How do you see us lining up?

[amathews3416]

I don't understand how everyone can have Sigurdsson in any line up....................what have you seen from him that suggests he should be in the team?

I agree with you at this point. He has been very underwhelming to date....yet, you can say that about Bale, Walker, Lennon, Walker, Sandro....pretty much our entire starting 11. I think we need to give Dempsey or Dembele a go in that position for next game.

 

[RichieS]

In the future, I think something like this, emphasizing that the fullbacks get forward and that Dempsey cuts into the box especially when Bale has the ball and is crossing it in:

By all accounts AVB wants to play 4-3-3, but we can't really have two genuine wingers playing in a 4-3-3 as we lose attacking threat. We also need Sigurdsson dropping deeper to pick up the ball as well as Dembele.

All. Day. Long. Well, while Kaboul is injured anyway. Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic as some kind of equal and opposite reaction to all the negativity that's around at the moment, but that's a bloody good team. Good depth in midfield and defence too, although I worry that one injury in the front 3 throws up serious problems.

 

[noahrobert]

I think with our currently paper thin squad, short on overall genuine quality our best formation in a 433 is;

Lennon........Ade........Dempsey


Bale...........Sandro.......Dembele


BAE....Vertonghen...Dawson....Walker


After yesterday Friedal has to start the next game.

 

[SEANSPURS1975]

Best team:
Lloris; Walker, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Ekotto; Parker(c) Sandro; Lennon, Dembele, Bale; Adebayor.
Next game v Reading:
Friedel(c) (can't be dropped for next game) Walker, Caulker, Vertonghen, Ekotto; Sandro, Dembele; Lennon, Dempsey, Bale; Adebayor.

 

[panoma]

our best setup will be:

Lloris

Walker-Kaboul-Verts-Benny

Sandro/Parker-Dembele

Dempsey-Sig-Bale

Ade

-This is our best setup vs most teams, and will let us have a player like Lennon to be subbed in demolishing already tired defenders.

-Sig should start, he obviously have the talent and end product, just need some time. He also deliver the best corner we seen for years, and when all but the fullbacks are tall and powerful that should be a good source of goals.

-Sandro and Parker should just get picked based on who is more fit and shown the better form. Atm Sandro aint his usual self and we need Parker back for competition.

I honestly believe this side is amongst the best 4 in the league, but my big concern is do AVB manage to get these guys fired up and ready to work hard game after game? Think and hope he do, but the effort we showed vs Norwich was just sad.

 

[Syn_13]

our best setup will be:

Lloris

Walker-Kaboul-Verts-Benny

Sandro/Parker-Dembele

Dempsey-Sig-Bale

Ade

-This is our best setup vs most teams, and will let us have a player like Lennon to be subbed in demolishing already tired defenders.
-Sig should start, he obviously have the talent and end product, just need some time. He also is deliver the best corner we seen for years, and when all but the fullbacks are tall and powerful that should be a good source of goals.

I honestly believe this side is amongst the best 4 in the league, but my big concern is do AVB manage to get these guys fired up and ready to work hard game after game? Think and hope he do, but the effort we showed vs Norwich was just sad.

I agree 100% with both your team and the fact that Siggy needs more time. He was consistently awesome at Swansea so we know that he can get to that level and he's miles better at corners than VDV and Modric were.

Defoe worked excellently as a "super sub" option last year and hopefully that's what we'll get again when he's on the bench. He only fits a 4-4-2 and sometimes you'll need to use a formation like that.

 

[Ribble]

In the future, I think something like this, emphasizing that the fullbacks get forward and that Dempsey cuts into the box especially when Bale has the ball and is crossing it in:

By all accounts AVB wants to play 4-3-3, but we can't really have two genuine wingers playing in a 4-3-3 as we lose attacking threat. We also need Sigurdsson dropping deeper to pick up the ball as well as Dembele.

Much like this, although I think Gallas will continue to start for a while as Verts finds his feet as he's the best fit experienced CB we've got at the moment. When Kabs gets back and fit I'm sure he'll be dropping in, but hopefully we won't have to rush him.

