Should we now adopt Spalletti's 4-6-0 strikerless formation?

[Monkey Bastard Hands]

we have good quality Premier League strikers but CL ?

we are gonna struggle big time to get past the group stage

I think our only chance is to try and fabricate an assistant like Luka, Lennon or Bale like we did against Young Boys

Did you forget that Crouch scored a hat-trick against Young Boys?

I honestly think our forwards will do well in Europe because a lot of teams won't have come up against them before. I know that seems odd because the players we'll be up against will be of the highest quality, but Premier League teams have seen Crouch and Defoe in particular every week for the last 5, 6, 7 years?

Sure, teams in the CL will do their research but someone like Crouch is pretty unique and I genuinely think he will cause some teams problems in the CL. Why do you think Crouch has such a good goalscoring record for England? I think it's because teams aren't used to playing against a 6'7" striker and I think that will be important to us this year.

 

[brett.spurs]

Don't see why it should be written off, Everton went through one of their best spells of form when they played "4-6-0" with Cahill as the frontman.

 

[Bobishism]

Portugal did great with no strikers at the world cup.

People who argue for the 4-6-0 always use United as a model. They never count Berbatov or Rooney as forwards, which is unfair.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

I think he has a point in the 4-6-0, I honestly think it is a complete waste of time having 2 strikers ie Crouch, Defoe that are just playing up against the centre backs all the time. If we're going to play 4-4-2 then we have to use Keane or Pav as one of the strikers just for their variation and movement, but they're both a bit average at the moment anyway.

I know people moan on here about playing anything other than 4-4-2 especially at home but it's just so rigid we're going to continue to struggle against the bus parkers. Really do think that adding more creative midfielders and sacrificing 1 dimensional strikers will help us.

Maybe Defoe could play left forward, I know he's not the most intelligent but it could be a new role to fit him in the forward line while we still change system.

 

[ShelfSide18]

You know this is SpursCommunity not the tactics section on a Football Manager forum yeah?

We don't have a dreadful set of forwards at all, true it is probably the weakest part of our team but they are more than capable, and all offer different qualities that we will need to call upon this season.

The article is interesting, and we are definitely seeing a shift in how the top teams set up on the pitch, but the key issue here is fluidity, and it doesn't matter where you write players down on paper because if they are dynamic and fluid then you create problems for teams. That's what we lacked against Wigan because we were Modric-less, but VDV is another player that should be cut out for the modern game and will enhance the way in which we play.

No strikers or 3 strikers, it's about fluidity and dynamism, and we're getting there step by step.

 

[steve]

It's a complete misnomer. People get so hung up on systems but football is far more fluid than that these days.

Let's say we play 4-4-2 (notionally of course).What happens when we don't have the ball and Defoe/Crouch/Keane/Pav under instruction from the coaching staff drop onto the other sides holding midfielder? We immediately become a 4-5-1. If both forwards do it we become 4-6-0, but obviously only as long as they maintain those positions. Then when we have the ball again it changes depending on who goes where as we attack. The fact that players are known as forwards, midfielders etc. doesn't mean much once they are in different areas of the pitch.

The players know their roles, know who they should be picking up, know when they should cover etc. If King goes on a foray forwards (which he will time to time) then Wilson will usually drop in or the Hudd.

The best players don't need to be told too often before they pick all this up and act on it instinctively. That's why the best players do not only possess the best skill set (sometimes they don't even have this) but understand the importance of the team, will sacrifice themselves (although they won't see it as that) for the team, will have a great character, a strong and vocal presence and a willingness to do not only the stuff that comes naturally but the so called 'dirty' stuff. Think Darren Fletcher for example - a player with a great attitude.

If you're saying that we can improve on our forwards then yes I agree. But not easily and they are certainly not crap. I could put (if I knew how) a Defoe/Crouch/Keane/Pav youtube montage on here and they would be every bit as spectacular as anything by VDV (apart from the freekicks). Defoe scored against Man Yoo, Chelsea and City last season. Not bad for a flat track bully...

