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PROS and CONS of wingbacks

Discussion in 'Tottenham Hotspur' started by saffaspur, Jun 14, 2011.

  1. saffaspur

    saffaspur Member

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    Potentially we have 2 of the best wingback players in the country in Walker and Bale.
    What are the pros and cons of a 3-5-2 wing backback formation? Is it outdated or does the negative defensive play from most away teams mean that the use of wingbacks could be a potential matchwinner for us ?

    I was thinking of a formation similar to the following:

    Friedel

    Gallas Dawson Kaboul

    Walker Bale ( as wingbacks)

    Thudd Sandro Modric

    Vdv
    Striker

    CONS:
    Might leave us exposed defensively to a certain extent
    No direct cover if Bale or Walker get injured
    No place for Lennon and Ekotto in starting line up

    PROS
    Much more attacking options with Bale and Walker joining attack
    Could be potentially devastating with our quality of attack

    I know Hoddle used this years ago but the players he used were not good enough. This time things might be different.

    I am not advocating this system ...this is just for debate reasons but also what do people think of this as an option?
     
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  2. Spurf

    Spurf Thread Mover
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    I think most fans want Bale in midfield but I still think it is possible he will end up as a wing back. Some of his most devastating runs were made from this position, he has the room to use his acceleration. The success of Ekotto and their work together has discouraged this.

    Your post does show the potential changes to our formation that a top tactician could adopt in a game. It would be interesting to start with a 442 and if needed switch to the wingback formation during the game.
     
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  3. SolidSpur

    SolidSpur Member

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    I wouldn't use it as a starting line-up, but it would be a great option for an "all-or-nothing" approach to must win circumstances. (i.e. In a losing position for a cup game.)
     
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  4. ShelfSideSpur

    ShelfSideSpur Active Member

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    Osvaldo would be so happy with that line-up ;)
     
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  5. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    Rose could easily play as cover for Bale in this system, as could Assou-Ekotto and Hutton would be able to play on the right, too.
    It might actually suit the 'White Cafu', as he wouldn't have as many defensive responsibilities.

    I wouldn't recommend it, though.

    I'd still be interested to see how we might do with a 4-4-2 with Bale as a full-back.

    --------- Friedel
    Corluka - Gallas - King - Bale
    Lennon Sandro -VdV- Modric
    ------- Pav Defoe
     
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  6. pabird

    pabird Active Member

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    Lots of systems chat lately but truth to tell it is the skill and attitude of players that win games
    Great players move and adapt by instinct and football know!how
    Under pressure a so called "wingback" stays put in a back four but spotting a weakness drives forward
    Danny Thomas was a fullback but given the moment would be down the line in a second

    Back as far as the 61 side we played with three up front or just the one according to the situation or game tempo, players win games not systems
     
    #6
  7. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    I disagree entirely.
    Good managers get players to overcome their superiors on a regular basis through the intelligent use of tactics, formations and systems.

    Did Man Utd have a truly outstanding group of players this season?
    I'd suggest not, yet they won the title by 9 points and reached the Champions League final.
    Why?
    Good management.
     
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  8. SoppyMug

    SoppyMug Member

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    Ever since Croatia's World Cup campaign in 98' i've been a fan of 3-5-2 utilising wing backs. Its lost its popularity since those days mind. However whether it could work in the cut n thrust of the Prem remains to be seen, as i can't recall anyone using it recently
     
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  9. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    4-4-1-1 didn't work for us because we didn't have a striker that suited the system, for the most part.
    We didn't have time to experiment with it in pre-season either, as van der Vaart was such a late signing.

    As I've said elsewhere, I also felt that Redknapp didn't deal with the challenges of balancing a tough league campaign and European football that well, as he always attempted to field the strongest side that he had available.
    That's simply not possible and I'm not convinced that he's learned that lesson, though I don't think that it'll be an issue in the coming season.
    There's no doubt that he sees the Europa League as something that's way down on his list of priorities, which should see a number of squad players given a regular run-out, provided we don't emulate Villa and crash out.

    Your claim about the CL final is a little weak, in all honesty.
    How do you know how the game would have went, given alternative tactics and team selection?
    Berbatov, Nani and Fletcher should've started, in my opinion.
    Leaving the Bulgarian out altogether was lunacy, if that was actually what happened.
    I have my doubts.
     
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  10. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    I don't think that the Champions League should have taken it's toll on us so badly though Lidls, as we had a fair number of underutilised squad players that could have easily filled in for those in danger of burnout.
    Van der Vaart, Bale, Gomes and Gallas all struggled with fitness and/or injury, while Kranjcar, Bassong, Cudicini and Pletikosa barely got a sniff and Kaboul was underused.

    In my opinion it was Redknapp's insistence on using the same set of players and the same system whenever possible that cost us 4th, though I'll accept that it was a new challenge for him and we probably wouldn't have been there in the first place without his management.
    It was extremely frustrating to go into several games knowing what was going to happen, what the problems in the side were and that they weren't going to be addressed.
     
