With what we have, assuming full health and everything you have seen, what would be your starting XI? Mine in a 4-4-2.. Burse Moore Davino Richetti/Saragosa Wagner Toja Dax Avila Rocha Oduro Cooper Burse - I just like his athleticism and his upside potential. With more starts under his belt I think he can be a better GK than Sala, who I do think is solid and he has done nothing to lose his starting spot, I just like Burse. Back Line D: I still think Wagner has a lot of upside as a left back. Davino is not as bad as made out to be, if he is then replace with one of the other two at central defenders. Saragosa may be better here as he has more defensive bite, Richetti does the dirty work but I think his D skills are more suited to open MF play, not true D. MF: Toja on the right so he can attack to his left (preferred foot). Dax and Avi in the middle, this is the most creative central MF pairing we could have. Rocha on the right, he is good there, has good vision, makes good passes and crosses. Forward: Cooper for obvious reason, Oduro as he is the best option available and does open up the field and put pressure on the D. The odd man out here is Serioux and I would like to find a way for him to be on the pitch. Maybe put him in place of Wagner and let him get forward more. Or go with a 3-5-2 and have Serioux in MF with Avila at the top then Toja, Dax, Serioux, Rocha. Avila seems to have more of a goal attacking mindset than Dax so I'd have Avila up to at MF in support of the forwards. I also liked some things I was from Brek Shea last night but he is still not ready to be a starter in my mind. We need more creative midfield play, and scoring from MFs, how are we gonna get it? With more creative MF play we will possess the ball more and the D will be improved if for no other reason they aren't having to defend as much.
--------Oduro----------Cooper------- ---------------Dax------------------ Wallace---------------------Rocha--- ---------Toja--------Serioux-------- ---Wagner--------------Moor------- --------------Davino---------------- ---------------Sala-----------------
Why put him on the side of his weak foot and force him to pinch in to use his strong foot. To me that takes away from the width of that wide player. A wide midfielder should be able to hit that cross on the run. Having to stop and cut back inside to use his left would be counter productive IMO.
Can someone please forward this to Schelly? Wallace has had a bad run of late, but I think seeing a couple of leftys on the left side is at least worth a look. He has also shown the ability to provide some good service, even from the middle third. So, for me, the biggest question mark in this scenario is Wallace. But I like that if we are down or need more offense, we can sub Wallace straight up for Avila or sub him and push Toja wide left and have Avila in the CM to create with Dax, still backed by Serioux. On a more fundamental level, if you asked me who our best 3 overall central midfielders were, I would say Serioux, Dax, and Toja (not necessarily in that order). That alone should justify giving this a shot imo.
I've always liked the 3-5-2 with 2 attacking mids: --------Cooper-------------Alverez (Or Oduro)--------- --------Avila--------------------Dax---------------- Toja-------------------------------------Rocha---- -----------Saragosa (or Serioux)--------------- Wagner--------------------------------Moor------ --------------------Davino---------------------------- ----------------------Sala---------------------------- If anything, Toja (or Dax or Rocha...) can slide beside the DM and Alverez or Avila can slide to the left wing. OR, Wagner can slide up to Toja's spot, with Serioux sliding back to LB (although I'd rather not see that); Dax and Toja go to the DM position and Avila is the attacking mid. Of course, if God could play on the left, that would be great.
Super Cooper----Thompson ---------Avila------------- --Dax-----Toja------Rocha ----------Richetti---------- --Anybody---Davino----Moor
Wallace is having a bad time right now because Morrow and Hymen insist on playing him out of position. He is a player who needs to be on the outside otherwise his pace and mobility are being wasted. He can be the guy that can be more defensive to allow Rocha the chance to attack more and give proper balance to the midfield. If Toja or Serioux pushes into the attach then you have someone like Dax who can drop and cover while losing nothing in that spot. I put Oduro in so his pace can stretch the defense giving more space for the rest of the players to attack.
