Team analysis/ Our best formation??

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24-11-2014, 10:07 PM
Unseen work

Team analysis/ Our best formation??

What do people think? 3-5-2....4-4-2...4-4-2(Diamond)...4-2-3-1???

For me one of our key attributes is our adaptability of changing depending on the opposition

Our best imo is the 4-4-2 diamond we have been playing recently as its hard for teams to break us down, offers alot of attacking threat and gives the fullbacks room to play in

oxley
gray hanlon fontaine stevenson
robertson
mcgeouch allan
handling
cummings malonga

is our best team at the moment imo, but what i like is that when players are injured/ dropped we have players that come in and know what is required, liam craig has came in recently and it is the best iv seen him in a while, getting 2 assists at the weekend.

Handling seems to of made the position his own getting a couple of goals and again getting a brilliant assist at the weekend with his through ball for allan

Allan and mcgeouch are the first names on the team sheet at the moment when fit imo and are instrumental to how we play

In defence we have forster out injured but will be interesting to see what happens when he is back, a right back is desperatley needed and imo a left back as not a fan of booth

This still leaves youngsters like harris and stanton out the team, stanton imo would be perfect for this formation aswell either behind the strikers or while mcgeouch is out.

Kennedy aswell when iv seen him has been brilliant, he however is just unfortunate we are not playing with wingers, however he is someone i would definetley like to see us sign permantly with his contract up at everton in 6 months.

El alagui is still to come back and with cody mulhall progressing nicely from his injury leaves us more options upfront, can see us getting rid of heffernan in january
24-11-2014, 10:56 PM
TheFamous1875

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unseen work

What do people think? 3-5-2....4-4-2...4-4-2(Diamond)...4-2-3-1???

For me one of our key attributes is our adaptability of changing depending on the opposition

Our best imo is the 4-4-2 diamond we have been playing recently as its hard for teams to break us down, offers alot of attacking threat and gives the fullbacks room to play in

oxley
gray hanlon fontaine stevenson
robertson
mcgeouch allan
handling
cummings malonga

is our best team at the moment imo, but what i like is that when players are injured/ dropped we have players that come in and know what is required, liam craig has came in recently and it is the best iv seen him in a while, getting 2 assists at the weekend.

Handling seems to of made the position his own getting a couple of goals and again getting a brilliant assist at the weekend with his through ball for allan

Allan and mcgeouch are the first names on the team sheet at the moment when fit imo and are instrumental to how we play

In defence we have forster out injured but will be interesting to see what happens when he is back, a right back is desperatley needed and imo a left back as not a fan of booth

This still leaves youngsters like harris and stanton out the team, stanton imo would be perfect for this formation aswell either behind the strikers or while mcgeouch is out.

Kennedy aswell when iv seen him has been brilliant, he however is just unfortunate we are not playing with wingers, however he is someone i would definetley like to see us sign permantly with his contract up at everton in 6 months.

El alagui is still to come back and with cody mulhall progressing nicely from his injury leaves us more options upfront, can see us getting rid of heffernan in january

4-4-2 diamond is definitely our best. Craig, in form (granted we've not seen it) would start in front of Handling in our best XI. Just from the Hibs TV highlights alone, it seems like Craig in the advanced role could finally be the player we all thought we were getting. El-Alagui would start above Cummings as he offers something different/don't want to burn Cummings out and Forster would be ahead of Fontaine due to being right-footed and a great prospect (although I am a fan of Fontaine).

Stubbs has already tried to get a second right-back in so I can't see us not getting one in January. Booth I like, he was brilliant against Falkirk. He and Kennedy linked up brilliantly when Stevenson was suspended. I can't remember the last time I seen a better flank duo at Easter Road so I'd keep him and would be happy to see him get more game time (If Stevenson is ever required in the middle of the park)

Harris is a winger and is obviously talented and he will get his chance in the team - I just hope the club give him the best route to developing well and he takes his chance and gets up to where he was and improves from there. A club with confidence and support for him can get the best out of him. A young talent is a precarious thing, hopefully he gets his mojo back.

Stanton, since being out of the team and back in with the 20s and having bit-part performances seems to be getting back to his dynamic, attacking self. He took his goal (and all of his great goals for the under 20s) brilliantly, and if we steady him into the team then I'm sure he'll be a mainstay in the midfield very soon.

Again, Kennedy is a class wee player, a bit young, a bit raw, but I'd also like to have him on board. He has been unfortunate that his time with us has coincided with us organically taking up a formation that plays without wingers!
24-11-2014, 10:57 PM
jacomo

Can Kennedy play as one of the front two? Sinclair too.

I kinda liked how AS signed a load of young attacking midfielders and let them fight for a place though.
25-11-2014, 11:44 AM
Smartie

First 11 when we want to get at teams I like the 442 diamond. I'd probably play Stanton in place of Handling and get Mcgeoch in there for Craig (who would be 1st choice replacement for any of the 4.)

For games when we expect to be up against it, Forster would come in for Stanton and we'd go 352.

We have decent depth in the squad for these formations although there's no cover for Gray. If he were to be missing we might toil. Not many opportunities for wide midfielders either so the likes of Kennedy and Harris may be surplus to requirements. Although I could see them both playing tip of the diamond or up front.

We still don't have the players to play 1 up front in any combination so this shouldn't be attempted again.
25-11-2014, 12:26 PM
J-C

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smartie

First 11 when we want to get at teams I like the 442 diamond. I'd probably play Stanton in place of Handling and get Mcgeoch in there for Craig (who would be 1st choice replacement for any of the 4.)

