Lampard/pirlo Formation Thread

[Kjbert]

Kind of the reason I ask. Assuming we get Pirlo..I know where he plays. But I am finding I hard time finding the perfect position/formation for Lampard. Which got me thinking..shouldn't our DPs be a forgone conclusion...as in he plays here, no questions asked. I'm ok with Lampard coming...but I'd also have no problem replacing him for someone else at a high level.

A 4-2-3-1 with Lampard as a CAM or a 4-2-3-1 with Lampard as a RM or a 4-4-2 with Lampard as a RM or CAM...

not worried about where he plays. You now have two athletic fullbacks who will get up and back. I think the coverage is there if Lampard is moved to a RM, but probably tucks inside a little bit.

 

[sbrylski]

A 4-2-3-1 with Lampard as a CAM or a 4-2-3-1 with Lampard as a RM or a 4-4-2 with Lampard as a RM or CAM...

not worried about where he plays. You now have two athletic fullbacks who will get up and back. I think the coverage is there if Lampard is moved to a RM, but probably tucks inside a little bit.

Lampard's not a 10, and he's not a RM. He's a middle of the pitch #8 who makes secondary runs into the box. Pirlo is a middle of the pitch #8 who distributes from behind the play. We now either have to pull Jacobson, or our second striker.

 

[BxLio91]

Good thing every player we have is "versatile player who can play in multiple positions"

 

[Kjbert]

Lampard's not a 10, and he's not a RM. He's a middle of the pitch #8 who makes secondary runs into the box. Pirlo is a middle of the pitch #8 who distributes from behind the play. We now either have to pull Jacobson, or our second striker.

Missed the point. We don't play with an "8" right now. We now have three "8s" with Lampard, Mix and Pirlo but no "8" in the formation. We play with a "6" a "10" and two shuttlers wide.

So all three will have to do something different unless we go to 4-2-3-1 and you want Pirlo and Lampard playing as a "6" and "8". If that's the case, keep Jacobsen in and move Lampard somewhere else.

 

[NickA]

Lampard's not a 10, and he's not a RM. He's a middle of the pitch #8 who makes secondary runs into the box. Pirlo is a middle of the pitch #8 who distributes from behind the play. We now either have to pull Jacobson, or our second striker.

Yes. Exactly. But the nice thing is we have options now to go offensive to defensive and vice versa. I think we have a nice core now that will be (unless injured) in the line ups. We have some talent coming in. Some may not be able to play with them, some might. I think creativity will trump talent with some of these guys. Again assuming Pirlo is here, he is gonna anchor the whole team. He will create the tempo and the flow. The back 4 is fine. Villa and Lampard can adapt. I think Mix will be fine, Poku is an anomaly. The rest of the line up will be about who plays to Pirlo's strengths. Pirlo excels in those over the top balls. Do we have guys that can do that? But that answers my own question. We need to add speedster that can score. Like an Accam, Mattocks type. I know we have Shelton, but we need one more. Now we actually have professional players that can pass we need to exploit that.

 

[Kjbert]

Something else that was mentioned in the Pirlo article. These guys all have to fit in together. But they also have to fit in with what else we have. Mix is a decent RM, a decent 6 but a better 10. Poku is better further up the field and his creativity is lost on the wing. Lampard best trait may be his ability to make that secondary run. So why not let him play outside as a RM.

 

[sbrylski]

Missed the point. We don't play with an "8" right now. We now have three "8s" with Lampard, Mix and Pirlo but no "8" in the formation. We play with a "6" a "10" and two shuttlers wide.

So all three will have to do something different unless we go to 4-2-3-1 and you want Pirlo and Lampard playing as a "6" and "8". If that's the case, keep Jacobsen in and move Lampard somewhere else.

I guess we'll have our formation discussion in two places, haha.

I disagree with your approach. You admit they are 8's, but you want to force them into new positions. I think it's better to admit they are 8's, and then find a lineup we can run with 8's in it.

Also, I don't agree that Mix is just an 8. It might be his best or main position, but he can play wing, take on some 6 duties, or play some at 10 too. He's very versatile.

 

[Kjbert]

I guess we'll have our formation discussion in two places, haha.

I disagree with your approach. You admit they are 8's, but you want to force them into new positions. I think it's better to admit they are 8's, and then find a lineup we can run with 8's in it.

