George Smiley 3 Posted September 1, 2019 Dare I say it but do you think having a player mop up at the back (libero) is worth trying when you consider our defensive frailty and current injuries?Who do you think would be suited to this role? It may give our fullbacks more licence to bomb forward and give us a bit more protection when they lose the ball and the opposition counter . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Greenthumb 742 Posted September 1, 2019 3 hours ago, George Smiley said: Dare I say it but do you think having a player mop up at the back (libero) is worth trying when you consider our defensive frailty and current injuries?Who do you think would be suited to this role? It may give our fullbacks more licence to bomb forward and give us a bit more protection when they lose the ball and the opposition counter . Who would you implement as the sweeper. ?I’d love is to have fit cb so we can push Aaron’s and Lewis on to provide pace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grando 256 Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) Can we bring Culverhouse back in the role?! (On a serious note - does any major team utilise a sweeper these days? It's a position that seems to have gone completely out of fashion...) Edited September 1, 2019 by Grando Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Greenthumb 742 Posted September 1, 2019 18 minutes ago, Grando said: Can we bring Culverhouse back in the role?! (On a serious note - does any major team utilise a sweeper these days? It's a position that seems to have gone completely out of fashion...) Didn’t Chelsea bring Luiz back to play sweeper? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grando 256 Posted September 1, 2019 10 minutes ago, Dr Greenthumb said: Didn’t Chelsea bring Luiz back to play sweeper? He's definitely not playing the role for them now! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
splendidrush 698 Posted September 1, 2019 I don't think that we have the personnel, our defensive problems are the lack of CBs, currently 3 on the treatment table... ...and getting the balance right in front of the back four, hopefully Amadou will fill that role. A bit of luck with injuries will be a big help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Greenthumb 742 Posted September 2, 2019 7 hours ago, Grando said: He's definitely not playing the role for them now! Well no, but it’s of recent years. It may still be happening in Italy, but I’m not that knowledgeable on their football Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grando 256 Posted September 2, 2019 If we were hypothetically to play a sweeper I wonder whether Godfrey would be the best bet as he has the pace and fluidity to get back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cornish sam 922 Posted September 2, 2019 We've had our first choice back line on the pitch and fit for about 20 minutes this season and from what I saw/heard they were pretty solid. I would rather see how we look with our best lineup before we start farting around trying to shoehorn players in and lose one of our more attacking roles... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
king canary 7,455 Posted September 2, 2019 Traditional sweepers sort of died out but I'd still be interested in how we'd look with a back 3 (fitness obviously permitting). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keelansgrandad 6,679 Posted September 2, 2019 It was obvious from the start that the defence would come under pressure. Its the EPL. And the midfield has to take a bit of the blame for some of our problems. Giving the ball away was not a problem last season but it is becoming one this. I for one thought that Emi would be outstanding in this division. But unfortunately he hasn't performed yet and Stiepermann has got into position plenty of times this season but it hasn't paid off. Hopefully it will and things will change. But I think it is unfair to keep banging on about the defence. Their are six other players on the pitch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Smith 2,290 Posted September 2, 2019 I think we need a midfield operating as a sweeper in front of the back 4. If Amadou is not ready then i'd play Tettey there for a few games and say to him that he just has to cover that area of the pitch between the half way line and the top of our area and sit in front of the back 4. At the moment if we lose the ball with one of the full backs up the pitch the opposition have a 3 on 3 or sometimes 4 on 3 break. Its way too open. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lappinitup 629 Posted September 2, 2019 6 hours ago, Jim Smith said: ....i'd play Tettey there for a few games and say to him that he just has to cover that area of the pitch between the half way line and the top of our area and sit in front of the back 4. Isn't that what he always does? And does it well. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wcorkcanary 4,314 Posted September 2, 2019 Surely the Sweeper role became redundant as footy evolved with the back pass rule, keepers are expected to be much better on the ball nowadays, leaving the penalty area to meet the ball enabling other players to stay higher up the pitch and play on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paddycanary 535 Posted September 2, 2019 Farke has turned to Tettey before when facing adversity. He has plenty of experience at this level too. It's clearly too soon to make a fair judgement & I think most would agree that a bit of luck with injuries was always necessary to remain competitive through the season. Pukki can't do all the goalscoring alone and he's a marked man after his triple. I'm a bit concerned about where the other goals are going to come from. Tightening things up in our own half is surely top of the agenda at Colney for the next few weeks which will surely have an impact on the squad's attacking instincts. So far Stiepermann looks to be having some difficulty adjusting to the step up in standard & he was fundamental to the philosophy last season. While Cantwell has made a very positive impact overall, there are a few concerns about the defensive aspect of his input & he's not a consistent goalscorer (yet?). Buendia was relied upon last year to be the creative spark and he has shown his ability. We need him badly to show some consistent form, particularly now with Onel crocked. We might see more pitch-time for Drmic if he can stay fit, perhaps with both him and Pukki on the pitch for 55/60 minutes. Trybull hasn't really shone so far & is in danger of losing his spot in the team. If Tommy T is paired with Tettey, could Leitner be given a freer role? Vrancic hasn't been given much of a chance to show what he can do, but apparently he looked a bit off the pace in the League Cup game. Hopefully Amadou has the quality & consistency we need to help shore things up around our box. Another worry is that Saturday's team looked pretty much to be what could be perceived as our current "first eleven," but of course the Zimm situation most certainly didn't help. It's natural to have concerns after the last few games but as the great Ricardo would advise, analyse the table/goals for/goals against situation after 12 games. Hopefully we won't be looking back at the Crawley defeat as the killer of our "positive momentum" vibes and the catalyst for a damaging run of form. As always, time will tell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites