Team for United....

[RuskyM]

Lloris

Walker Chiriches Kaboul Vertonghen

Sandro

Lamela Dembele Sigurdsson Townsend

Soldado
​

Contemplated Lamela in the middle but think it might get a bit crowded. Plus I fancy him against Evra.

Dembele/Sigurdsson give a lot of creativity in the centre, Sigurdsson probably further up the pitch than Dembele going to a second striker role at times, but the key is to not restrict them. Let them go at United's defence.

This team needs consistency, and that's difficult when two players who should be starting (Rose & Eriksen) are out.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

You said best, and that is why I left Lamela out. He has been awful, there are even threads discussing it. I absolutely agree he needs time. The time was Newcastle at home. Straight after his good game, trying to build on it. Not away at city. I see a player that needs managing and building up gradually.

Who decided Lamela had the highest single rated match this season?

I said "best number 10 available", check the original post. The Lamela thread is more a 50/50 discussion, not everyone saying he is poor. I agree that Newcastle was the match to play him but as mentioned, he is not a left sided player so playing him there against City was stupid. The statistics website whoscored.com gave him a 9.82, the highest Townsend has got is a 8.82 against Villa. As you say he needs time but he also needs time on the pitch. I personally don't think the way AVB has dealt with him has worked, but as I said its just opinion. I don't think we have seen him anywhere near his best but I don't think he has been given the opportunity to shine ether. And as I said, the whole team has been awful so don't think one can really pick him out for a poor performance, especially considering he is not a left winger.

 

[jackino cowlinero]

I think he may go for:

Lloris
Walker Kaboul Verts Naughton
Lennon Sandro Dembele Townsend
Soldado Ade

I think after dire performance from Dawson at CB and Verts at LB he may say enough is enough and we need Verts back to where he is happy.

Dembele has to come on after his sub performance and how poor Paulinho was, I think Lennon will play because he does usually play well against Evra and I think Townsend has to come back in.

I'm just not sure if he will change the formation for a game of this magnitude but what else can we do, last few games things just haven't been working!?

 

[mattstev2000]

I hope he goes with something like...

Lloris
Walker Dawson (or Kaboul) Verts Naughton (or Chiriches if he can play there)
Lamela Sandro Dembele Chadli (or Townsend)
Ade Soldado

Mainly I want to see Lamela in one of his preferred positions, Verts in the centre and Ade partnering Soldado.

 

[phillipjpalmer]

Lloris
Walker Daws Chic Verts
Sandro Dembele
Lennon Lamela Towsend
Soldado

Walker/Verts holding shape and not bombing forward past the winger as much, but providing support and whipping balls into the box from deeper.
Lennon/Townsend to actually act like wingers, when one gets to the byeline to cross, the other must be busting a gut to get at the back post, at least giving the defenders something to think about.
Lamela to dovetail off of soldado and also get in the box for said crosses
Dembele to get back to providing pentrating runs forward breaking through there midfield line
Sandro to sit and marshall infront of the back four stopping supply to Rooney.
Soldado hopefully getting on the end of crosses.

Easier said than done i imagine

 

[Mr Pink]

He's in a real tough spot. But if I were him I'd be picking the players I trust most to put in a big performance, slim pickings at the moment lol, and are capable of handling some pressure.

Sandro clearly the first name on the team sheet, that's all I know.

 

[CowInAComa]

i would be amazed if AvB starts 4-4-2 for this one

 

[SEANSPURS1975]

Sorry, but it's plain to see it's not working for Soldado. He might come good eventually, but he's done nothing so far to warrant staying in the team. Can he play up top on his own?? 4-4-2 is not the way forward. I'm still a fan of Adebayor and if he can start performing he is the obvious player to play up front on his own.
We haven't got that top 'No.10' to play off Adebayor, so I think we should have a powerful 3 man midfield with 2 pacey wide men.
Dawson is just not up to it. I'd have Chiriches in until Rose gets fit and we can pair Kaboul and Vertonghen.
I'd go:-
(433)/(451)
Lloris; Walker, Chiriches, Kaboul, Vertonghen; Lennon, Sandro, Paulinho, Dembele, Townsend; Adebayor.

