at least

 

see D.Boon that's you f***ed

[Dan]

Sturridge won us the game against Stoke and got us back into it on Saturday. He's too good to be benched.

[Swan Red]

Sturridge won us the game against Stoke and got us back into it on Saturday. He's too good to be benched.

 

Everton

 

though he was benched but you get my point

[Dan]

Everton

 

though he was benched but you get my point

 

Yep. He's a match winner and is the only one scoring goals along with Suarez.

[richwilks]

I think Suarez plays better without Sturridge in the team personally. Sturridge is too big a threat to leave out though. We need to find a solution that doesn't involve Gerrard holding but involves the front two.