Aston Villa (home) January 22

[Cornish Steve]

On the assumption that Duncan Ferguson will be in charge, supported by Leighton Baines, how do you think we'll set up? I could see the following - assuming all players are available.

                 Pickford

Coleman Mina Keane Godfrey

Gray Allan Doucoure Richarlison

              Dobbin DC-L

Maybe Branthwaite would play instead of Keane or Mina, but I doubt they'd want to change things too much for the moment. What's needed is a change in attitude, not a dramatic change in starting lineup. An obvious game plan would help, too.

[Btay]

4231 and no Rondon should be a good start. After last week both Keane and Coleman should be rested but I can’t see that happening.
 

                     Pickford

Coleman   Mina   Godfrey  Mykolenko

             Allan              Doucoure 

Gordon           Gray                Richarlison 

                        DCL

 

[Ghoat]

14 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

On the assumption that Duncan Ferguson will be in charge, supported by Leighton Baines, how do you think we'll set up? I could see the following - assuming all players are available.

                 Pickford

Coleman Mina Keane Godfrey

Gray Allan Doucoure Richarlison

              Dobbin DC-L

Maybe Branthwaite would play instead of Keane or Mina, but I doubt they'd want to change things too much for the moment. What's needed is a change in attitude, not a dramatic change in starting lineup. An obvious game plan would help, too.

That or Richy up top with Gordon and Gray out wide. Feel pretty sure it will be a 4-4-2 regardless 

[Bailey]

With Dunc, I think we are absolutely nailed on to play 442 with Dom and Richie up front. I expect, if all fit, to have Townsend, Allan, Doucoure and Gray behind. I am not sure about the full backs but it wouldn't surprise me to see at least one of Holgate or Godfrey line-up in one of those positions. 

[MikeO]

20 minutes ago, Bailey said:

With Dunc, I think we are absolutely nailed on to play 442 with Dom and Richie up front. I expect, if all fit, to have Townsend, Allan, Doucoure and Gray behind. I am not sure about the full backs but it wouldn't surprise me to see at least one of Holgate or Godfrey line-up in one of those positions. 

He's going to need help with the defence isn't he? Not exactly his specialist subject; Baines presumably but he doesn't come over as particularly assertive, what's Jags doing these days?

[plaidharper]

2 hours ago, MikeO said:

He's going to need help with the defence isn't he? Not exactly his specialist subject; Baines presumably but he doesn't come over as particularly assertive, what's Jags doing these days?

isn't Jags at Stoke now? After being released by Derby?

[Bailey]

2 hours ago, MikeO said:

He's going to need help with the defence isn't he? Not exactly his specialist subject; Baines presumably but he doesn't come over as particularly assertive, what's Jags doing these days?

I think its a little bit of a misconception that you need a defensive coach. Do you know of any other teams that have one?

In a press conference earlier in the year Tuchel admitted they barely do any defensive work on the training ground because ultimately your attacking shape, positioning and compactness then dictate where you defend. Football is such a fluid game and teams in the Premier League play so differently from each other that I don't think you can really be too focussed on how you defend. If you do, I think you then lose how to attack as you become too focussed on maintaining defensive shape rather than how to attack. 

[milesey05]

I think 442 too- Dunc kept this simple formation last time and it worked.

I would go.

                     Pickford 

Patterson    Mina Godfrey Mykolenko

Gordon.       Allan.   Doucs.    Gray 

                      Richie.  DCL

 

Options on Bench.

Townsend 

Gomes

El Ghazi 

Coleman 

Keane 

 

[MikeO]

26 minutes ago, Bailey said:

I think its a little bit of a misconception that you need a defensive coach. Do you know of any other teams that have one?

No idea but there's no doubt our defence needs direction and Ferguson knows little about it as far as I know....that said, maybe he does after doing his badges, we'll see.

Ebbrell (expecting much inside info from @Hafnia), Baines and Alan Kelly assisting; it would be very hard for them to be as bad as what we've been seeing.

[Palfy]

2 hours ago, Bailey said:

With Dunc, I think we are absolutely nailed on to play 442 with Dom and Richie up front. I expect, if all fit, to have Townsend, Allan, Doucoure and Gray behind. I am not sure about the full backs but it wouldn't surprise me to see at least one of Holgate or Godfrey line-up in one of those positions. 

So you think he will leave Gordon out for experience, I would hope he would go for attacking football with energy and include Gordon.  

[Palfy]

6 minutes ago, MikeO said:

No idea but there's no doubt our defence needs direction and Ferguson knows little about it as far as I know....that said, maybe he does after doing his badges, we'll see.