 

[whitestreak]

Lloris​

​

Walker Caulker Vertonghen Assou-Ekotto​

Sandro Dembele​

Sigurdsson Dempsey Bale​

Adebayor​

Spot on for me

 

[playboypaul]

......................Friedel
Walker Vertonghen Kabul Assou-Ekotto
.......................Parker
..........Dempsey........ Dembele
..Lennon.................................Bale
........................Ade

This is what I think our starting eleven should be. Lloris has to earn his place, he can't just walk in. I think it would be nice for him to have some time to settle and get to know the squad before he starts playing. After all, he is going to need to communicate with his defense and if they have a good relationship on a personal level, that will help. Having a stranger bark at you from the goal is probably not the way to go. So the bedding in time will serve him well.

The defense I think is what all of us will agree on. Its pretty universal from what I can tell. No need to explain.

I have set it out as more of a 4 - 5 - 1, but it is in fact a 4 - 3 - 3. It is just a more defensive set up. I would have Lennon and Bale starting a bit further down the pitch with an emphasis on defending first. They would not be considered attackers in my team, they would be wingers on a midfield five in defense but join up with Ade when going forward.

I think Parker needs to start at the moment, steady the ship so to say, do what he does best. Breaking up attacks and feeding it to our double D midfield combo. Two real battlers in the middle with Dempsey and Dembele, both good driving forward with the ball at their feet, good long shots on them, a real exciting duo I think. I am expecting a lot of goals from those two.

As for Ade, nothing needs to be said.

What do you think?

 

[Spurger King]

When everyone is fit I'd like to see -

Lloris​

Walker__Kaboul__Verts__BAE​

Dembele__Sandro​

Lennon__Dempsey__Bale​

Adebayor​

​

Not convinced by Sig just yet. If he plays well enough to start then I'd like to see him in place of Lennon, with Sig, Dempsey and Bale interchanging.​

​

 

[Blake Griffin]

lloris​

walker gallas vertonghen ekotto​

dembele sandro carroll​

dempsey adebayor bale​

 

[Mr Pink]

I think the one player everybody is forgetting is Huddlestone. Not to spark this debate off again for the zillionth time, but if he could just get his fitness back I'm convinced he still has a part to play to some extent - even if he's just covering Dembele in a 4-2-3-1. I don't want to see Livermore/Sandro at home again like that.

The season we finished fourth where Modric was out for half the season, there was nothing wrong with us in terms of having no heart beat etc, we played some great stuff. Not saying Hudd was this, but we did still possess some quality on the ball in the middle of the park.

A fit Huddlestone wouldn't of bridged the gap Modric left yesterday, but fuck me he would certainly of given some impetus for moving the ball about and springing some attacks with good use of the ball.

Bale and Lennon are suffering tremendously with having little service from the players behind them, the passing isn't progressive and expansive enough for them to flourish.

Probably won't make much difference, because I have a feeling it could take Hudd considerable time to get back to proper match fitness because he's likely to be in and out of the side...hopefully he'll get his card over turned.

 

[Spurger King]

I think the one player everybody is forgetting is Huddlestone. Not to spark this debate off again for the zillionth time, but if he could just get his fitness back I'm convinced he still has a part to play to some extent - even if he's just covering Dembele in a 4-2-3-1. I don't want to see Livermore/Sandro at home again like that.

The season we finished fourth where Modric was out for half the season, there was nothing wrong with us in terms of having no heart beat etc, we played some great stuff. Not saying Hudd was this, but we did still possess some quality on the ball in the middle of the park.

A fit Huddlestone wouldn't of bridged the gap Modric left yesterday, but fuck me he would certainly of given some impetus for moving the ball about and springing some attacks with good use of the ball.

Bale and Lennon are suffering tremendously with having little service from the players behind them, the passing isn't progressive and expansive enough for them to flourish.

Probably won't make much difference, because I have a feeling it could take Hudd considerable time to get back to proper match fitness because he's likely to be in and out of the side...hopefully he'll get his card over turned.

