Player Watch - Tanguy Ndombele

[ILS]

Dele is on fire at 10. Why is it being suggested to move him? There's been an obsession on this forum for years with some posters about this mythical 433 that will solve everything.

That mythical 4-3-3 that won Barcelona title after title, Man City two back to back league titles, Real Madrid three back to back champions League, turned Liverpool into the best team in Europe and now even England play that formation.

From a front 6 point of view we are two players away from being a top side again. We need that top class DM to act as a pivot with Ndombele and Lo Celso either side and we need a top class wide right player with pace and the ability to beat someone.

For me you build a team around two types of players. A top class striker that will score 20 plus goals a season like Leicester are doing at the moment or a Kevin De Bruyne who controls a game of football....not Dele Alli.

 

[double0]

So you want Ndombele, Lo Celso and Alli as our 3 man midfield?

Surely Alli has shown time and again he is more effective playing further up field and a midfield 3 usually wants one more defensive minded mindfielder.

If you have the time to check back on what I said in response to a poster saying we can’t play 433 because Dele Alli can play in a 433.

 

[tiger666]

That mythical 4-3-3 that won Barcelona title after title, Man City two back to back league titles, Real Madrid three back to back champions League, turned Liverpool into the best team in Europe and now even England play that formation.

From a front 6 point of view we are two players away from being a top side again. We need that top class DM to act as a pivot with Ndombele and Lo Celso either side and we need a top class wide right player with pace and the ability to beat someone.

For me you build a team around two types of players. A top class striker that will score 20 plus goals a season like Leicester are doing at the moment or a Kevin De Bruyne who controls a game of football....not Dele Alli.

There have been succesful teams playing all sorts of formations. If it were simply a case of play 433 and win, everyone would be doing it. It's just your personal preference, not a guarenteed formula for success.

 

[Primativ]

The problem I still come back to, is Alli is a luxury player. I still don’t know where he fits in to the side.

By luxury it means you have to build your whole system around being able to accommodate him. He isn’t that good a player to do that.

It’s a huge problem Jose will have to solve.

 

[nferno]

He needs to get those ass implants removed, they are restricting his running.

This could have easily been a WTF rating as that was what I said as I read it, but I was also laughing at the same time so ‘funny’ it is.

The stuff you lot notice... ?

 

[Japhet]

Where do you play Dele?

Playing him deep in the midfield 3 negates some of his best qualities and when he's one of the attacking 3 he doesn't have the pace to defend and attack out wide.

I'd give him Moura's spot on current form but tuck him in a bit with more of a free role. The CM on that side then covers a bit wider and further forward.

 

[buckley]

One of the most unfit players was Jan Molby and Liverpool picked him every game and I feel it is better to play a not fully fit Ndombele than some of our midfielders who are not up to the task for differing reasons.

 

[ILS]

There have been succesful teams playing all sorts of formations. If it were simply a case of play 433 and win, everyone would be doing it. It's just your personal preference, not a guarenteed formula for success.

It is the preference of the two best managers currently in the world in Pep and Klopp and maybe we should take it on board.

The reason why Poch was trying to formalise a diamond formation was to counter act the 3 in midfield and gain dominance with an extra man tucked in more centrally. The problem came due to no longer having full backs with the quality of Walker and Rose for those two or three seasons which would give you the width you require to make the diamond formation succeed, which is why I was baffled we never invested in two top notch full backs in the summer.

If we continue to play 4-2-3-1 or even what it looked like the other night 4-2-4 we are going to sit there week in week out and watch teams outplay us and pray for moments of individual brilliance to save us.

 

[cliff jones]

The problem I still come back to, is Alli is a luxury player. I still don’t know where he fits in to the side.

By luxury it means you have to build your whole system around being able to accommodate him. He isn’t that good a player to do that.

It’s a huge problem Jose will have to solve.

I know what you're saying, but Alli 1.0 or under JM is not a problem. When he's asked to drift wide his lack of speed off the mark and tendency to over think things is. Kane and Son are shoe-ins, but JM could pick any of EL, GLC or LM for the right side.

CM for me is NDombele plus a beast to cover him. At the moment Sissoko, with more discipline, is the best bet. He, Winks and Dier should be back up options and no more- from next season.

A beast must be signed, along with an RB who can actually defend. Aurier, and KWP, like Trippier, get done almost every week.

GLC can battle NDombele for the box to box CM role, and, when we play two games a week, they can be rotated.

 

[dontcallme]

If you have the time to check back on what I said in response to a poster saying we can’t play 433 because Dele Alli can play in a 433.

Because Alli can or can't play in a 433?

 

[bigpalacios]

With Jose saying Ndombele isnt in the best condition my question is how is this possible?

Its December, he trains every day and he has played a number of games so how is he not fit?

Could anyone with a better knowledge of fitness and conditioning enlighten me because to me its baffling.

 

[ajspurs]

To be honest I'm almost glad Jose has said he's not in the best condition. Would be much more worrying if he was in good condition but looking the way he does on the pitch.

 

[JCRD]

Ill be honest my view is just play him for a long run of games... the only way youll get that match fitness, get used to the pace of the PL is not to play stop start but just damn play him - take the rough with the smooth and accept he will fuck up along the way.

 

[pedrodelawasp]

Some want a 3-man midfield to get the best out of Ndombele, but don't want to sacrifice Alli playing as a 10.

If you bring these things together... you get the return of the diamond

 

[Tottenhamboy85]

Some want a 3-man midfield to get the best out of Ndombele, but don't want to sacrifice Alli playing as a 10.

If you bring these things together... you get the return of the diamond

If you look at the average position Dele & Son are very close together to the left of Kane.

 

[Cochise]

If 433 is the meta then surely we need to find something that breaks the meta?

 

[Deleted member 27995]

If 433 is the meta then surely we need to find something that breaks the meta?

A five/five with inverted wing backs?

 

[Cochise]

A five/five with inverted wing backs?

That's using the old noggin.

 

[Deleted member 27995]

That's using the old noggin.

?

 

[JayB]

Some want a 3-man midfield to get the best out of Ndombele, but don't want to sacrifice Alli playing as a 10.

If you bring these things together... you get the return of the diamond

I think if Lo Celso were to slot in for Lucas we'd be able to move toward a hybrid formation where we line up 4-2-3-1 when out of possession and 3-3-3-1 when in possession, with Lo Celso occupying the RCM area to cover for Aurier moving up the pitch when in possession and doing the defensive work of the right AM when out of possession. That'd still put more of a burden on Ndombele than a pure 4-3-3 but at least he'd be freed up to play as a No. 8 when in possession, and Dele would be able to play off of Kane at all times.

I think the real problem is that we don't have a mobile No. 6 type capable of covering the ground necessary to unshackle the No. 8s.