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  11. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    What would be the point?
    We'd just have to go through the same learning process when we got into it this season, instead.

    To be honest, I don't think that Redknapp is easy to like or knows the theory about how to succeed in Europe and domestically, frankly.
    He's always struck me as someone that does things his way, regardless of perceived common knowledge, which can work both for and against him.
    Playing your first XI constantly, regardless of the fixture? Bad.
    Playing Danny Rose as a left-back? Good.

    I respect the job that Redknapp has done at Spurs, but I don't like him.
    He plays up to the press too much, doesn't show enough respect for the fans or the club and never accepts the blame for a poor performance or turns down an interview.
    Some managers are good and some are liked.
    To be good AND liked is quite a tricky art to master.
     
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  12. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

    Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Well-Known Member

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    Going out v Young Boys would not have stopped smaller teams coming to WHL and shutting up shop (as they did the previous season)

    Our failure to beat Blackpool, West Ham, WBA and Wigan at home cost us top 4
     
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  13. ricospur

    ricospur New Member

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    people forget to easily we were very average against all the poor teams in the league and with our squad there are no excuses harry was at fault, we were unadaptable and played the same way time after time without learning lessons. the people who said (LDS etc) berba fletcher or nani would have made a difference if they started against barca are dreaming, united were totally and utterly completely outclassed losing 3 1 flattered them to be fair
     
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  14. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    The deluded tag was ridiculous anyway, Lidls.
    Spurs fans were being accused of having ideas above our station because of the stated opinions of players or pundits.
    We're no Geordies.

    The media like to try and make a story out of anything, which is part of their job, but Redknapp would do well to drop his column in The Sun and stop commenting on things that have nothing to do with him or Spurs.
    Wish West Ham, Pompey, Southampton and Brentford well and then say that they're all in the past and it wouldn't be right to comment on them any more.
    Stay silent on the English national team and claim that you wouldn't want to infringe on Capello's territory, unless it directly concerns one of our players.
    Refuse to discuss players contracted to other teams, even if you just want to say that they're 'triffic'.
    Accept the blame for poor performances and don't accept poor performances from match officials without passing comment.

    Being in the media 24/7 may get you and your family some money from Nintendo, but it's often not what's best for the team, the club or a manager's career.
     
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  15. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    The team that Ferguson put out was totally outclassed.
    A different team with different tactics might not have been.
     
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  16. ricospur

    ricospur New Member

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    simply not true they did as well and were as solid as they could have been, if theyd been more expansive it would have been double figures imo
     
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  17. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    How do you know what could have been?
    Pure speculation.

    They didn't have to be expansive and picking a striker that can actually hold the ball up would've relieved some of the almost constant pressure.
    Hernandez was largely anonymous.
    Leaving out the extremely hard-working Fletcher in order to play Giggs in the middle was just bizarre and choosing Valencia over Nani was odd, too.
     
    #17
  18. Lovearsenalcock

    Lovearsenalcock Homeboy
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    why is it hard to emulate simple 5 yard passing??


    ive played football at grass roots level as have most no doubt...and not once are we told to play football in order to become good footballers we are told to phkin get out ther and stuff em!

    hoof it up to the top man and lets win this game....never were we told not to play this rubbish....in fact if we play or tried to play tippy tappy football then it was just simple showing off......english football is 'ere son on mi ed' football

    we dont have the patience to see the fruits of an education..thats why stuart pearce said we will never do well in major tournaments..its because we are too arrogant and dont take the age group tournaments seriosuly enough...we withdraw all out so called best players and think we can put them in against the likes of spain and get smwhere..i remembr a dark era for spain in the 90's up to the mid 2000..and everyone would say spain are underachievers and bottle it etc...but we knew not that they were developing and working on the finer points of the game and bang..today 5 to 6 years later they are untouchable and rightly so<ok>
     
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  19. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    Regardless of Fletcher's fitness, picking Giggs in the middle against Barca was suicidal, Lidls.
    It's all well and good trying to keep the ball, but that's impossible if you never get it in the first place.

    Park was used to try and nullify Messi and I don't think that he did a bad job overall, but there was no attempt to stop the service to him and the team selected was never going to have the legs to deal with Barca.
    If the game had been more evenly balanced going into the last 15-20 minutes, then more attacking substitutes could've taken advantage of the tiredness that the Catalans seem to exhibit during that stage of the game.
    Perhaps bringing on Valencia, Hernandez and Scholes could've troubled them at that point, had they not been so dominant?
     
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  20. ricospur

    ricospur New Member

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    fletcher wasnt match fit and hasnt played for months and also he would be next to useless at ball retention which is key , no manu fans would have chosen nani over valencia before the game. no way would you play berba ahead of hernandez on current form. valencia was correctly selected because he has defensive qualities nani would have gone missing and would have been next to useless as united never had the ball and wouldnt have if they played them another hundred times no matter who they had in midfield. how could berba have held the ball up united had about 20 percent possession!? The issue was a massive gulf in class between the two teams ridiculously one sided game.
     
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