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Inverted Wingers

Black

Well-Known Member
May 21, 2007
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I would say that his original position has been compromised more often than not to suit the new playing style. Have we forgotten how good he was when playing in front of Kyle how the two combined or with Corluka? I was really pleased with him yesterday.

You are one of these spurs fans who saw something that was never there

When was he good playing with Kyle walker? Just name a few moments they linked up well that led to anything
 

rockyhotspur

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2008
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The only time that I can remember an inverted winger really working for us is Chris Waddle and that was a long time ago!
 

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,956
I've never been convinced that it works (unless you have robben and Ribery) and so far with spurs I've been proved right.
 

spurs9

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
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The only time that I can remember an inverted winger really working for us is Chris Waddle and that was a long time ago!
Couldn't you have classed Bale as an "inverted winger" even when he played on his natural side? He certainly wasn't a classic winger. I would same the same with Ginola, definitely wasn't a classic winger, could he be classed as an "inverted winger"?
 

senseispab

Active Member
Feb 16, 2006
904
137
This Lennon hate is a bit much for me

Yes he's less effective now than he was
Yes he never progressed

But he's always had a certain sharpness, albeit without top level end product, and as said many times in this thread, a myriad of our every changing managers have picked him for years.

It's time for him to move on, but I'm not going to jump on this bandwagon of criticism
 

DaSpurs

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2013
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The only time that I can remember an inverted winger really working for us is Chris Waddle and that was a long time ago!

Bale went superstar the season he went "inverted." The continent is rife with inverted wingers being extremely efficient. There are still plenty of traditional wingers doing very well, and plenty of inverteds also doing very well.
 

tooey

60% banana
Apr 22, 2005
5,228
7,948
I get a little bit frustrated with modern football, it seems that once a team dominates for a while using a certain shape everybody has to hop on board and use the same system. 4-4-2 then 4-3-3 now a 4-2-3-1. Call me old fashioned but I like my wide men to get crosses in the box. We seem to get to the byline, shit ourselves, play it back down the line, then sideways all the way across the 18 yard line until we lose possession, hit one over the bar or play it all the way back to Hugo only to start all over again. Too much emphasis on keeping the ball and not enough on creating goal scoring chances.
 

DaSpurs

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2013
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Well that's a bit of a generalisation isn't it. What about Stewart Downing at West Ham, still operating down the left.

Traditional wingers are certainly still out there, and doing very well. Hell, many here clamored for one this past summer, who while playing far more centrally than a "traditional winger," Antoine Griezmann is still a left-footed wide player who plays on the left.

But more and more kids like shouldering the responsibility of creating and scoring, so the inverted style is more conducive to that. There will always be traditional wingers I believe, but the ratio will continue to slide in the way of the inverted, especially as they're the ones who get the glory.
 

DaSpurs

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2013
11,816
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I get a little bit frustrated with modern football, it seems that once a team dominates for a while using a certain shape everybody has to hop on board and use the same system. 4-4-2 then 4-3-3 now a 4-2-3-1. Call me old fashioned but I like my wide men to get crosses in the box. We seem to get to the byline, shit ourselves, play it back down the line, then sideways all the way across the 18 yard line until we lose possession, hit one over the bar or play it all the way back to Hugo only to start all over again. Too much emphasis on keeping the ball and not enough on creating goal scoring chances.

Unfortunately we play plenty of crosses, they're just rather shitty and typically into a compact box because of our slow and meandering central midfield play. I promise you, so many things will click into gear once we get the midfield figured out. Will be like dominoes.
 

spurs9

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
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Traditional wingers are certainly still out there, and doing very well. Hell, many here clamored for one this past summer, who while playing far more centrally than a "traditional winger," Antoine Griezmann is still a left-footed wide player who plays on the left.

But more and more kids like shouldering the responsibility of creating and scoring, so the inverted style is more conducive to that. There will always be traditional wingers I believe, but the ratio will continue to slide in the way of the inverted, especially as they're the ones who get the glory.
I wouldn't say Griezmann was a traditional winger. He rarely tries to take on his man (ave less than 1 per game) and hardly crosses (ave less than 1 per every 2 games).

