The Diamond

[Japhet]

Mourinho played 4-3-3 with Duff and Robben as wingers.

Some of the time. Hed also played Essien/Makalele, Ballack, Lampard and Deco in a diamond. He also had Ashley Cole and Bosingwa galloping up the flanks which we don't.

 

[EQP]

What I don't get is, if the players truly hate the diamond setup why don't they just revert back to the 4231 formation while they're on the field? They're the ones who actually do the running and tackling, why not show Poch what really works by making that on field adjustment. What's Poch going to do, run onto the field and pull them by their ears one by one for trying to win the game?

 

[Gassin's finest]

 

[Buggsy61]

You see- it just doesn’t work!

 

[werty]

What I don't get is, if the players truly hate the diamond setup why don't they just revert back to the 4231 formation while they're on the field? They're the ones who actually do the running and tackling, why not show Poch what really works by making that on field adjustment. What's Poch going to do, run onto the field and pull them by their ears one by one for trying to win the game?

If the players did then I'd support him taking them all off and forfeiting the game. The absolute last thing we need is players deliberately not doing what they're told.

 

[Shadydan]

Some of the time. Hed also played Essien/Makalele, Ballack, Lampard and Deco in a diamond. He also had Ashley Cole and Bosingwa galloping up the flanks which we don't.

That wasn't Mourinho, you're thinking about Ancelotti

 

[DEFchenkOE]

That wasn't Mourinho, you're thinking about Ancelotti

Yea Ancelotti loved a diamond, also played it v Liverpool in the CL final when he was at Milan

 

[mrlilywhite]

Funny how we played the first 30 mins last night with it, ironically when we actually looked like winning - when poch moved us into a more traditional 4-4-2 we crumbled - funny things football formations and seemingly it is never about anything else. I mean who would ever think that it might just be something else within the actual formations that might just be the talking point. Now i'm not the biggest fan of the diamond and rightly so, but I sure as hell don't like what is cooking underneath the hood in any formation tbh.

 

[Klinsmannesque]

Funny how we played the first 30 mins last night with it, ironically when we actually looked like winning - when poch moved us into a more traditional 4-4-2 we crumbled - funny things football formations and seemingly it is never about anything else. I mean who would ever think that it might just be something else within the actual formations that might just be the talking point. Now i'm not the biggest fan of the diamond and rightly so, but I sure as hell don't like what is cooking underneath the hood in any formation tbh.

We also looked dead on our feet at 30.

 

[mrlilywhite]

We also looked dead on our feet at 30.

Yeah true, we did, but was that the formation or the system? I mean if we played with the same level of intensity, the high counter pressing in say a 4-2-3-1 would we have lasted the 90 like we used to? Don't get me wrong i'm not defending the use of the diamond, far from it tbh, but I am more critical of the fact that if we were playing a slower tempo game, which we have done for a while would we have been so creamed after 30 mins? I guess what i'm really saying is that we just don't have the players to play the High counter-press anymore and in any formation. The answer? I haven't got a clue tbh

 

[TEESSIDE1]

Poch playing a diamond seems to be his way of being able to include NDombele in the starting line up. What he’s failed to recognise is that ND excelled at Lyon because he had a DM alongside him in Aouar.

1) we haven’t been playing a DM
2) ND isn’t a DM
3) after Sissoko’s previous season he now seems to be undroppable despite his limitations. The knock on effect of this is to play both MS and ND = the bloody diamond. We could play both in a 3 but not with Winks, must be Dier. The limitation of playing both plus one other also means sacrificing a creative player

Dier, NDombele + Eriksen or Lamela

Moura/Lamela, Son + Kane

 

[ValenciaYid]

Diamonds Are Forever....

 

[andy00900]

Diamonds Are Forever....

 

[soup]

Wracking my brains here but seem to remember Venables experimenting with it as well back in the early 90’s.
For once on SC looks like we all agree on the current mess and to go back to what worked in the past. Sure to be discussed in today’s inevitable team meeting with some raised voices I would imagine.
We are about to find out what Poch is really made of I feel.

I think you're right. Diamonds to christmas trees wasn't it?

 

[soup]

Diamonds Are Forever....

Is that honestly what you've heard, mate? If so, the stubborn levels are going through the roof. If he carries on with it just to prove a point to the players (after reading Sissoko's admission), he's making a rod for his own back. Again.

 

[ValenciaYid]

Is that honestly what you've heard, mate? If so, the stubborn levels are going through the roof. If he carries on with it just to prove a point to the players (after reading Sissoko's admission), he's making a rod for his own back. Again.

No, im jesting but until Poch realizes that we are not equipt for that, he is not....

 

['O Zio]

I'm baffled that we still keep using it. We've looked nothing but poor with it other than in a handful of games.

 

[theShiznit]

It's flogging the CM's to death.

The only formation that has ever worked for Poch is 4231 or 352

I can understand him persevering as if he thinks there's something in it, you can't fully integrate these things on the training pitch and if babies gave up after a few failures no one would ever walk, but i honestly have no clue why he is using this diamond, what he thinks it brings to us or how it could possibly work with the players we have.

And would be happy if i never see it again.

 

[eViL]

The football has been dog shit since we went to the diamond.

Go back to 4-2-3-1 Poch.. it works alongside the way you train the team.

 

[EQP]

It's flogging the CM's to death.

The only formation that has ever worked for Poch is 4231 or 352

I can understand him persevering as if he thinks there's something in it, you can't fully integrate these things on the training pitch and if babies gave up after a few failures no one would ever walk, but i honestly have no clue why he is using this diamond, what he thinks it brings to us or how it could possibly work with the players we have.

And would be happy if i never see it again.

Would be okay going to back to the 352 if Poch is so insistent on playing Sissoko and Ndombele at the same time. Maybe even have Sissoko as the RWB ( though I'd prefer a RWB who can cross the ball etc)


------------ Hugo --------------
Sissoko - Toby - DS - JV - Rose
----Dier/Winks ----- Ndombele
---- Lamela/Dele/Eriksen ------- Son------
------------- Kane --------​