Also, I don't agree that Mix is just an 8. It might be his best or main position, but he can play wing, take on some 6 duties, or play some at 10 too. He's very versatile.

I'm just trying to think of how to best utilize everything. This is Jason's job. Lampard and Pirlo play the same position, albeit in different formations. Mix is either an 8 or a 10. We don't know yet. He has almost exclusively played as a 6 and a RM for this team.

When you fill out your line-up, Mix, Pirlo, Lampard, Villa, Saunders, Facey, Hernandez, Iraola and a LB all need to be on that card. That's 9 positions. Then you need to decide if it is more important to get Poku/Jacobsen on the field or Grabavoy/Nemec on the field. Grabavoy/Nemec allows you to play 4-4-2 with Mix as an RM, Grabavoy as a LM, Pirlo as the 6 and Lampard as the 10. I don't think any of us want to see more of Grabavoy/Nemec.

Poku/Jacobsen probably doesn't allow you to play a 4-4-2. You then have to play a 4-2-3-1. How do you play those 5 midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 and use their talents best? Is it better to play Poku in his more natural forward position than it is to have Lampard as that CAM? I think it is. I haven't seen anything from Poku that makes me believe he can be a shuttler. Absolute waste. Might as well play Ballouchy in that case. Poku is our 2nd best offensive threat right now.

 

[mgarbowski]

Just following up on the absence of Lampard on the MLS 2015 transaction list. The funny thing is, he is listed on the 2014 list: as a designated player signing on 7/24/14. Which is the one thing we know didn't happen. Kudos I guess for not whitewashing the deception, and maybe that's why they didn't list the January transaction, if it did happen.

I have no clue. You have no clue.

Forget it Jake, it's MLS.

 

[gbservis]

I guess we'll have our formation discussion in two places, haha.

I disagree with your approach. You admit they are 8's, but you want to force them into new positions. I think it's better to admit they are 8's, and then find a lineup we can run with 8's in it.

Also, I don't agree that Mix is just an 8. It might be his best or main position, but he can play wing, take on some 6 duties, or play some at 10 too. He's very versatile.

Lampard was an 8, if you watched him at MCFC this year he rarely went box to box. Basing where these guys will play based on past positioning ignores the fact that a lot of high profile DPs come to the MLS and switch positions. Look at Henry, he was pretty much playing CAM by the end of his time at RB. In the EPL Lampard played the 8 because he was one best 8s. He played there because he was surrounded by others who are the best in the world at their spots. Coming to MLS is a whole different story, Lampard, Villa, or Pirlo could probably play the 10 better than most if not all starting 10s in the league. DP positioning in the MLS is about putting these guys in whatever spot allows them to maximize the impact of their higher talent levels on the game.

Lampard at 10, Pirlo at 6 and Villa up top makes sense. Right now most teams box Villa in constantly. With the other 2 arrivals, why not make them choose. You can't take away Pirlo's space deep, Lampard's space at the top of the box and double Villa all at the same time. Line them up in the 4-4-2 let Mix and who ever else plays on the other wing run their ass off to make runs and cover back and see what happens. Yes we will leak some goals without coverage from Jacobson but I am pretty sure we will score enough to overcome them.

 

[gbservis]

I would but the problem would be the optics of it. After Lampardgate imagine the ridicule we'd get if he ends up never playing for us at all. We have to at least play him the rest of this season, if we could get a really good DP (preferably younger) in January I'd do it

I think they maybe could he gotten away with it if they had cut ties right when MCFC decided to keep him, moved quickly and secured a different big name committed to arriving in the summer. If they found the right replacement and spun the story well the only super upset people would have been the Chelsea die hards that bought season tickets only to see Lamps. But you are right at this point it would be a PR disaster.

 

[Andy]

Give it a week lads.. Yeez, the amount of flapping on here at times

 

[doctorhoosier]

Lampard was an 8, if you watched him at MCFC this year he rarely went box to box. Basing where these guys will play based on past positioning ignores the fact that a lot of high profile DPs come to the MLS and switch positions. Look at Henry, he was pretty much playing CAM by the end of his time at RB. In the EPL Lampard played the 8 because he was one best 8s. He played there because he was surrounded by others who are the best in the world at their spots. Coming to MLS is a whole different story, Lampard, Villa, or Pirlo could probably play the 10 better than most if not all starting 10s in the league. DP positioning in the MLS is about putting these guys in whatever spot allows them to maximize the impact of their higher talent levels on the game.