I would say Griezmann was a wide forward, like Jay Rodriguez.
 

DaSpurs

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2013
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I wouldn't say Griezmann was a traditional winger. He rarely tries to take on his man (ave less than 1 per game) and hardly crosses (ave less than 1 per every 2 games).

I would say Griezmann was a wide forward, like Jay Rodriguez.

Yeah I would agree. Was just the first name to come to mind of Spurs relevance that featured a big named player playing the "proper foot on the proper side," even if his style is very different from a traditional winger's.
 

Jimmypearce7

Well-Known Member
Feb 23, 2005
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I was actually wondering, while everyone is bemoaning the fact he doesn't beat his man, run to the line and all that, his defensive efforts go relatively ignored - he's actually quite solid tracking back and hassling wingers himself, so perhaps we have an emergency right back that we never knew. Considering his small stature, he does do a magnificent job of simply being in the way when required.

That is the point of this thread isnt it!? Defending is all he does now. No goal threat, no goals, no danger but comes back and tackles brilliantly.

I think the answer is he decided to start playing full back a couple of years ago and didnt both mentioning it to anyone.
 

parklane yid

Well-Known Member
Aug 14, 2013
943
4,840
I get a little bit frustrated with modern football, it seems that once a team dominates for a while using a certain shape everybody has to hop on board and use the same system. 4-4-2 then 4-3-3 now a 4-2-3-1. Call me old fashioned but I like my wide men to get crosses in the box. We seem to get to the byline, shit ourselves, play it back down the line, then sideways all the way across the 18 yard line until we lose possession, hit one over the bar or play it all the way back to Hugo only to start all over again. Too much emphasis on keeping the ball and not enough on creating goal scoring chances.
In the 4231 system it is down to the fullbacks to get the cross into the box, rose has been doing that well but we miss walker to give us that width on the right , systems and formations will go in and out of fashion but football is football and you will always have crosses it's who puts them in is what changed
 

Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,327
13,915
On the left he has to look up, come inside and pass. On the right he can't do any of those things.
Will become (hopefully) a better player for having to think about what he is doing more.

Unfortunately, some players are better in reactive/instinctive situations where they don't have to or have time to think. They practice a sequence of play so often that it becomes second nature like his Lennon's shimmy then sprint to the byline and stands the ball up with a chip more than a cross. When you hear commentators say "he know exactly where the goal was" or "he didnt even have to look" that is what instinctive play can do. Soldado is another example of an instinctive striker - if the ball comes to him too quick to think then it ends up in the back of the net with one touch. If he has to take a few touches then you seriously reduce your chances. But when you force a player to think about what he is doing it requires a different sort of player.

On the subject of the thread - inverted wingers. It only really works with players that are equally comfortable going inside and outside otherwise they become too predictable. The best option is to player with 3 pacey "No 10s".

The problem with Lennon and Townsend (and Lamela to an extent) is that they rarely vary their movements. Lennon will always try and get on his right handside, Lamela on his left and Townsend as well. If you compare that with a Hazard or a Silva, or even someone in a lower quality class like Cazorla, they can go inside and outside past their opponent.

When we see this the system will work better
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
Nothing wrong with inverted wingers as long as they get in the box and score goals, and it helps if you have fullbacks who are good at crossing, and have some end product. We're a bit lacking in these departments.
 

ClintEastwould

Well-Known Member
Jul 3, 2012
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You are one of these spurs fans who saw something that was never there

When was he good playing with Kyle walker? Just name a few moments they linked up well that led to anything

Lennon doesn't work well with overlapping fullbacks, in fact most orthodox wingers don't. They get in each other's space and usually overlapping fullbacks don't have quite the necessary skills to provide constantly for their winger. See walker/Corluka - Lennon and AssouEkotto/Rose and Bale. Remember the countless times walker would try that ball inside the CB and FB for Lennon only for it to come off maybe three times? That's something Corluka would provide regularly.

Our lack of width by the AM 3 should actually be compensated by the FBs but with Walker out injured all season this seriously hinders this one aspect of our play. Rose, on the other hand, has done a pretty good job on the left although I think his defensive contributions have been better and the reason why he's our first choice LB for the time being.
 
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