For games when we expect to be up against it, Forster would come in for Stanton and we'd go 352.

We have decent depth in the squad for these formations although there's no cover for Gray. If he were to be missing we might toil. Not many opportunities for wide midfielders either so the likes of Kennedy and Harris may be surplus to requirements. Although I could see them both playing tip of the diamond or up front.

We still don't have the players to play 1 up front in any combination so this shouldn't be attempted again.

We could play one up top when Alagui comes back, Malonga could lead the line but he doesn't work hard enough for that role, hence why he's best in a 2. 4-2-3-1 was played regularly pre season with Alagui up top and it worked well, we were the better team for 60 mins at ER against Dundee U until we went with a back 3.
25-11-2014, 12:43 PM
Smartie

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-C

We could play one up top when Alagui comes back, Malonga could lead the line but he doesn't work hard enough for that role, hence why he's best in a 2. 4-2-3-1 was played regularly pre season with Alagui up top and it worked well, we were the better team for 60 mins at ER against Dundee U until we went with a back 3.

We could just about do it with El Alagui. Remember, we were struggling a bit for goals pre-season. I don't think the problems we have playing 1 up front are restricted to the striker though - it is the wide midfielders and supporting attacking central midfielders too. El Alagui managed to get on the end of the odd slow, wafted cross and that seems to be about all that the likes of Kennedy and Harris can provide. No combination of our other strikers and wingers would create anything of note (see the QOTS game). I don't think having Malonga up there in that game instead of Cummings would have made any difference for the reasons you mention.

It would be good if over the course of the season we had a bit of wriggle room in the league to try things out but it seems to me that every point is going to be a prisoner as we push for the highest league position possible.

I have grave reservations every time I see us go with 1 up top. Not because I have a problem with that kind of formation in principle (most of the world seems to play that way now) but the way we implement it with our personnel. We haven't signed so many new players that we wouldn't have to call upon Harris/ Heff/ Handling somewhere in there and it was the lack of threat up front with these players that got us relegated last year.
25-11-2014, 12:59 PM
J-C

Behind Alagui is not the problem as we have McGeouch/Allan/Handling/Stanton it's out wide the problems a 4-2-3-1 system has for us, Harris is just a shadow of the lad who burst onto the scene and Kennedy although young/raw his final ball can be poor and he cuts inside too much due to him being overly one footed. I'd like to see another winger come in, one who can use both feet so he can switch wings, this would allow us to play 4-2-3-1 away from home.
25-11-2014, 01:02 PM
TheFamous1875

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-C

We could play one up top when Alagui comes back, Malonga could lead the line but he doesn't work hard enough for that role, hence why he's best in a 2. 4-2-3-1 was played regularly pre season with Alagui up top and it worked well, we were the better team for 60 mins at ER against Dundee U until we went with a back 3.

El-Alagui's the only striker we have who's capable of playing up top on his own but I think once he returns, he'll be in a two with Malonga up front. We've got lots of '#10' options though - Allan, Craig, Handling, McGeouch, Stanton and even Robertson could play there. Even Malonga and Cummings could play there, but I think they'd be more effective up front in a two or a three.

The problem we have with going 4-2-3-1 is we don't have anyone on the wings who would work hard enough to get back defensively. The system is a very disciplined one and neither Kennedy or Harris, who're both more suited to playing as all-out wingers, seem to have that to their game. Stanton would work hard enough, but the rest of his talents are wasted when he's on the wing - he's clearly more adept in the middle of the park.

I thought Robertson last season found a lot of good form on the right wing in the lead up to Fenlon's departure and I'm sure he was quoted at the time in an interview saying he was preferring playing in that advanced role. Lewis Stevenson's another who would give his all in that system on the left wing. His form in the early stages of Butcher's tenure consisted of some of his best and most confident displays, especially against Kilmarnock which, in my opinion, was one of his best performances in a green and white shirt.

I actually think Robertson and Stevenson would make a good middle 2 in a 4-2-3-1, as they're both hardworking - Robertson who can drive the team forward and Stevenson who can retain the ball and control and distribute it well.

What I like about our squad is that we have options. For many, many years (even going back to Mowbray) we've been limited in what approach we can take to a match. I can't remember the last time we could use 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 diamond with the same squad and be just as convincing.

A successful January could be the difference in us winning the playoffs. We need another right-back, a right-sided centre-half, a holding-midfielder and possibly a striker (depending on El-Alagui's return/Malonga's international duties) and possibly another option on the wings as right now we don't have the option of wingers if Harris or Kennedy aren't delivering, or we have to change formations due to injuries, etc.

Due to the turmoil we've found our club in, in the aftermath of last season, I think we've done really well re the squad, but January's window will really put our new set up to the test and we'll see what the club's ambitions are.
25-11-2014, 01:54 PM
jacomo

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFamous1875

What I like about our squad is that we have options. For many, many years (even going back to Mowbray) we've been limited in what approach we can take to a match. I can't remember the last time we could use 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 diamond with the same squad and be just as convincing.

A successful January could be the difference in us winning the playoffs. We need another right-back, a right-sided centre-half, a holding-midfielder and possibly a striker (depending on El-Alagui's return/Malonga's international duties) and possibly another option on the wings as right now we don't have the option of wingers if Harris or Kennedy aren't delivering, or we have to change formations due to injuries, etc.

:agree: on all that.