Lampard at 10, Pirlo at 6 and Villa up top makes sense. Right now most teams box Villa in constantly. With the other 2 arrivals, why not make them choose. You can't take away Pirlo's space deep, Lampard's space at the top of the box and double Villa all at the same time. Line them up in the 4-4-2 let Mix and who ever else plays on the other wing run their ass off to make runs and cover back and see what happens. Yes we will leak some goals without coverage from Jacobson but I am pretty sure we will score enough to overcome them.

What in Lampard's skillset makes him an effective #10? Can anyone explain that to me? I don't see it.

 

[Kjbert]

someone on here, I think it was Tom in Fairfield CT mentioned something about the heatmap for our midfield.

Maybe Pirlo, Lampard and Mix are the perfect guys for Kreis. Let the three of them roam with another midfielder behind them. More of a 4-1-3-2.

 

[The Toe]

someone on here, I think it was Tom in Fairfield CT mentioned something about the heatmap for our midfield.

Maybe Pirlo, Lampard and Mix are the perfect guys for Kreis. Let the three of them roam with another midfielder behind them. More of a 4-1-3-2.

They're smart enough to know where they should be on the field, at this point.

 

[Paul]

I'm not trying to shut down the fun here, because you know, just do what you want with making up formations -- but it seems like Jason Kreis wants versatile/interchangeable midfielders (yes, I'm only partly poking fun at Kreis) and the formation isn't as important as which midfielders are available. So, you can draw it up anyway you want but the midfielders just float wherever they feel like it and wherever there is space. Don't over think it. The only exception, as Tom in Fairfield CT has said, is the CDM spot. That role for Kreis (with Beckerman at RSL and so far Jacobson here in NYC) is tied closely to the back four and I don't see that changing. In fact, it seems to be working pretty well. Even when our team wasn't clicking we still were not giving up many goals per match and all the games were pretty close.

 

[william straiton]

I would imagine Pirlo will play as he does with Juve and either Mix or Jacobsen will play alongside him.

I then believe Lampard will be playing ahead of those two supporting the forward with Villa playing left

With the players coming in so far and the ones already here this is how I would like to see the team

Saunders

Iraola Facey Hernandez Angelino

Pirlo Mix

Lampard

Poku Shelton Villa


The full backs would make the width and be able to support Villa and Poku, who can in turn tuck in to support Shelton.

With Pirlo's ability on the ball, I would like to see Shelton up top as his pace could be very useful in opening the opposition defences up.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Lampard was an 8, if you watched him at MCFC this year he rarely went box to box. Basing where these guys will play based on past positioning ignores the fact that a lot of high profile DPs come to the MLS and switch positions. Look at Henry, he was pretty much playing CAM by the end of his time at RB. In the EPL Lampard played the 8 because he was one best 8s. He played there because he was surrounded by others who are the best in the world at their spots. Coming to MLS is a whole different story, Lampard, Villa, or Pirlo could probably play the 10 better than most if not all starting 10s in the league. DP positioning in the MLS is about putting these guys in whatever spot allows them to maximize the impact of their higher talent levels on the game.

Lampard at 10, Pirlo at 6 and Villa up top makes sense. Right now most teams box Villa in constantly. With the other 2 arrivals, why not make them choose. You can't take away Pirlo's space deep, Lampard's space at the top of the box and double Villa all at the same time. Line them up in the 4-4-2 let Mix and who ever else plays on the other wing run their ass off to make runs and cover back and see what happens. Yes we will leak some goals without coverage from Jacobson but I am pretty sure we will score enough to overcome them.

Highly disagree with the bolded part of this post. I would definitely trade Lampard for about 10 different true 10 players already in the league.

 

[MagnusPax]

I would imagine Pirlo will play as he does with Juve and either Mix or Jacobsen will play alongside him.

I then believe Lampard will be playing ahead of those two supporting the forward with Villa playing left

With the players coming in so far and the ones already here this is how I would like to see the team

Saunders

Iraola Facey Hernandez Angelino

Pirlo Mix

Lampard

Poku Shelton Villa


The full backs would make the width and be able to support Villa and Poku, who can in turn tuck in to support Shelton.

With Pirlo's ability on the ball, I would like to see Shelton up top as his pace could be very useful in opening the opposition defences up.

Poku is a RW now?