 

[felmani26]

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Chriches Vertonghen

Sandro Capoue
Dembele

Lamela Adebayor Townsend​

 

[TH1239]

It doesn't matter who we start up front if Holtby, Townsend, Lennon and Dembele are behind them. Since I'm seeing many people including these 4 in their line-ups, here are some statistics for you on these players' performances in league matches in the last year or so:

Lennon: 1 goal and 1 assist in approx. the last 1000 league minutes played

Dembele: 0 goals and 0 assists in approx. the last 2340 minutes league minutes played

Holtby: 0 goals and 2 assists in approx. the last 840 minutes league minutes played

Townsend: 1 (inadvertent) goal and 0 assists in approx. the last 1400 league minutes played

Sandro: 0 goals and 1 assists in approx. the last 925 league minutes played.


Now Sandro's numbers are completely excusable given his role on the team, but those other four players have simply been in very poor form for some time now. When you have strikers who need to be set up to score (and make no mistake, Adebayor needs great service to score, too), then you have to have players behind them that can create and score goals themselves. We had that in Bale and Van der Vaart. The line-ups AVB has been playing the last month or two have not.

The sample sizes above are quite large, so I'm willing to guess that if we go with those players against United, we will lose and almost assuredly not score a goal, either. Like I said above, I'd drop the first four and insert Capoue, Lamela, Chadli to go along with Paulinho (with specific instructions for him to press forward) and Sandro. If Eriksen were healthy, he'd be one of the first names on my team-sheet.

 

[Mr Pink]

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Chriches Vertonghen

Sandro Capoue
Dembele

Lamela Adebayor Townsend​

Yeah I like this. Given Eriksen is out I think this could be the best side to put out. Strong in the middle, and give Dembele the freedom to drive forward more, he simply has to do this for us...he's so capable. This game last season he was excellent in and around the edge of their box as well, but doesn't do it anywhere near enough...I have no idea why.

 

[Kirayid]

Lloris
Walker Kaboul Chiriches Vertonghen
Lennon Sandro Capoue Townsend
Soldado Adebayor
if we're going for 442 we need pace down the flanks and somebody to spray the ball from middle. No point in playing Soldado & Defoe together so ade gets my vote. Would like to see Lamela get more games but unless it's instead of Soldado can't really see where he would fit in. If We 're going to play with 442, I think Ade is going to be seeing alot of game time.

 

[kaz Hirai]

Don't play vertonghen at lb, he isn't much better than Kyle naughton there IMO but is a better CB than anyone in the squad so its a waste


It's such a young/inexperienced team, it really is. This bunch is gonna come real good for someone, ideally still Andre

 

[jezz]

Definitely agree. Ultimately he has to learn at some point. He is young and inexperienced and clearly doesnt have the managerial nous to deal with an impending crisis. He also seems like the stubborn type who may be reluctant to seek advice from people who could give him some valid input like you bear

Taking the shackles off and getting the players smiling again will do wonders for morale and team spirit. Idlove to see sandro and demebele together in the CM.

The Lamela conundrum continues too.... do you risk playing him again? He wasnt any worse than anyone else but his trakcing back was particularly lazy and against Man U im not sure we can afford to have anyone not pulling their weight defensively.

i would perhaps have a

Lloris
Walker Kabs Chirc Verts
Sandro Dembele
Lennon Lamela Townsend
Soldado.

You said best, and that is why I left Lamela out. He has been awful, there are even threads discussing it. I absolutely agree he needs time. The time was Newcastle at home. Straight after his good game, trying to build on it. Not away at city. I see a player that needs managing and building up gradually.

Who decided Lamela had the highest single rated match this season?

lamela awful.
really?
How did you come to that conclusion?
What threads?
Played better than most on sunday.
match before that wss sherrif.
think you will find he got motm.

 

[RButch]

I really hope he tries a 5 3 2. It would allow one of the CB's to have much more freedom and can get involved in attacking movements much more.

I know this would never happy and it is Football Manager style thinking... But I would try this:


GK Lloris - No contest.