Ebbrell (expecting much inside info from @Hafnia), Baines and Alan Kelly assisting; it would be very hard for them to be as what we've been seeing.

I agree Mike the defence needs special attention at this moment in time especially under Ferguson, who’s focus will be to press high up the pitch which with our defence throws up a couple of problems, we have a lack of pace so the defence is reluctant to push up to the halfway line but hang back and leave a huge space between them and the MF for the opposition to play in. Baines will understand that we lack pace but will Ferguson listen and adjust or play his game and get picked off. There’s no doubt 4 or 5 in the team will hope he throws caution to the wind and just goes for it.  

[Hafnia]

1 hour ago, MikeO said:

No idea but there's no doubt our defence needs direction and Ferguson knows little about it as far as I know....that said, maybe he does after doing his badges, we'll see.

Ebbrell (expecting much inside info from @Hafnia), Baines and Alan Kelly assisting; it would be very hard for them to be as bad as what we've been seeing.

Yep , imagine I will be seeing him in a couple of months. Nice fella, not the sort to tell tales but he offers honest opinions where he can. 

he said big dunc was a ball of adrenaline last time out. This group of players need it. 
 

id like to see Rooney in the setup one way or another.  As it stands between baines dunc and ebbrell you couldn’t get a more blue management team. 

[Romey 1878]

4 hours ago, MikeO said:

He's going to need help with the defence isn't he? Not exactly his specialist subject;

What is his specialist subject? Throttling people and getting suspended when he was needed on the pitch? Being injured? Doing a perfect fist pump? Pashun, lad.

[Btay]

4 hours ago, Hafnia said:

Yep , imagine I will be seeing him in a couple of months. Nice fella, not the sort to tell tales but he offers honest opinions where he can. 

he said big dunc was a ball of adrenaline last time out. This group of players need it. 
 

id like to see Rooney in the setup one way or another.  As it stands between baines dunc and ebbrell you couldn’t get a more blue management team. 

I just don’t understand why Dunc can’t have the same impact in his role under another manager though… the run we’ve been on surely at some point he has tried to galvanise this squad - otherwise what has he been doing?

[Shukes]

8 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

What is his specialist subject? Throttling people and getting suspended when he was needed on the pitch? Being injured? Doing a perfect fist pump? Pashun, lad.

Watching the training session it’s high energy and effort.

[Shukes]

Look forward to Baines receiving a massive welcome back from the Goodison faithful.

[Bailey]

13 hours ago, Palfy said:

So you think he will leave Gordon out for experience, I would hope he would go for attacking football with energy and include Gordon.  

To be completely honest I forgot about Gordon!

Given the form he has been showing, I would consider starting him ahead of Townsend. I immediately thought Townsend just because I can see us getting a lot of balls into the box, trying to win free kicks in shootable positions and set pieces being of a high importance. When I think of that, I think of Townsend. 

[Romey 1878]

2 hours ago, Shukes said:

Watching the training session it’s high energy and effort.

We've had "just play" and now we'll have "just run".

I love these tactically astute coaches. I wonder when we'll get one .

[Btay]

16 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

We've had "just play" and now we'll have "just run".

I love these tactically astute coaches. I wonder when we'll get one .

To be fair if the team do both of those it’s going to be an instant improvement on recent performances….

[Romey 1878]

7 minutes ago, Btay said:

To be fair if the team do both of those it’s going to be an instant improvement on recent performances….

I have no doubt they'll run.

[Btay]

9 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

I have no doubt they'll run.

Run more 

[Palfy]

48 minutes ago, Bailey said:

To be completely honest I forgot about Gordon!

Given the form he has been showing, I would consider starting him ahead of Townsend. I immediately thought Townsend just because I can see us getting a lot of balls into the box, trying to win free kicks in shootable positions and set pieces being of a high importance. When I think of that, I think of Townsend. 

Looking at the way Ferguson has managed before I can see Gordon being his type of player, he will want as many hardworking attack minded players on the pitch has possible, in Gordon DCL Richarlison Gray and Doucoure he has 5 players that suit his style with 3 more on the bench in Townsend Dobbin and Rondon. What concerns me is we haven’t got a defence that has pace and understanding to cope with a high press, and decent teams will be working on hitting us at pace on the break, if we had Alan holding then Coleman Keane Mina or Godfrey and Mykolenko as our defence we will be slaughtered defending a high line and if he don’t defend a high line and leave a space of 40yrds between defence and midfield we will become disconnected and not even good teams will take advantage of the space and play through us. 