Hudd, and possibly Sig, are the only two people left in the squad that have any eye for a visionary pass. For that reason I'd love to see him get back to full fitness as I could see him playing in a midfield three with Sandro/Parker and Dembele.

Incidentally what happened with Carroll? Did we loan him out in the end?

 

[Mr Pink]

Hudd, and possibly Sig, are the only two people left in the squad that have any eye for a visionary pass. For that reason I'd love to see him get back to full fitness as I could see him playing in a midfield three with Sandro/Parker and Dembele.

Incidentally what happened with Carroll? Did we loan him out in the end?

Absolutely - and with the players we have now in this squad, that's probably the way I would be going at the end of the day. We need some intelligent use of the ball from deeper positions.

I'm not sure about Carroll actually, think he might still be with us.

 

[Gedson100]

Right now, if it was up to me, i'd probably be playing 4-4-1-1 as it worked alright before and it clearly suits our personnel, I'd also be using a simple concept of who I think is best, plays:

Lloris​

Walker Caulker Verts Ekotto​

Lennon Parker Dembele Bale​

Dempsey​

Ade​

This team ^ Lennon apart, has got some winners in it. Then you've got Sig, Defoe, Thudd as forward options and Sandro, Livermore as DM cover, plus the usual rotation of defensive reinforcements. I worry about injury cover for our attackers.

But that's not gonna happen so we'll have to row in with the coach and go:

Lloris​

Walker Caulker Verts Ekotto​

Parker------ Dembele​

Dempsey​

Lennon-------- Bale​

Ade​

I've never been the biggest Parker fan, but his lunatic blocks have been noticably absent from our team, Harry always rated him and played him over Sandro and I was bemused, but I wonder if he was onto something. Like most of us I love Sandro but we've not always played at our best when he's started.

Livermore, Gallas and Defoe have started the year as our spine. This is why we have 2 points and not 4,5 or more. I'll row in with the rest of us and ship them to the bench. Lloris gets a go mainly for mobility reasons and isn't really a snub to Brad's shot stopping virtues.

Caulker was top class for Swansea last year and deserves to be higher in our pecking order. I'll give him a chance.

Those midfield positions would be pretty fluid too. No! Not Lennon and Bale switch wings! More Dembele and Dempesey interchange as suits.

edit actually looked at a few formations on the thread now. Seems many of us are in broad agreement!

 

[Cravenspurs]

The Ageless One
Kid Wheels---Bull---V for Vendetta---Hairdo

Viking-------Hitman-------Waffles

Captain Hero----To go----Maicon Nightmare

 

[tttcowan]

We're all agreed though, drop fucking Gallas? It's the one place we do have strength in depth and bags of quality so for us to persist with Gallas who looks well off the pace seems utter madness... I don't care how much of a character he is...

 

[AngerManagement]

Until we sign a midfielder with a skill set more similar to Luka who can play the defence splitting passes, has the vision and the movement to set the tempo of our play like JM I would put this as our strongest first 11 right now.

with Dempsey covering and rotating any of the front three positions, even Dembele's position too.

Dembele can drop back and replace Parker or Sandro and Sig can play the advanced role too

While we badly lack that Modric type player in the centre of the park this would make us solid and competitive and we do have a lot of options for squad rotation now which can only be to our benefit

 

[vegassd]

We're all agreed though, drop fucking Gallas? It's the one place we do have strength in depth and bags of quality so for us to persist with Gallas who looks well off the pace seems utter madness... I don't care how much of a character he is...

I think there have been times already when him and Friedel have been the only ones holding us together. I don't think Gallas will be first choice by the end of the season, but at least he offers some stability at the moment.

For me the disappointment has been Sig. If we can put Dempsey into his current position I think we will carry much more of an immediate goal threat. It might be worth moving Sig out to Lennon's position to see what he can offer there, but can't see AVB dropping Lennon.

 

[Danny1]

Like many people above I agree with their teams as per my signature!