RWB Walker - Allows him to be adventurous with a little less defensive responsibility

CB Chiriches - Have been impressed by him, few errors but a lot of new players do defensively
CB Kaboul - Not in his best form, but for me much better than Dawson especially if Hernandez is playing
CB Vertonghen - Would be much happier being back in the middle

LWB Townsend - He has pace, power and stamina, if he is more disciplined he can do this role brilliantly, Defending is not hard at all if you have a brain.

CM Dembele - He is probably our best passer that is available and can keep hold of the ball, he needs to shot more and search for that killer ball.
CM Sandro - The beast, can cover the wing-backs and be involved in the build up play and possibly even in the final 3rd.

CAM Lamela - Our most creative player, would be much better in that no 10 role, giving him less defensive responsibility and allows him to get into those pockets between defenders and midfielders.

ST Soldado - Like Neville said on Monday, he doesn't do near enough runs and doesn't seem interested until the ball is in the box, more movement, more involvement and we would be much more effective.
ST Adebayor - Need a target man who can hold up the ball, last year he had a foot shaped like a 50p but he is our best option for this.

 

[Blake Griffin]

is it poor form that i don't really care what team avb concocts this week?

 

[Khilari]

I always thought of AVB as a tinkerer based on the opposition's threats. From reports in the media, I thought he was the kind of fastidious guy who really would do a "football manager" style individual player instructions, deeply thought out tactics approach. Maybe he is.

I wondered against teams like Man Utd / Man City / Arsen*l / Chelsea and Liverpool, where we know them to be fantastic on the attack to alter our personnel and even shape to cope. We do obviously change our personnel, but it seems to still be the same system.

What I mean is I thought he'd be a little more "defensive, hit on the counter" kinda guy. Less width (if that's actually possible...) and maybe a Sandro - Capoue middle with the top of the centre three being a creative guy like Eriksen.

But AVB mostly seems to choose between two (or three) players per position, with each position being defined as the same job. It's either Sandro or Capoue, Paulinho or Dembele, Eriksen or Holtby, Sig or Lennon, Lamela or Townsend, Soldado or Defoe etc.

Clearly there's more to it than that, but there seems to be no variety and this maybe makes us more predictable to defend against.

 

[dudu]

lamela awful.
really?
How did you come to that conclusion?
What threads?
Played better than most on sunday.
match before that wss sherrif.
think you will find he got motm.

I'm not sure i said he was awful at all, he played well during the brief spell we looked a little bit dangerous but he was equally at fault as everyone else on that pitch.

 

[ajspurs]

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Chriches Vertonghen

Sandro Capoue
Dembele

Lamela Adebayor Townsend​

Really needs to be this, although I definitely can't see Dawson being dropped. At this point I don't greatly mind, Dawson is really exposed against nippier players (even though he did get done by Negredo for his goal) and I personally thought Kaboul looked off the pace too.

What's gonna piss me off is that we're going to see Soldado on his own up front again and Paulinho in there when I'd rather Capoue/Dembele. I could probably take Paulinho in there for Capoue but it wouldn't be my preference. I don't know why AVB is so reluctant to put Townsend on the left too when if so it means we can have Lamela/Lennon on the right instead of Sigurdsson on the left which I never really like seeing.

If it's gonna be what I think it may be, Paulinho/Sandro/Holtby in the middle, Townsend/Sigurdsson out wide and Soldado up front I'll be really really pissed off.

 

[ajspurs]

I'm not sure i said he was awful at all, he played well during the brief spell we looked a little bit dangerous but he was equally at fault as everyone else on that pitch.

Yea agreed. He showed potential and you could see his ball skills from the times he had it but he was poor like everyone else. If Lennon did what Lamela did in that game he would be getting a bollocking on here, because although Lamela looked silky on the ball he also lost it quite a few times as well.

I've thought that Townsend has earned his place over Lamela up to this point but now especially that we're lacking so much offensively I think it's time that we show trust in this player and give him some solid playing time, back him to perform and let him grow in confidence. He's not gonna get anywhere dipping in and out of tricky league and lower level cup games.