[Romey 1878]

2 minutes ago, Btay said:

Run more 

We still won't be able to pass the fecking ball though . It'd be nice if we could look like we have some structure and organisation as well, having those things are just as important as having energy and running about.

Like the fool I am, despite the current shit show I've just paid for my Brentford ticket. Come on you blues .

[Bailey]

1 hour ago, Palfy said:

Looking at the way Ferguson has managed before I can see Gordon being his type of player, he will want as many hardworking attack minded players on the pitch has possible, in Gordon DCL Richarlison Gray and Doucoure he has 5 players that suit his style with 3 more on the bench in Townsend Dobbin and Rondon. What concerns me is we haven’t got a defence that has pace and understanding to cope with a high press, and decent teams will be working on hitting us at pace on the break, if we had Alan holding then Coleman Keane Mina or Godfrey and Mykolenko as our defence we will be slaughtered defending a high line and if he don’t defend a high line and leave a space of 40yrds between defence and midfield we will become disconnected and not even good teams will take advantage of the space and play through us. 

My memory from last time was that we didn't play a particularly high line all the time. When we could we squeezed up the pitch and tried to win second balls. When we didnt we sat fairly deep with little space between the lines and tried to win the ball and go from there. Things broke down in attack because we were too deep and could find an outlet. 

The same concerns you mentioned all played the last time Ferguson was manager and we conceded one goal. Now we have more pace in Godfrey. We even had a central midfield pair of Schneiderlin and Siggy against Chelsea. 

FWIW I think Keanes biggest problems with a high line come from him also having to play out from the back and getting himself in a tizz. If he can read what is going to happen he can cope with it.

[Shukes]

2 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

I have no doubt they'll run.

Like Forest Gump!

[RuffRob]

They are going to have a very enthusiastic Digne on the left who is going to want to push forward - so I would definitely be putting somebody tricky on the right to make the most of this. Gray maybe. Mykolenko was missing from the Ferguson training session so may have a knock, and I would go with a defence that may be a little more familiar with each other at this moment in time. 

                   Pickford

Coleman  Keane  Mina  Godfrey

         Allan        Doucoure

Gray          Gordon/Gomes    Richarlison

                    DCL         

[StevO]

45 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

They are going to have a very enthusiastic Digne on the left who is going to want to push forward - so I would definitely be putting somebody tricky on the right to make the most of this. Gray maybe. Mykolenko was missing from the Ferguson training session so may have a knock, and I would go with a defence that may be a little more familiar with each other at this moment in time. 

                   Pickford

Coleman  Keane  Mina  Godfrey

         Allan        Doucoure

Gray          Gordon/Gomes    Richarlison

                    DCL         

I agree on needing to stop Digne. Gray and Coleman on the right for me. 
Godfrey left back to keep things solid so Coleman can have a bit of freedom. 
Richarlison either on the left or playing off DCL. 

[Romey 1878]

8 minutes ago, StevO said:

I agree on needing to stop Digne. Gray and Coleman on the right for me. 
Godfrey left back to keep things solid so Coleman can have a bit of freedom. 
Richarlison either on the left or playing off DCL. 

I'd much prefer to pair Gray with Patterson to properly double team Digne, especially if we keep it defensive on the left.

[Bailey]

The only issue with Gray on the right is that his main attribute is cutting in on his right foot from the left. You take away his main weopan by playing him on the right. I also think their RB (Cash) is worse than Digne and Gray will get more joy against him.

Conversly if we play two up front he will have less space to drive into and I expect Ferguson to want balls into the box. Not only will he get more consistently by being on the right but he will also create the width the team will need to give the front two and whoever joins them some extra space. 

Ultimately, I think it just depends on what Ferguson wants to achieve. 

[RuffRob]

41 minutes ago, Bailey said:

The only issue with Gray on the right is that his main attribute is cutting in on his right foot from the left. You take away his main weopan by playing him on the right. I also think their RB (Cash) is worse than Digne and Gray will get more joy against him.

Conversly if we play two up front he will have less space to drive into and I expect Ferguson to want balls into the box. Not only will he get more consistently by being on the right but he will also create the width the team will need to give the front two and whoever joins them some extra space. 

Ultimately, I think it just depends on what Ferguson wants to achieve. 

I agree Gray is better on the right over the 90mins, it more because Digne is likely to be pumped for this game, so giving him Gray to deal with early on might get him in the book early doors. Goodison will be rocking, so it should be an intense atmosphere.  

Coleman should know Digne's game a lot better than Patterson (or any other right back in the league), so would definitely be starting him.