- Oct 19, 2004
- 39,837
- 50,713
My my ambassador Redknapp, with these tactical ferrero rochet nuggets you are spoiling us.
Fuck my old boots, what is happening. 442 to 352 to 433. Did the hospital replace Bagpus's tactical artery whilst doing his ticker ?
Now, we all know MR Redknapp does do tactics. We also know that he doesn't always do them right. But lets give credit where it's due, and in the last few weeks our bulldog faced chieftain has given us plenty of variation - and we all know, variety can be the spice of life.
OK, down to business and last night's business. I personally believe the penny may be dropping - but as I have thought this before many times with Redknapp, I wholeheartedly reserve the right to be wrong - with Redknapp regarding Modric. Certainly in tougher scenarios (strong teams, away games ?); that him and A N Other in central midfield in a four man midfield was making a lottery of games, making them too open, making us too vulnerable.
Although for about 75% of that game last night the freedoms given to anyone other than Sandro & Friedel meant default shape/formation was hard to decipher, I believe it was fundamentally a 433, with Modric meant to be covering left of the three, Parker right.
I actually think that tactically, formation wise, even though it means VDV shifted right of the attacking 3, this was possibly the closest, formation wise, that our dear general has come to excellence. From an attacking perspective it worked, and the reasons it worked - last night, I'm not convinced it is the man for all seasons - are numerous.
Firstly, at it's hub, was the outstanding Sandro. This man is a guided missile of a busy ****. Any where you go, no matter what chaff you try to deploy, this fucker will hunt you down and cluster bomb you. What I liked last night was that he also knocked the ball around well and showed confidence on the ball. Parker was also vital, providing a good balance of insurance and energy going forward.
Secondly, although the first 45 wasn't his best, the second 45 Adebayor provided that forward hub, that fulcrum for the free roaming Bale and VDV. He actually only made 7 less passes than Bale and saw the ball four times less.
Thirdly, that freedom given to Bale and VDV meant they received the ball 54 and 93 times respectively, making 46 and a wapping 78 passes respectively.
Fourthly, playing this formation, with these players gave us ball retainers all over the pitch. And boy did we retain it. It also gave us balance. Balance of pace, energy, craft & strength. Bale is all about pace and power, VDV is all about craft and vision, Adebayor strength and guile, Parker energy and tenacity. On the right side where the slower craftsman played you had the speedy Walker behind, on the left where you had the poweful and marauding Bale you had the cultured and steady Ekotto behind. There was ying and yang a plenty.
Better team's like Chelsea and Arsenal will - and have - take advantage if VDV is stuck out right ahead of the sometimes positionally naive Walker. And they will (and have) also exploit the very lax defending of Ekotto and Bale.
But last night the tactics simply worked. Norwich were like a rabbit in the headlights that were Redknapp's all guns blazing free for all. There was insurance form Sandro but the biggest insurance was our ability to completely starve the opposition of the ball for long periods.
Epilogue
I have to add this because it eats away at me. The good tactics last night, and on other occasions are not the full picture and never will be as long as Redknapp fails to marry them with endemic coached tactical awareness, simple organisational discipline, work rate and responsibility. These qualities are sometimes there or are there in spirit, but I honestly believe they are the difference between us being a maybe or definite article. We are a top 3 side when we are in possession sometimes, but we are a mid table side when we don't have it sometimes, as we have seen at various times this season and if we could address this, we would be truly formidable. Hard work and an ingrained ethos is the only way to banish that air of vulnerability that we still carry.
Simple things like pressing the flanks and not allowing crosses to come so easily, it has been our downfall all season and even last night against a poor side we allowed too many.
Last night was the right tactical formation and personnel for the occasion.
I want Norwich away tactics most weeks, but Liverpool at home coaching every week.
A+ for tactics, but still a C+ for coaching
(I'm still calling that progress)
Fuck my old boots, what is happening. 442 to 352 to 433. Did the hospital replace Bagpus's tactical artery whilst doing his ticker ?
Now, we all know MR Redknapp does do tactics. We also know that he doesn't always do them right. But lets give credit where it's due, and in the last few weeks our bulldog faced chieftain has given us plenty of variation - and we all know, variety can be the spice of life.
OK, down to business and last night's business. I personally believe the penny may be dropping - but as I have thought this before many times with Redknapp, I wholeheartedly reserve the right to be wrong - with Redknapp regarding Modric. Certainly in tougher scenarios (strong teams, away games ?); that him and A N Other in central midfield in a four man midfield was making a lottery of games, making them too open, making us too vulnerable.
Although for about 75% of that game last night the freedoms given to anyone other than Sandro & Friedel meant default shape/formation was hard to decipher, I believe it was fundamentally a 433, with Modric meant to be covering left of the three, Parker right.
I actually think that tactically, formation wise, even though it means VDV shifted right of the attacking 3, this was possibly the closest, formation wise, that our dear general has come to excellence. From an attacking perspective it worked, and the reasons it worked - last night, I'm not convinced it is the man for all seasons - are numerous.
Firstly, at it's hub, was the outstanding Sandro. This man is a guided missile of a busy ****. Any where you go, no matter what chaff you try to deploy, this fucker will hunt you down and cluster bomb you. What I liked last night was that he also knocked the ball around well and showed confidence on the ball. Parker was also vital, providing a good balance of insurance and energy going forward.
Secondly, although the first 45 wasn't his best, the second 45 Adebayor provided that forward hub, that fulcrum for the free roaming Bale and VDV. He actually only made 7 less passes than Bale and saw the ball four times less.
Thirdly, that freedom given to Bale and VDV meant they received the ball 54 and 93 times respectively, making 46 and a wapping 78 passes respectively.
Fourthly, playing this formation, with these players gave us ball retainers all over the pitch. And boy did we retain it. It also gave us balance. Balance of pace, energy, craft & strength. Bale is all about pace and power, VDV is all about craft and vision, Adebayor strength and guile, Parker energy and tenacity. On the right side where the slower craftsman played you had the speedy Walker behind, on the left where you had the poweful and marauding Bale you had the cultured and steady Ekotto behind. There was ying and yang a plenty.
Better team's like Chelsea and Arsenal will - and have - take advantage if VDV is stuck out right ahead of the sometimes positionally naive Walker. And they will (and have) also exploit the very lax defending of Ekotto and Bale.
But last night the tactics simply worked. Norwich were like a rabbit in the headlights that were Redknapp's all guns blazing free for all. There was insurance form Sandro but the biggest insurance was our ability to completely starve the opposition of the ball for long periods.
Epilogue
I have to add this because it eats away at me. The good tactics last night, and on other occasions are not the full picture and never will be as long as Redknapp fails to marry them with endemic coached tactical awareness, simple organisational discipline, work rate and responsibility. These qualities are sometimes there or are there in spirit, but I honestly believe they are the difference between us being a maybe or definite article. We are a top 3 side when we are in possession sometimes, but we are a mid table side when we don't have it sometimes, as we have seen at various times this season and if we could address this, we would be truly formidable. Hard work and an ingrained ethos is the only way to banish that air of vulnerability that we still carry.
Simple things like pressing the flanks and not allowing crosses to come so easily, it has been our downfall all season and even last night against a poor side we allowed too many.
Last night was the right tactical formation and personnel for the occasion.
I want Norwich away tactics most weeks, but Liverpool at home coaching every week.
A+ for tactics, but still a C+ for coaching
(I'm still calling that progress)