 

[jrio]

We have 5 strikers. Gio is as much one as Messi, who scored 34 league goals last season.

4-6-0 has great merits, but seems a waste of 5 strikers.

 

[StartingPrice]

How the fuck do we have a dreadful set of forwards, explain...................

Yeah, that's as far as I got...it's a Dan Ashcroft thread:roll:

Don't even bother answering Dan, because:
1) It won't make any real sense, other than in the fetid swamp which is your head;
2) I don't think I will be psychologically stable enough to read a DA response, justifying your bizarre opinions.

DA - the man who will find a negative angle on signing VDV:roll:

 

[ShelfSide18]

It's a complete misnomer. People get so hung up on systems but football is far more fluid than that these days.

Let's say we play 4-4-2 (notionally of course).What happens when we don't have the ball and Defoe/Crouch/Keane/Pav under instruction from the coaching staff drop onto the other sides holding midfielder? We immediately become a 4-5-1. If both forwards do it we become 4-6-0, but obviously only as long as they maintain those positions. Then when we have the ball again it changes depending on who goes where as we attack. The fact that players are known as forwards, midfielders etc. doesn't mean much once they are in different areas of the pitch.

The players know their roles, know who they should be picking up, know when they should cover etc. If King goes on a foray forwards (which he will time to time) then Wilson will usually drop in or the Hudd.

The best players don't need to be told too often before they pick all this up and act on it instinctively. That's why the best players do not only possess the best skill set (sometimes they don't even have this) but understand the importance of the team, will sacrifice themselves (although they won't see it as that) for the team, will have a great character, a strong and vocal presence and a willingness to do not only the stuff that comes naturally but the so called 'dirty' stuff. Think Darren Fletcher for example - a player with a great attitude.

If you're saying that we can improve on our forwards then yes I agree. But not easily and they are certainly not crap. I could put (if I knew how) a Defoe/Crouch/Keane/Pav youtube montage on here and they would be every bit as spectacular as anything by VDV (apart from the freekicks). Defoe scored against Man Yoo, Chelsea and City last season. Not bad for a flat track bully...

Top post.

 

[Berglad]

4-6-0 is a stretch but if we get the VDV deal settled, I think 4-2-3-1 is the way to go because we can't afford to have VDV or Modric sitting on the bench so we can have two of crouch/defoe/pav up top (except in certain situations or for rotation of course)...VDV also will hopefully provide the goals to make the formation work. I'm sure we'll be using it in the champion's league in any case.

Gomes (Cudicini, Pletikosa)

Corluka (Kaboul/Walker), Dawson (Gallas), King (Bassong), Bale (BAE)

Huddlestone (Sandro), Palacios (Jenas)

Lennon (Bentley, Dos Santos, Kranjcar), VDV (Modric, Kranjcar, Jenas), Modric (Bale, Kranjcar)

Crouch (Pav, Defoe)

If we need a goal or are playing some easier teams, we can drop one of the defensive/holding midfielders for Defoe or Keane.

That is a wealth of talent and options in midfield. Having to deal with VDV (long shots, dribbling, passing), Modric (dribbling, through balls), Bale (crosses, speed) , Huddlestone (precision long balls, long shots), and Lennon (speed, dribbling, crosses) all at the same time should pose a problems for a lot of defenses.

Hopefully one or two of the strikers can also pull a Zamora and really step it up this season as well.

 

[Azrael]

I stopped reading at "dreadful set of forwards". Has Dan made any good points, or is it the usual guff?

