Formation Speculation

[thesauerchise]

Mix plays a very good supporting cm role with the national team when he plays next to Bradley. He is next to him as he moves up the field, moves into attack as the ball pushes up, and is back in the middle on defense. He plays that role well against the best teams and players in the world. To even think that jacobson, who no one in the world other than thesauerchise would ever think is national team material, can play that role better than mix, is crazy.

Multiple factors make it an even better fit. 1. Pirlo is better than Bradley. And 2. The competition in MLS is not as good as the international game.

I actually agree on Mix playing that role, but thanks for the tag!

 

[thesauerchise]

Like cardinal511 outlined, I think a variation on the "Christmas tree" formation would work best with the personnel available. You could get all your "big" MF on the field and it still allows support for Villa. AJ could easily slot in when needed, as could any other MFielder.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

I actually agree on Mix playing that role, but thanks for the tag!

Hope you can tell it's good natured teasing

 

[thesauerchise]

Hope you can tell it's good natured teasing

Totally, it's all good

 

[Gotham Gator]

No question that with the emergence of Poku, Jocobson is the odd man out. The question is whether you keep the 4-2-3-1 with Mix sliding back or go to something like a diamond with Poku playing up top with Villa.

 

[Kjbert]

No question that with the emergence of Poku, Jocobson is the odd man out. The question is whether you keep the 4-2-3-1 with Mix sliding back or go to something like a diamond with Poku playing up top with Villa.

But where does Lampard play?

 

[LionNYC]

- I don't think we've achieved our optimal lineup. Mix needs to be playing the 8, his natural position. However, Jacobson is playing there 90' a game.
- It's difficult to have Lampard and Poku on the field at the same time. Can you play Poku in a forward role like Villa or keep him as a CAM? Then where does Lampard play?
- We have too many players that play central on the field and not out wide. Ideally we would move Angelino up the field, which may strength our defense as we can play some people more back.

------------------Saunders------------------
--Mena---Facey---Hernandez---Iraola--
-----------Mix----------Pirlo----------------
--TMac-------Poku-------------Angelino--
------------------Villa------------------------

- Mena's good 1v1 which is typically done outside the 18 yard box so keep him on the wing.
- Lampard is a sub until he's 100% which is next year.

 

[sbrylski]

How about let's just play our 3 CM's as CM's in a 4-3-2-1? Anyway, we know what our best starting XI is now, I would just like to see them all on the field at the same time, in whatever formation.

 

[Kjbert]

Poku and Lampard don't fit together. Unless Lampard plays the 8. Then Lampard and Mix don't fit together.

 

[joe]

That's not horrible in a get-them-all-on-the-field sense, but I think you'd ultimately need Lampard further forward.

I'm still pro-Jacobsen, but I'm becoming more and more into a 4-2-3-1 with Mix and Pirlo as the back mids. It's not Mix's best position, but he has the work rate to still get forward from there while providing sufficient D cover. And at some point you do have to get your best XI on the field.

 

[The Toe]

If Mix is allowed to play as far up as Jacobson does, I see him as an offensive upgrade, defensive slight downgrade. Jacobson was above-average last night.

 

[LionNYC]

This is the problem with our team. We first focused on getting stars and building a team around that. Unfortunately, people like Poku and McNamara show up and prove they deserve 90'. Then what happens to guys like Mix and Lampard, they don't have their natural roles on the field. Pirlo was signed in the summer after we played half a season. What Pirlo signed because we needed him on the field to fill a position and role or because of his name? In Pirlo's case I think both. With Lampard, we don't really have a need for him on the field.

 

[LionNYC]

At full strength (and health), does this work? It's like a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-1-1 or a 4-5-1

--------------------Saunders------------------
---Iraola--Hernandez--Facey--Angelino---
----------------Mix---------Pirlo--------------
-------Lampard--------------McNamara-----
-----------------------Poku---------------------
-----------------------Villa----------------------

 

[The Toe]

I may be crazy, but I think Khiry will be a perfect wing for Pirlo to send a ball to eventually. And Khiry gives us size that we desperately need on some corners

 

[FootyLovin]

At full strength (and health), does this work? It's like a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-1-1 or a 4-5-1

--------------------Saunders------------------
---Iraola--Hernandez--Facey--Angelino---
----------------Mix---------Pirlo--------------
-------Lampard--------------McNamara-----
-----------------------Poku---------------------
-----------------------Villa----------------------

Hard to see Lamp in that role getting back effectively on the wing. I think this is our ideal XI but with Lamp and Poku switched. Mix on that side allows Poku to play further forward.

I may be crazy, but I think Khiry will be a perfect wing for Pirlo to send a ball to eventually. And Khiry gives us size that we desperately need on some corners

Love the idea of Khiry receiving balls from Pirlo. If/when he comes back this year, he does so as a sub. Opposing D is tired and suddenly a fresh speedster is running at them with beautiful balls dropped in by the maestro.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Has Poku shown enough to play as a second striker up top with Villa in a diamond? Allowing Lamps to be the CAM with Mac, Mix, and Pirlo?

I think Poku has shown enough for that to be tried. Kreis has mentioned that Poku has some improvement to do on his defense and this move would help negate that a bit. I think the current formation we have been using works, until Lamps is healthy and we want to find a way to get Mix, Poku, and Lamps all on the field at the same time.

 

[Kjbert]

I may be crazy, but I think Khiry will be a perfect wing for Pirlo to send a ball to eventually. And Khiry gives us size that we desperately need on some corners

Happy you said that. What we need after that rain delay in Columbus was speed down the wing. Khiry would have been the perfect sub for Mix in that spot.

 

[Gotham Gator]

After the last couple games, I am of the opinion that we are better off with another player up top with Villa. That means Pirlo will have to play as the only defensive mid. As a result, the two wings will need to be extra diligent with their defensive responsibilities.

 

[Gotham Gator]

If you insist on sticking with a 4-2-3-1, then I think you need to send Mix back and Poku to the wing.

 

[AJS]

After the last couple games, I am of the opinion that we are better off with another player up top with Villa. That means Pirlo will have to play as the only defensive mid. As a result, the two wings will need to be extra diligent with their defensive responsibilities.

I think these are all of the players I want to see on the field. But if we are going to play this way, I think we'd need at least one fullback to also really stay at home at all times. One of the more interesting things to me tactically this year is that we are conceding a lot more goals since Angelino and Iraola started playing even though they are clearly better players than Wingert, Brovsky, Allen and Williams. That, for me, is a tactical issue that relates to the fact that when they go forward, our shape doesn't adjust. Prior to their arrival, our fullbacks didn't push forward at all, which was its own problem, but meant we had defensive cover. Unfortunately, as has been said many times, we just don't have the right player on the roster to sit back there. Early in the season there was a lot of talk about a Beckerman style guy who could break up play and distribute the ball. Now we have the greatest distributor, so we just need someone who can run around and break up play and then lay the ball off. That has to be priority number 1 in the off-season for me and I wouldn't have thought that has to be a DP level guy to be effective.