How about playing Zamora up front with Taarabt just behind him, seeing how excellent he was yesterday. Then put Barton and Diakite (if he's back) in central midfield, SWP on the right and Smith/Mackie left?
I think Taarabt is much more effective when used as he was yesterday, coming from deep and beating players to create space for a shot from around the box, he can also pick a pass from deep more effectively than any of our current midfielders. If we can keep 11 on the pitch he is our playmaker and we still have HH, Both, DJ, and Macheda, I think we will be more effective with a pair of strikers and Adel free behind them...
------------------Kenny----------------- Onouha-----Hall-----Ferdinand----Taiwo SWP-------Barton------Taarabt----Traore ------------HH--------Zamora---------- Adel looked good in the centre yesterday. Was running box to box and looked like he was staking a claim for the CM position. We need to be positive away at Blackburn and go for the win.
Whilst Cisse is suspended, it doesn't make sense to me to have Betty or Helgusson up front with Zamora. Zamora's strength, aside from his own goalscoring abilities, is in his ability to hold the ball up and bring others into the game. Helgusson and Bothroyd offer this too, so it has to be the paciest forward in place of Dribble, which means DJ if fit. I completely agree that Taarabt should play just behind the front two.
Your right Uber, DJ would be the obvious answer. Is he fit? My reasoning with the above team is with Traore and Taiwo on the left and SWP and Onouha on the right we have players with pace and a couple who can cross. Two big men up top might suit this. It worked reasonably well against Citeh, with HH and Bothroyd leading the line. Zamora is like a Bothroyd upgrade.
Adel was never in the centre midfield position, that was Barton and Derry/Traore. Taarabt was a LW who was drifting about but he always went to the left when we lost the ball. Wed get slaughtered with him and Barton in the middle.
You might be right, ColdharbourR. But I think maybe have Helgusson or Bothroyd on the bench for later if we're chasing the game. That's the time for punting up the long balls in the hope of a dividend. I would prefer that we use Zamora to hold the ball, lay off to the likes of Taarabt, who then plays that wonderful incisive through ball for DJ to get on the end of. Summat like that anyway.
Back to square one but with a rejuvenated midfield: Kenny Young-Onouha-Ferdinand-Traore SWP-Derry or Diakite-Buszaky Taarabt Helguson or Zamora-Campbell
He looked pretty central to me for the last 20. But i guess formation is less rigid when you're chasing the game. I'm just not sure Derry is up to it anymore and Buz can't tackle anyway and Diakite wont be back from ACoN.... We need Faurlin!
Sounds like Young will be out for the Blackburn game. So I would imagine Hall at CB and Onouha at RB again.
What about slighty different formation, Onouha......ferdy......gabby....taiwo ............Diakete ........ Swp. ... Barton ............. Adel t ..... Zamora. ..... Dj I think this would work and adel would score more goals
Creativity has been a huge problem for us this season. Most of our midfielders are just not creative enough. Adel has his faults, but his movement, ball retention (On Sat) and ability to create a chance is unmatched in our team. Adel needs to be moving forward with the ball. Therefore he needs to be playing in midfiled moving forward with the ball. If we play him up front his movement will continue to be excellent, but who will be the creative spark, SWP, Barton, Derry, you're having a laugh.
This with a keeper, Cerny for me. But don't think MH will vary much from 4 4 2 and we need to address the fact that defensively we have been pulled to bits by mediocre teams like Villa and Wolves and Bburn can do this too if we don't get all 11 defending when we loose the ball. So for me: ------------------Cerny------------- Onouha------Anton------Gabbi (Hall)--------Taiwo SWP---------Barton-----Buz (Derry)--------Traore ----------------Adel----------------------------- -----------------------Zamora------------------ Adel in a free role when we have the ball, but defending when not.
Yes. 4-3-1-2 is exactly how I would play as well with Adel behind the 2 strikers making good combinations. However, I'm not sure if Buz would be ok in that position. I would put Smith there and Buz in the middle. We will have to see how Diakite really fits into all this.