 

[beats1]

I think we should try to play 4-5-1 before we try 4-6-0
If we sign VDV he could play off pav like arshavin did and does for russia, it worked in Euro 08

-----------Pav------------

Bale-------VDV------Lennon

-----Modric----Hudd-------

and providing VDV comes back to press and defend, it would be a flat 5 instead of 2-3 when defending, the key for this to work is the movement of the 3 and modric

And with harder games sandro or pal could be moved in and the bench also providing different options as well like gio, bentley and krank

And at the moment, man city are the only team in the prem league playing 4-6-0

Johnson---tevez------Milner

-----------Toure-----------

-----Barry----Dejong-------

I noticed man city playing this during our game because tevez was very deep which caused them, to rely on the counter attack and breaking the offside trap

Though I think 4-6-0 or 4-5-1 and maybe a flash grenade would help our team better when teams "park the bus" against us.

 

[hans]

Only bale and hudd are decent at finishing, lennon/palacios/modric i wouldnt be as confident in the shooting range . . dunno about sandro . .

 

[Beni]

Our strikers didn't get us top 4. Our midfield and defence got us top 4 inspite of our inadequate forwards.

How many times in the past 2 years haved we completely dominate games yet not been able to translate that into goals and thus results? It's become like groundhog day watching us steamroller but never kill off teams.

If it wasn't for our forwards, we wouldn't have got CL, simple. Of course it was a team effort and everybody chipped in where it mattered, but without the 35+ goals from our strikers, we would have missed out.

Our midfield are a great midfield don't get me wrong, but the trouble with our midfield is they don't chip in half as many goals as the other top CL competing teams, laying the burden fully on our strikers to win us 'games'. Our midfield has been criticised many of times on here from fans and pundits, because they don't score enough goals, and saying that we're in need of getting our Gerrard, Lampard, Fabregas etc, and now hopefully we have now in VDV if he signs.

Yes, sometimes they're inconsistent and frustrating, and we could upgrade on them (Not many though with PL experience), but to call them dreadful is utter garbage and shows you're complete lack of football inteligence.

 

[spurs2986]

I stopped reading at "dreadful set of forwards". Has Dan made any good points, or is it the usual guff?

Yeh i dont know who dan is or why everyone is pissed of with him, but it was a very intresting read.

--------------Gomes
---Corluka Dawson King Ekotto
------Huddlestone Modric
Lennon Kranjcar Van Der Vaart Bale


No strikers just 2 passes sitting dictating play and a flat 4 that stays fluid switching postions, everyone defends and attack together. Total Football, we can dream.

 

[Beni]

Yeah, that's as far as I got...it's a Dan Ashcroft thread:roll:

Don't even bother answering Dan, because:
1) It won't make any real sense, other than in the fetid swamp which is your head;
2) I don't think I will be psychologically stable enough to read a DA response, justifying your bizarre opinions.

DA - the man who will find a negative angle on signing VDV:roll:

Thanks, lesson learnt, and noted

 

[spursandbarca]

why can spurs not play 4-3-3 with modric as the iniesta and lennon as the messi?

 

[KeaneIsKeane]

VdV seems so similar to Niko.

 

[jurgen]

Er because they wont contribute anything like as many goals.

I felt yesterday and still do now with the hopeful VDV signing that a proper player in his position would do wonders for us. Modric is amazing but his role seems to have shifted. Our strikers aren't a perfect set, but it should become about the quality of the chances created as much as the amount. Against Wigan and Shitty, we had chances, but many of them were not constructed as so be so clear cut. With more incisive passing we can hopefully allow our forwards to concentrate on what is their (in the case of Defoe and Pav certainly) primary asset, scoring. At the moment our wing play is good, but regular crosses and set pieces into the box don't entirely suit our frontmen, we hopefully have the chance to alter this if we get in a guy of this level...

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

we have good quality Premier League strikers but CL ?

we are gonna struggle big time to get past the group stage

I think our only chance is to try and fabricate an assistant like Luka, Lennon or Bale like we did against Young Boys

No doubt our strike force, or lack thereof will cost us big time, like it did against Wigan. We may even struggle to finish in the top 4 again unless we can do something in January.

Which of Werder Bremen or Twente's forwards are better than any of our 4 ?