---------Palermo--------- ---------Dax/Oduro------------- --Avila-----Dax/Toja------Rocha ------Richetti----Serioux------ --Wagner---Davino----Moor ----------Sala---------- 3 defenders reinforced by 2 defensive midfielders. I don't have a good feel for Avila yet, so that confused what I'd to. I have Cooper going to Scandanavia and a DP slot being used for Martin Palermo. Oduro as an addional forward when needed. I'd try Toja in the middle, but would want Dax as attacking midfielder most of the time too, so those 3 would rotate around depending on the team being played. but realistically it would shift around based on effort in practice and current form. There are others that can play if my XII aren't producing. Alvarez would be in charge in towels and gatorade to start with, but I'd ride his ass in practice to start delivering.
Palermo? It was River who was here, not Boca! I am not a fan of Wallace at all. Toja on the right. If he is on the left the D can use the boundary as an extra defender as he naturally goes left and uses his left so predominantly. While from the right he can not cross with his right foot on the run, or at all, he can attack into the box off the dribble. You can play him left but he'll have to drift centrally more to receive the ball or else he'll get pinned on the sideline too much. He did deliver an oustanding cross in Houston to Cooper from the left. There are +s and -s to having a righty on right and a lefty on left, it really depends more on if you are looking for that player to primarily be a crosser of the ball or attacking the box with the dribble. I am OK with L or R for Toja and Rocha, we just need a more creative MF, which leads us to... Dax and Avila in the same C MF - in a 4-4-2 we have more coverage at back so I think this is OK, they are both scrappy and while not the best defenders are pesky and with 2 central defenders the coverage should be there.
---Oduro--Cooper--Abe---- -----------Toja----------- ---Avila-----------Rocha-- ------------Dax----------- --Serioux--Davino--Moor--- -----------Burse----------- Sit Abe and plug in Richetti if the need be.
Cooper--------Mia Hamm (she's available and she couldn't do any worse) Shea-- Kaka(about time for saragosa to pay off)------Avila---Dax Serioux --- Davino----Moor----Rocha Burse Bench: Sala Wallace Oduro Richetti Toja Saragosa (in order for KaKa to have a friend) TRADE THE FOLLOWING: everyone else embrase the pain start the ******** over
Along with Moor, Serioux and Rocha...who are also playing "out of position" One can only wonder why these three don't go to SH and tell him this obvious fact....or, indeed, why SH doesn't sit down with each player and ask..."What do YOU believe is your best position"...and go from there.
So sad.....so true...... so what's the deal E66....your boy gonna stay home for another few seasons or what?
For the odd assortment of parts, this team reminds me of the Johnny Cash Cadillac. I think that the only reasonable formation would be a 3-3-2-2. If you allow the two of the three wide defensive mids to provide the width in penetration, (a-la South American outside wingbacks), this would take advantage of Toja and Rocha's natural tendencies. This would also help with our glut of DM's. But key, would be that the off the ball defensive mid penetrate without the ball looking for the switch. ----|-------------KC----AbeDuro----| ----|------Dax----------------Avila--| --Toja-------------Serioux--------Rocha ---------Wagner------------Moore --------------------Davino With the attacking mids playing high and inside, they are not so defensive in nature. That allows for them to play more of an attacking role. And, with the space created in the corners of the field, if the forwards that have a tendency to drift wide, those attacking players could interchange with the forwards in the run of play.
This makes soooo much sense. I wonder if we will ever see anything like it? Probably not since it's too logical . . .
I was just about to post something a bit similar, but I was thinking a formation totally against everything I believe in. I'm a big fan of Oduro, and I hate when teams play with one up top, but I have/had decided the best formation would be a 3-4-2-1. I had exactly what theo has, but with Richetti between Toja and Serioux. I was also trying to get Shea in there, which left me with a 3-3-3-1...soooo yeah.
I like the general idea but would play four at the back (the CORRECT four) as Davino is a one vs one liabilty. Serioux as def/mf Rocha and Toja as two way m/f and Avila or Arturo as attacking m/f.